Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico - The Riviera Nayarit Touristic Half Marathon was literally a 'jewel,' not only for the beauty of the route that has been certified by the Mexican Athletics Federation and by the International Association of Athletics Federations, but also because Ema Leticia Joya, whose last name means 'jewel' in English, won the race for the third time in a row on Saturday, November 19th.

Between the over 550 runners registered for the competition - doubling last year's list of participants - the event's impeccable organization, and a visit by International multi-medalist Dionicio Ceron, who trained a group of competitive athletes from Guadalajara, the Third Edition of the Riviera Nayarit Touristic Half Marathon was a shining example of what all marathons should be.

"It is such a beautiful route, such a gorgeous place, that I almost can´t believe I'm still in Mexico. Participating in this race is a privilege for all contestants," said Dionicio Ceron.

In the Men's 10K competition, the first runner to reach the finish line was a Master's category Ceron alumnae. Felipe Reyes beat even the youngest athletes and was thrilled with excitement. "He's the guilty one, he's the guilty one," Felipe shouted joyfully, pointing in Dionicio's direction. Angelica Calderon won first place in the Women's 10K competition.

There was a dramatic finish in the men's 21K race, with Salvador Guerrero almost fainting at the finish line, where he arrived just a few seconds before the photo-finish arrival of Juan Carlos Razo and his own alumnae, Carlos Fernando Gonzalez. The electronic system gave Gonzalez second place.

Finally, in the women's 21K race, Ema Leticia Joya showed why she is the Queen of this route, arriving at the finish line with a more than 10 minute advantage over her closest competitor.

"High endurance sports are a key niche to attract tourism to Riviera Nayarit, as they deal with people who are strongly focused on achieving goals, and who also have purchasing power and a well developed environmental culture, which provides the ideal conditions to promote our destination and to generate economic benefits for everyone," said the President of the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) of Riviera Nayarit, Fernando González Ortega.

He also highlighted the importance of the marketing efforts that have been undertaken to attract competitors to similar races in Monterrey, Aguascalientes, Mexico City and San Luis Potosi, among other cities, reaching over 2,500 direct impacts through printed media.

"This is a job that requires surgical precision, and maybe its numbers are not impressive, but it is a high-yield endeavor because it take place within a market niche that's interested in traveling here. Furthermore, in terms of promotion and in attracting new tourists, the media coverage received by events such as this is also very important," concluded González Ortega.

The CVB of Riviera Nayarit is a public non-profit association dedicated to promoting tourism on the coast of Nayarit, from its southern border with Jalisco in Nuevo Vallarta to Novillero, bordering Sinaloa to the North, by integrating the promotion of historic and cultural sites.

2011 Riviera Nayarit Touristic Half Marathon Results

10K WOMEN'S OVERALL
Calderon Moreno Angelica - 00:48:52:0
Gonzalez Leyva Ada - 00:50:16:00
Ramirez Leon Alicia - 00:50:57:00

10K MEN'S OVERALL
Reyes Martinez Felipe - 00:37:09:00
Galicia Perez Alexis - 00:40:19:00
Casasola Hinojosa Joaquin - 00:41:00:00

10K WOMEN'S OPEN CATEGORY
Gonzalez Leyva Ada - 00:50:16:00
Olmos Ventura Ma. Cristina - 00:51:44:00
Avi Rivas Rosa - 00:52:18:00

10K MEN'S OPEN CATEGORY
Galicia Perez Alexis - 00:40:19:00
Martinez Jimenez Vicente - 00:41:05:00
Lomeli Romero Juan Pablo - 00:41:12:00

21K WOMEN´S OVERALL
Joya Ema Leticia - 01:23:58:00
Pe Sanchez Dinora - 01:33:03:00

21K MEN'S OVERALL
Gerrero Cisneros Salvador - 01:11:33:00
Gonzalez Quintero Carlos F. - 01:11:40:00
Razo Juarez Juan Carlos - 01:11:42:00

21 K WOMEN'S OPEN CATEGORY
Joya Ema Leticia - 01:23:58:00
Pe Sanchez Dinora - 01:33:03:00
Gonzalez Hernandez Elizabeth - 01:37:26:00

21K MEN'S OPEN CATEGORY
Gerrero Cisneros Salvador - 01:11:33:00
Gonzalez Quintero Carlos F. - 01:11:40:00
Santillan Ramirez Jesus Javier - 01:13:46:00