Chilean miner Edison Peña finishes NYC marathon
It’s a story that will have the every Latino A-list actor gagging for the part - a poor handsome miner stuck underground for 69 long days, being able to keep his sanity only by running mile after mile in the mines, gets rescued in the most spectacular way with the world watching his every step, and then as icing on the cake (and the end scene of the movie) run the New York marathon in under six hours. Yes, it has Oscar gold dust sprinkled all over it.
Edison Peña, one of the 33 miners who had been trapped underground in Chile for 69 days, was rescued on the 13 October.
When the news of his running antics came out in the press Mary Wittenberg, CEO of New York Road Runners, the organisation behind the city’s marathon, invited Peña to New York to watch the marathon. Already showing the diva quality of a future star, Peña retorted that simply wasn't good enough - he wanted to run in it.
For Peña the marathon represented proof that "running makes you free", he said, before the race.
All along the marathon, Chilean flags flew, and Peña returned the love. "He's hitting so many of those high fives!" said one sports presenter. But mere hand slaps were never going to overwhelm Peña. Despite having to slow to a stroll at one point and making a brief stop to ice his leg, Peña, the 12th miner and runner 7127, picked up to a steady trot towards the end and crossed the finish line at 3:30, making his time come in at a sliver under 6 hours, as was his goal.
In New York, he has proved the perfect celebrity storm, combining his extraordinary back story with an endearing humility and infectious excitement. There was a hint of future celebrity potential when he said that he had entertained his fellow miners by singing Elvis Presley songs, something David Letterman was quick to pick up on – during his interview, Peña started humming Suspicious Minds and the house band started to play it, making the miner burst out in a song and dance, enough to make the coldest of hearts a little bit warmer. It has already become a YouTube hit.
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