MEXICO CITY — You know that feeling right before a race starts? Heart pounding, legs twitchy, trying to remember everything your coach told you while also trying not to throw up?
That’s where twenty of our athletes from Oaxaca found themselves at 8 AM on January 17th, standing on the track at Escuela Superior de Educación Física. The Festival Atlético de Alcaldías wasn’t some massive championship meet. But for us? It was exactly what we needed.
Testing Under Fire
Look, training tells you one thing. Racing tells you something completely different.
You can crush workouts all week—hit every split, feel unstoppable—and then race day comes and everything falls apart because you went out too fast in the first 200 meters. Or because the person next to you made a move and you panicked. Or because you forgot to eat breakfast at the right time.
We wanted our athletes to face that chaos now, in January, not later when state qualifiers determine who moves forward and who goes home. This weekend gave us real feedback. The kind you can’t fake in practice.
The Money Part (Because You Deserve to Know)
Sports funding can be murky. Ours isn’t.
Your donations covered the basics—the stuff that actually matters when you’re trying to compete:
Getting everyone to Mexico City and back. Places to sleep. Food for three days. Entry fees so athletes could actually race.
One thing we didn’t have: A physiotherapist or medical staff traveling with the group. Coaches handled what they could on-site. Not perfect, but it’s what our current budget allows. Worth mentioning because transparency matters more than looking polished.
Where Every Peso Came From
Four sources funded this trip:
MXN $2,570 from Jeanine’s fundraising run in Ixtepeji
MXN $2,515 from Emma’s Ixtepeji tour (split between Juan and Mane, $1,257.50 each)
MXN $1,500 in additional tour support for Mane
MXN $2,000 from Municipio de Magdalena Apazco
Total funding listed above: MXN $8,585.
When someone books a running tour with our athletes, they’re not just getting a workout partner. They’re literally paying for competition travel. Bus tickets. Hotel rooms. Race entries. That’s the connection.
What Actually Happened: Two Athletes Break It Down
Mane’s Weekend
Mane ran middle distance, both days in the Open category. Sixth place in the 1500m on Saturday. Ninth in the 800m on Sunday.
Here’s what Mane said afterward (I’m keeping the Spanish because that’s how it was shared, then translating):
“Aprendí puntos de mejora para ambas carreras. El principal es el control de ritmos en las vueltas de cada carrera. Por lo cual trabajaré sobre el mantenimiento y cambio de ritmo a lo largo de las repeticiones en pista.”
Translation: “I learned where I need to get better in both races. The big one? Controlling my pace lap by lap. I’m going to work on maintaining rhythm and switching gears during track reps.”
That’s code for: the first lap felt amazing, the second lap hurt, and the third lap exposed every mistake from the first two.
Next up for Mane is the state university qualifier, probably mid-February. The goal isn’t just running faster times—it’s running smarter. Hitting each 400-meter split intentionally instead of letting adrenaline make decisions.
Juan’s Financial Breakdown
Juan did something useful—laid out exactly where the money went.
“El apoyo sirvió para pagar el hospedaje y las comidas de los 3 días.”
“The [fundraising tour] support paid for our lodging and meals across three days.”
“Este apoyo se utilizó para pagar el transporte e inscripción al evento.”
“This [municipal] support covered transportation and event entry.”
Clean. Direct. No vague budget categories.
Juan’s planning to race at a national meet in Tecomatlán, Puebla on March 6-8, though that depends on how the team performs at the upcoming CONADE state championship. Nothing’s set yet.
Three Things This Weekend Taught Us
Pace Control Will Humble You
Every coach has seen this a hundred times. Athlete trains hard, feels ready, then runs the first lap 3-5 seconds too fast because competition adrenaline is a hell of a drug.
Mane’s reflection matched what we saw across the board. You can’t let emotion write your race plan. We’re shifting training focus toward controlled starts, realistic lap goals, and staying calm when someone next to you surges.
Travel Changes Everything
Same athlete, same fitness level, two totally different race results. What’s the difference?
How you slept. What you ate and when. Whether you had enough space to warm up properly. How long you stood around between check-in and your race.
Competition travel throws variables at you that don’t exist at your home track. We watched athletes figure this out in real time—better meal timing on day two, smarter warm-up sequences, more intentional rest between events.
Simple Honesty Builds Trust
Your money doesn’t disappear into “operational costs” or “administrative overhead.”
It pays for actual things. A bed. Food. A bus seat. An entry number.
When we track those costs clearly and tell you exactly where they went, everyone wins. You know your donation did something specific. Athletes understand the direct link between community support and being able to race.
Juan’s breakdown helped our whole team see that connection.
What’s Coming
We’ll share more athlete results as people give us permission to post them publicly. There’ll be a more detailed expense report and photos that athletes have approved.
Meanwhile, three ways to help:
Give money.
Main page: oaxsport.org/support-us
Venmo: oaxsport.org/venmo-donations
Give time.
We need help with writing, editing photos, basic coordination, and fundraiser updates.
Start here: oaxsport.org/support-us/volunteer
Share this.
Send it to one friend who cares about track. Include the donation link. That’s it.
Questions We Get Asked
Were they just chasing fast times?
No. We’re using these meets to learn—how athletes handle pacing decisions, tactical moves, execution under pressure. PRs are nice. Learning is more valuable right now.
Just track and field?
Nope. We support multiple sports and community programs across Oaxaca. Full list: oaxsport.org/programs-directory
Can I sponsor someone directly?
You can donate through our standard channels. If you want to talk about specific sponsorship, reach out: oaxsport.org/contact
How do you pick who travels?
Coaches look at training consistency, competition readiness, commitment level. Budget and safety also factor in.
About Oax Sport
Oax Sport Inc. is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 86-3407818). Oax Sport A.C. is our Mexican entity based in Oaxaca.
Everything we raise supports athletes from underserved communities in Oaxaca, Mexico.
More info: oaxsport.org
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