Costa Rica News – Yesterday some 90 prison inmates from the Reforma prison were able to get some fresh air and leave their cells, if only for a little while. For 2 hours they participated in a track meet that was aimed to promote healthy living and recreational activity.
The track was a 1 kilometer circuit.
There were two divisions:
General – Under 40 years old – 10 km (58 participants)
Veterans – Over 40 year old – 8 km (32 participants)
The prisoners who ran were ran were mostly minimum security inmates or ones that had severe sentences that had been reduced for good behavior.
This was the 14th time this competition was held and is in conjunction with the Catholic Prison Ministry. This is the second of two races that occur each year.
When the inmates arrived most were wearing torn, old tennis shoes or sandals.
They were given tennis shoes and t-shirts which were donated by the owner of the store, Runners.
After singing the Costa Rican national anthem they began the run and felt a little bit of freedom, which represented a joyous break from the incarcerated life they were living.
