QCOSTARICA – Athlete Ligia Madrigal hopes to become the first Costa Rican woman to reach, next May, the highest mountain in the world.
Ligia Madrigal is a graphic designer by profession and from a very young age she has been practicing different sports. At age 4 she was into Olympic gymnastics and swimming. She is also a black belt in Kyokushin karate.
She is an ultra trail mountain runner, mountain biker, and mountain climber. She has been proclaimed the winner of the Cerro Chirripó (the highest peak in Costa Rica) race twice. She became the first Costa Rican to run 100 miles (160 km), she is the first Central American to run 200 miles (320 km) and was a finalist in world adventure championships in Brazil, Portugal, and Costa Rica.
“The message that I like to convey is very simple, that there is no big or small dream, that to achieve anything no matter how crazy or distant it may seem, you just have to start and not stop. That we never do something to try to be better than others or try to feel superior, we must always do things with a single goal in mind, to be the best version of ourselves,” said Madrigal.
She has been characterized by taking on challenges in which traditionally, due to the level of complexity, only the vast majority of men participate.
Garnier & Garnier Desarrollos Inmobiliarios and Santa Ana Country Club joined forces to support the athlete on her way to the top of Mount Everest because in addition to the physical preparation that this challenge demands, it is also necessary to have financial sponsorship.
“Ligia Madrigal is an athlete who shares our corporate values such as responsibility, commitment, and integrity. That is why we support her and we know that her professionalism and effort will be fundamental to achieving this goal,” highlighted Philippe Garnier, President and CEO of Garnier & Garnier.
The athlete’s preparation began in 2020 when she climbed Pico de Orizaba (5,636 meters above sea level) in Mexico. Later in 2021 she made an expedition to Bolivia and climbed Pico Austria (5,350 masl), Pico Tarija (5,300 masl), Pico Pequeno Alpamayo (5,410 masl), Pico Huayna Potosí (6,090 masl) and Campo Alto (6,150 masl) in Pico Illimani.
At the beginning of this year – February 2022 – she made an expedition to Argentina to Mount Aconcagua, she climbed up to 6,600 meters above sea level and was close to reaching the summit, on that occasion, bad weather prevented her from reaching the top. In June she made a trip to Peru to climb Pico Mateo (5,150 masl), Pico Urus (5,243 masl, and Pico Ishinca (5,530 masl).
In the last quarter of this year, she values visiting the Italian Swiss Alps and carrying out two more challenges in Costa Rica.
In 2023, during January and February, the expedition will take place in Ecuador where Madrigal will train at the Corazón Volcano (4,790 masl), the North Illiniza (5,127 masl), Cotopaxi (5,897 masl), and the Chimborazo Volcano (6,268 masl).
“At Santa Ana Country Club we promote physical well-being, which is why we support Ligia Madrigal in reaching this new challenge. We know that she will give her maximum effort to reach the goal and make history,” highlighted Carlos Roberto Barzuna, business manager of Santa Ana Country Club.
The athlete enabled different ways to support her. Visit Madrigal’s Facebook page here.
Photos from Facebook.
