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| Mirtha Munoz a 70-year-old runner participates in the Sky Race, Bolivia’s toughest cycling competition – Bolivia Skyrace – Yolosa, La Paz, Bolivia – October 5, 2019 Mirtha Munoz in action during the Sky Race. The route known as “The way of death” to reach 4000 meters in the Andean mountains REUTERS/David Mercado |
Boliviaยดs โDeath Roadโ might seem an odd place for a septuagenarian grandmother on two wheels.
The worldยดs most dangerous road spirals skyward nearly 11,000 feet, from the countryยดs lowland jungles to the snow-capped peaks of the Andes. Fog, rain, rockslides and sheer cliffs are main attractions. The road has likely claimed thousands of lives.
But for 70-year old Bolivian Mirtha Munoz, the oldest ever competitor in Boliviaยดs 60 km (37 mile) Skyrace, an extreme bike racing competition, it was a natural extension of a passion she picked up years ago.
Munoz took up biking on the advice of her family and a psychologist friend after her son died unexpectedly.
โHe told me … the bike could help me get through my pain, and to rebuild,โ she said.
Saturdayยดs race was a pinnacle achievement, no pun intended.
โItยดs a vertical climb, you go up and up and thereยดs no rest,โ she told Reuters upon finishing the race.
Munoz, one of the raceยดs founders, says she enjoys more low-key bike-riding with her six grandchildren, though admits she hopes the eldest, now approaching 18, will soon follow in her tracks.
REUTERS
