When Giselle Alvarez visited Clarkston after traveling from her home in Chile, one thing she enjoyed was the deep dish pizza at Little Caesar’s.
“It’s very thick – pizza at home is thin,” she said, translated from Spanish by her host, Jose Aliaga of Independence Township.
Alvarez, a world-class runner, was in town for the Detroit Marathon. She was unable to compete due to medical reasons, but was able to tour the area with Jose and his sister, Nina Aliaga.
“I like Clarkston. The people are nice,” said Alvarez, who is studying engineering administration in college. “The cars are cheaper. Everyone has a car. There aren’t as many motorcycles.”
They toured the fire station and sheriff’s substation on Citation Street, and she found them very well organized and clean.
“It’s very nice,” she said.
Alvarez, 24, is a national champion marathon runner in Chile and has been running competitively for 14 years.
“I love it. It’s my passion, my lifestyle,” she said.
When she’s training for an event, she runs for two hours, twice a day. Even when not training, she runs Monday through Saturday, leaving Sunday to rest.
“It’s a good way to meet people and experience different cultures,” she said.
In top form, she can run a marathon in 2 hours, 49 minutes, and a 10,000-meter run in 33 minutes, 53 seconds.
She was the under-23 champion of South America for the 10,000-meter run, and came within four minutes of qualifying for the Olympics.
Her goals include winning the Detroit Marathon next year, victory at the upcoming Pan American games, and going to the Olympics. She will be in town until the end of the month.
– Phil Custodio