Mazatlán has a wonderful city gym, a gym that is totally free to all city residents and guests. Free! No cost! Open 24 hours, too! Yes, you guessed it, it’s the malecón. From the Pedro Infante monument in Old Town (Olas Altas) at the South end to Valentino’s at Rafael Buelna at the North, it is a four and a half mile gymnasium with a world class view. At the top of the post is a picture from this morning, after a rainy night as Tropical Storm Vance passed by.

Who could consider trudging along on a treadmill while watching the news when you could be out running or walking by the water? And it really is like a gym, too… there are regulars, and we all look for each other each morning and greet each other with a smile and a hello. A map of the malecón is below.

People run, walk, bike, roller blade, and swim every day. People do sit ups and twirl their ankles. Heavy people, slim people, ladies in matching exercise gear, people wearing old clothes and folks doing zumba or climbing ropes all coexist happily. I really hate to miss my walk in the morning. And amazing even me, I don’t just walk anymore, I also jog part of the way. I believe my journey back to health after ovarian cancer has been thanks to my daily exercise in this lovely place. How can you not start your day being grateful for what you have when you can see the sun come up and feel the salt air on your face each morning? Check out the short video below that I also took this morning. The diehard swimmers at Playa Norte just have to get their morning swim!

When we were auditioning locations to live in Mexico, one of the things we insisted on was a good place to walk. We really hit the jackpot here in Mazatlán.

The malecón is a popular place to exercise both in the morning and in the evening. Our Mayor, Carlos Felton uses the malecón frequently, too… as he bike rides, runs, and even participated in a triatholon. The city is also working on a renovation of the malecón, with new benches and planting mature palm trees in place of planters and shrubs. There will be a dedicated bike lane, too. The work has begun at the North end and is continuing to the Fisherman’s Monument. A graphic rendering is above.

If you need a bit more of a workout, don’t forget that you can surf or boogie-board many places along the city’s coastline as well as hike to the lighthouse, El Faro. (See the hill in the background of the picture at the top of this post? That’s El Faro.) I see people kayaking frequently, too. If you want to be active, I believe Mazatlán is a perfect spot.