Marathon In Peru: Running The Andes For 42Forward
In this 42Forward event I supported a local dog shelter by running a marathon in Peru.
I’ve officially done more then one 42Forward marathon and can confidently say it isn’t some one-off dream. I love doing them and I am extremely proud of them. The absolute perfect way to keep myself healthy, see the world, and give back along the way. I’ve explained 42Forward before, but the idea is simple: run a marathon in a community and give back one essential item for every kilometer completed. We donate a minimum of 42 items, with each additional runner increasing the total. It all started in Mexico and now Peru, can’t wait to see where this ride takes me.
This 42Forward run was different than the first one. Instead of helping children, this time I helped a shelter full of dogs. I volunteered at Casa Viva dog shelter during my travels in Peru. After the incredible experience I had there it felt like the perfect fit for my next marathon. What a dream area to run a marathon in as well. It’s hard to beat running through the picturesque Peruvian Andes. It’s also hard to actually enjoy the view and appreciate where you are when your main focus is trying not to get run over.
Table of Contents
Why Run a Marathon in Peru?
When I stepped off the plane and took my first breath of high altitude air in Cusco, the last thing on my mind was running a marathon in Peru. The combination of blazing sun and thin air weren’t exactly good running conditions. I attempted my usual training runs, only to come down with altitude sickness that sidelined me for nearly a week. Although it would be cool to do a marathon in a place as naturally stunning and culturally significant as Peru, my odds weren’t looking to good.
However it wasn’t impossible, I told myself that if I found the right fit I would make it happen. The next two months were spent exploring what Peru had to offer and it didn’t disappoint. From high-altitude mountains and Incan history in the Sacred Valley to a desert oasis and small offshore islands home to penguins, Peru truly has something for everyone.
As I traveled I kept an open mind, asking myself where I could run a 42Forward marathon and truly make an impact. Peru has no shortage of places that need help however I wanted to connect with a cause the same way I did during my first event. It wasn’t until our final two weeks in Peru that I found what I was looking for, and I knew it immediately.
Casa Viva Dog Shelter
I wrote about my experience at Casa Viva, but in short: the area blew me away, the people running the shelter inspired me, and the dogs stole my heart. It was a no brainer for me. It checked all the boxes, and I liked the idea of switching from helping kids to helping animals this time around. So I committed, the Ancash region would be where I ran the second 42Forward marathon and Casa Viva was the reason why. Committing to something is the easy part, the real challenge with the logistics of running through the Peruvian Andes and executing that plan were about to begin.
After choosing the location for my next 42Forward marathon, I just had a few key steps left before race day. I had to figure out what to donate to the shelter and where to get it, map out and execute a marathon running route, and somehow document the journey. Not a small order but 100% doable, one step at a time Rostad.
Piecing the Plan Together
First step on my laundry list of things to do was to organize the donation for my marathon in Peru. Acopampa and Carhuaz are not huge towns, I would most likely need to get everything from Huarez roughly an hour away. I talked with Kishor and Jessica, we came up with a wish list of items that the shelter needed most. It was mostly items used around the shelter that eventually degrade and needed replacing such as leashes, harnesses, plastic buckets, etc. Kishor oversees several international charity initiatives. They also run a small boutique hotel on the property. The shelter occasionally receives donations from guests and abroad as well.
With the international operations, donations, and hotel income, Kishor and Jessica run Casa Viva. We figured by donating the little things people forget about, that would be one less cost for the shelter and they can focus more money on food and vet appointments for the dogs. It would also make the volunteers lives easier as they use these items everyday. Of course I couldn’t forget about the dogs themselves, I planned on buying a bunch of toys for the dog park.
My Ride With 42 Items
A common method of transportation in Latin America is called a Collectivo. Essentially a shared van, bus, or taxi that leaves for it’s destination once it’s full of passengers. They are extremely common in the Ancash region of Peru and are how most people get from town to town. The longest I’ve ever had to wait for one to get full and leave was 15 minutes. With Huarez an hour away a taxi would be too expensive. Big buses only did major routes such as Huarez to Lima, not the small towns in between. Since I was a backpacker with no car that left one option, Collectivo it was.
Collectivos are an experience at the best of times, and a sketchy amusement park ride at the worst. They won’t leave until every seat is full and they’ll sometimes throw a couple more people in just for fun. Once you’re on the road no rules apply. They will do 140km per hour weaving through traffic, overtake slower cars on blind corners, whatever it takes to get to the next place as fast as possible because more passengers equals more money. I was able to pick up some smaller items in Carhuaz but the bulk of everything was waiting for me in Huarez.
This Seat's Taken
The ride to Huarez went as smoothly as it could, the ride back was a different story. I got roughly 30 items on my list. Most of them I could fit inside a big kennel I bought the shelter, the rest were in normal plastic bags. I probably looked like a cartoon character carrying around dog accessories through the busy, bustling market of Huarez. Walking through the crowed streets was tough, getting everything in position on the collectivo was tougher. Luckily I was one of the first to board so I had my pick of the seats. My items and me took up a row of three seats total.
Don’t think the driver was super impressed and he made sure to charge me for the extra space when I got back to Acopampa. Along the way back it was the usual Nascar race on the highway weaving through every vehicle in the way. My items rocking back and forth along the row of seats as I struggled to contain them all. The locals in the Collectivo looked at me like I was an idiot, fair enough. The empty, open streets of Acopampa were very welcome A short walk back to the shelter and I had my full donation ready go. Another step crossed off the list.
Marathon in Peru Route
Planning a route for my marathon in Peru wasn’t too hard but the execution would be tough. Essentially I had three options, none of them were super ideal however I couldn’t go back on the dogs now. Option #1 was to run along the smaller roads through the valley. This was my favorite option, the views were beautiful and the roads were quiet however it had a major problem. Peru is full of stray dogs, I would encounter them everyday on my runs. The dogs in the city weren’t great and the dogs in the country were even worse. There was not one single run I went on where I wasn’t harassed by dogs. City dogs would bark and maybe get close to you, the country dogs would go straight for your heels.
Option #2 was to run alongside the main highway. The scenery would still be beautiful in the valley, and the busy road meant less dogs hanging around. I had already personally experienced what the biggest issue would be, the Collectivo drivers. They are seriously crazy, no order whatsoever. There would occasionally be three side by side speeding down the highway, all in an effort to pick up the next passenger first. I tried to pay attention to the shoulders of the highway. Some areas had plenty of room while others got pretty tight, doable but not perfect.
Option #3 was to do the full marathon through the city of Carhuaz. It was quiet, the dogs were chillish, and it still had mountain views. Here my issue would be entirely my own fault, the mental burnout of running the same lap after lap after lap around the town for hours. I underestimated how hard this was on my last marathon where I had to run up and down the same street. It was miserable to do it for 5km I can’t imagine 42km of that.
The Choice and the Cameraman
Those were my choices and none were great. It wasn’t a matter of picking the best, it was a matter of picking the one that sucked the least. In the end I decided to take my chances running alongside the highway. Right away the marathon through Carhuaz was out. The physical challenge was going to be enough for me, I didn’t need to throw a mental war into the mix as well. I went back and forth between the other two. In the end it made more sense to me that a Collectivo driver would drive normally for less then 1 minute to avoid killing someone, where a pack of starving dogs would have nothing to lose.
With the choice made and locked in all that was left was to find someone to document everything. I had Paul, an incredible videographer help me out with my first marathon. I didn’t have the same luxury this time and couldn’t find anyone in the area to help on such short notice. In the end I decided to take it upon myself to try and document the run. I’m absolutely not a videographer, and to be honest I didn’t really enjoy it. I felt like it took away from the run while I was messing around with a camera, it also broke my concentration running. However I made a simple video for the shelter to use. Not all of the marathons can have big professional videos to go with them and that’s ok with me.
Marathon in Peru: Race Day
With the donation organized, the route mapped for the marathon in Peru, and my phone fully charged despite its half-broken microphone, everything was ready. Now it was time to run 42 kilometers. I talked to Kishor, he recommended I run north toward Caraz. The highway that direction had ups and downs but Caraz sat 400m lower in elevation than Acopampa. I took his advice and ran the marathon on a decline. 7:30am on January 24th 2026 I officially began the second 42Forward marathon.
From the very first step, my favorite part of the run was moving through the Peruvian Andes, and that never changed. I ran surrounded by rolling valley hills, with snow-capped peaks rising behind them. Getting lost in the scenery actually helped, I barely noticed how sore and tired I was. Another benefit along side the nature was the decline. Despite it being gradual over 42km I 100% noticed it, being out of breath was never an issue once on the entire run.
The final positive was something I felt during my first run and again on this one, and I have a feeling I’ll feel it during every 42Forward marathon I ever complete. I’ve never experienced anything like it before 42Forward. I’m not sure if there is a word for it but it’s the greatest feeling in the world. It’s that intersection between “what the f@$k am I doing, this is a mistake” and “Holy s@%t I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.” Something that once felt like a distant idea or dream suddenly becomes real, and you worked to make it happen. I genuinely hope everyone experiences this at least once in their life.
The Highs and Lows
It wasn’t all sunshine, the sun actually turned out to be a problem. I’m probably destined to make at least one mistake on every marathon. The marathon in Mexico I forgot to carb load the night before, which is honestly stupid and embarrassing. This time I forgot sunscreen, less stupid but still pretty bad, especially considering the UV levels at the altitude I was running. However the rolling valley hills came with plenty of trees and the trees came with plenty of shade. I got lucky this time, I won’t make that mistake again.
Despite me running along the major highway in the area I still had issues with dogs. The small villages I ran through all had neighborhood dogs. To be fair this was probably the first time they’d every seen someone running along the road. It was fair for them to assume I could be a threat. The vast majority of dogs simply barked and followed me along their property line, as soon as I cleared their territory they left me alone. Still some chased me onto the road and went for my heels, I had to throw a couple warning kicks before they got too close. I understand they were just doing their job, but I’m not about to get rabies over it.
The Final Boss
I knew this was coming. The worst of it was the traffic on the highway, specifically the Collectivo drivers. I get it they have a job to do and time is money, I’m 100% the inconvenience here. Still I didn’t expect to have the close calls I did. The majority of the time it was fine, sometimes I didn’t think they needed to be as close as they were. Twice I actually had to stop running and pull myself together, I couldn’t believe they didn’t hit me with how close they came to me. I learned quick that when I heard traffic coming to turn around and see what it was. A car or two? That was fine, a group of vans and I got meters off the shoulder giving them more then enough space.
Can’t really complain, I signed up for this. Between watching the traffic, watching for dogs, focusing on pace, and trying to film myself, this marathon was mentally the hardest I’ve done. Physically it honestly wasn’t bad. I’ll take the crisp mountain air over thick humidity any day and the decline took away any cardio issues. This was my life for 42km. The last 5km was brutal as usual but I got there, after 5 hours and 19 minutes I finished my marathon in Peru. I improved my marathon time which I was happy about, still nowhere close to where I want to be on a personal level. However 42Forward marathons aren’t about time. 3 hours or 30 hours, finishing is all that matters.
Donations and Dogs
The marathon in Peru was complete, officially finishing just on the other side of Caraz. After walking back to town I took a Collectivo back to Acopampa, maybe it was the same one that almost killed me. I got back to the shelter and just wanted to relax however I had no time to do so. We had to present the donation to Casa Viva, attend a family dinner that the shelter was putting on for all the volunteers, then catch a night bus back to Lima for a morning flight to Colombia. No rest for the wicked Rostad.
I gave the donation to Jessica and Kishor. They laughed at the toys I bought the dogs, the majority of which were noisy rubber chickens. Hopefully no one has gotten annoyed enough with them to throw them all away. Kishor gave me some good advice as he has a lot of experience with charities. We had a delicious pizza night family dinner that some of the dogs also got to join. Despite me being exhausted it was truly a great day, a perfect way to end our time at the shelter. We said our goodbyes to our new friends as it was time to go catch our bus. As I walked through the metal gates I had a funny feeling that it wouldn’t be the last time I do so.
This donation consisted of 42 various items including
- plastic buckets
- rubber gloves
- dog toys
- leashes
- harnesses
- leash belts
- scrubbing brooms
- dog beds
- water/food dishes
- a dog kennel
Tips For Running a Marathon in Peru
If you want to run a marathon in Peru there are some things you should know, most of which I mentioned but I will go over the key points.
- Altitude is seriously no joke, acclimatize before attempting any long runs.
- Hydration is even more important than usual, again because of the altitude you’ll need to drink more than normal
- Expect incline and decline, Peru isn’t often flat
- Sunscreen! Don’t make the same mistake I did, it doesn’t take long to burn at that altitude
- Watch out for dogs, you’ll hear them coming and most will simply bark but some will chase you
- Pace yourself, it’s tough to set a PB at altitude, focus more on finishing
It’s a different type of run from what I’ve done before, however I think it’s worth the effort. You can’t get that kind of experience in many places on earth. Enjoy where you are and what you are doing, you’ll remember it for life.
42Forward Marathon in Peru Final Thoughts
It’s hard to put into words and I’ve said it before but I truly don’t think there’s a better feeling then building something from an idea and watching it become real. I’m proud of 42Forward and what we’ve done so far, I can’t wait to experience what else we do. As for Casa Viva, it truly is something special. Jessica and Kishor have built something remarkable. Something that not only gives a second chance to hundreds of lives, which itself is incredible. They’ve also built a beautiful community full of some of the best people on earth, animal lovers. It felt like a second home we’ll we were abroad. As for Peru, it’s a stunning country that has something for everyone. I have a feeling I’ll be back.
