Feature – Playa del Coco IRONMAN 70.3

Howler Staff - MAY 04, 2017

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Not so far up the road from the Tamarindo beach area lies another beautiful and popular beach town area—Playa del Coco. Coco is one of Guanacaste’s oldest beach communities and one of the fastest growing tourist areas in this beautiful country. Increasingly, events and activities that enthrall national audiences and direct the world’s attention to our little corner of the world happen in Coco. In June, Coco is hosting the Gatorade IRONMAN 70.3 Costa Rica, presented by Kolbi.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”full_width”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

PLAYA DEL COCO OVERVIEW:

Playa del Coco is part of the beach area known as Papagayo, which also encompasses the small beach towns of Playa Hermosa, Playa Panama and Ocotal. It was once one of the largest fishing villages in Costa Rica. Liberia International Airport (LIR) is just 20 minutes away.

Coco has come a long way over the past 40 years. Talking with some of the early arrivals is always interesting. So many stories of the old days. Like most other places in Costa Rica, In the ’70’s Coco was all dirt roads, with no electricity. Water was drawn from local wells and the closest shopping for groceries was over an hour’s drive away. Travel in and out of this area was tough; getting supplies was always a challenge. In a wicked deluge the local residents could be stranded for a month at a time, waiting for the roads to be passable.

In the early days, fishermen going out for their evening catch would leave lanterns on the beach so they could find their way home. There was not one single light within miles of the town that they could use as a landmark. Today, with Coco having grown leaps and bounds in the last couple of decades, fisherman no longer have to consider hours-long burning lanterns as essentials to pack with their fishing gear.

The Coco of today doesn’t look a lot like yesteryear’s Coco. Now every major road in the town is paved, and even many of little side roads in the local barrio are getting black-topped. Modernization has arrived here, with ample sidewalks and street lights, stop signs and medians. The electricity almost never goes out. The infrastructure has been upgraded and the municipality has improved the beachfront area with installations of a new boardwalk, basketball and volleyball courts, and fountains and showers beautifully landscaped with palm trees and local plants, flowers and concrete walkways: excellent for an afternoon stroll.

Boating life has not lost its luster on this beach. The calm waters attract many boaters to moor their boats here. Party boats, catamarans, snorkeling tours and diving boats fill the bay. Tours in this area abound. Half-day adventures are very easy to book and well worth the time.

The area is lined with dozens of restaurants and bars, and offers the perfect mix of locals, expats, and tourists enjoying a social time. Costa Ricans place huge emphasis on the family, a cultural value that becomes very evident when spending a couple hours at Coco Beach “people watching”. Children are playing in the surf while the grandparents are relaxing on the sand. Young mothers push baby carriages while fathers gather around the gigantic matapalo tree, putting back a few cold beers. The competition on the courts is at a fever pitch, while the tourists gather out front of the bars soaking up the sun or watching the gorgeous sunsets. It is truly paradise. Just 50 meters from the sand is the local soccer field, right in the middle of it all, where every evening and Sundays teams compete for the bragging rights of the town; in some years, they work their way up into the National Championships.

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Far from perceptions as a sleepy little beach town, Coco is loaded with action. Some of the best bars in the country attract tourists, expats and Ticos alike, and they party every day and rock ‘n roll all night. The Famous Coconutz Sports Bar, with over a dozen TVs, is packed all day long, while Zi Lounge and the Lizard Lounge keep the dancing hot well into the wee hours. Live music abounds along with movienights and karaoke, and the newly renovated casino is a first-class operation for those who dare a dance with Lady Luck.

As the only large town servicing the entire Papagayo area, you can find almost every service that you need in Coco. There are 5 grocery stores, 2 hardware stores, 3 pharmacies, 4 banks with ATMs, 3 gyms, 3 spas, cell phone kiosks and a computer store. As expected in a vacation town, the streets are lined with boutique stores and street vendors, offering plenty of shopping choices. There are hotels and B&Bs, cabinas and hostels, all for rent at very reasonable prices. Don’t worry if you need some medical care as Coco has a 24-hour emergency care center, doctors’ offices and dental clinics, and some of the best veterinary care in the country. Home to 4 private bilingual schools, Coco even offers plenty of educational opportunities as more and more families are relocating to paradise. These schools provide an education better than many North American schools, and they are accredited so that your child can further their education beyond here, even if their dreams include some of the best universities in the USA or elsewhere.

SAFETY tops the list of many people’s concerns for
traveling and moving abroad. Don’t worry! Playa del Coco is often considered the safest town in Costa Rica, and in my opinion it’s one of the safest in the world. You can walk the streets at any hour of the night here and feel secure, as it is very well lit and almost no serious crime of any kind happens. As Coco continues to grow into a huge expat and tourist community, it will become the hub of action over the next decade and turn into one of the most thriving destinations in Costa Rica.

It is often commented how Coco has a great mix of Ticos and those from the developed world. People. I love that there are local markets on every corner, with meat and fish vendors, along with fruit and vegetable farmers, selling right out of the back of the truck. Often local vendors come with truckloads full of huge pots for plants and handmade custom furniture, and just park on the side of the road vending their wares. Massive fiestas consume the entire town every holiday week. IT IS AWESOME! Bull runs and rodeos, carnivals and events, topes (horse parades) and music. Costa Ricans know how to party. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

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IRONMAN PICKS COCO

Coco will proudly host the the Gatorade IRONMAN 7.3 Costa Rica June 18, 2017, presented by Kolbi. This major international event represents something huge happening in Coco. There are 2000 registered athletes, 100 registrations for professional athletes and 30 relief athletes. We opened this up for registration and sold out within eleven days. The event draws in a wide mix of competitors from around the world. Competitors include 57% foreigners and 43% Costa Ricans. It will be an epic race!

The race needs 800 volunteers, drawn primarily from the different schools in Coco and surrounding towns. The economic impact to our area will be substantial. This is by far the largest event to ever hit here. The event attracts more than 2000 athletes plus their families and companions, which comes to about 8000 visitors plus the spectators. There could be as many as 15,000 in total with an expected impact of over $8,000,000 during the week of the event. IRONMAN 70.3 Costa Rica has been declared an event of great economic and social impact by the Municipality of Carillo of Cultural Cantonal Interest.

Monetary donations of $5.00 for each competitor enrolled over the next three years will be used for improvements in Playa del Coco. The first year’s donations will build a bridge that joins the north part of Playa del Coco with the Malecon “Seasonal love”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”full_width”][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”2742,2743″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Wilber Anderson, the CEO and Race Director, is Costa Rican born and has worked very hard to get this race established in Costa Rica. He has a passion for the event and also brings with him the responsibility of being charitable to the community. In that effort, he will be donating 150 sports balls (footballs, basketballs and volleyballs) to the local public schools within the Canton of Carrillo specifically in the towns of San Blas, Sardinal, Libertad and Playa del Coco.

As if the race itself weren’t enough of a draw, many additional activities will also be highlighted through the IRONMAN 70.3 Costa Rica exhibition fair to be held from June 16 to 18 in Playa del Coco. Artisans from the region will be promoted with 20 donated spaces so they can exhibit and sell their craft work within the framework of this event. IRONMAN wants to help promote local brands to the world stage of participants and spectators that will land here shortly.

FOUNDATION: FUNDACIÓN ENDURANCE

The CRC Endurance Foundation began in 2011, with the mission of becoming a tool to empower young male athletes in conditions of social vulnerability, to maximize their skills and values and convert them into leaders of their communities. The foundation has management and administrative support provided by a small multidisciplinary group specializing in responsibility and social work, psychology, management, business and sports. This select group of coaches is the heart of the foundation. Not only are they dedicated every day to polishing the talent of each of the boys, but also serve as mentors of life.

Gatorade IRONMAN 70.3 Costa Rica presented by Kölbi will sponsor the registrations of two young people of the foundation for the participation in the event.