Long Road, High Drama

November 22, 2011

All within the past 12 months Cebu played host to the staging of five ultramarathons with distances ranging from 50 to 65 kilometers. But the Cebu Century Properties 100K Ultramarathon last November 18-19 was a landmark run of sorts for Cebu being, the longest footrace the province had ever seen passing through four cities and eight towns.

So, on a moonless Friday night in Bogo City, Cebu, 160 runners and their mobile support crew waited for the stroke of midnight. Their mission: run-walk a total of 104.5 kilometers of road from the province's northernmost tip all the way to the finishline in Plaza Independencia at the heart of Cebu City in 18hours and 30 minutes or less.

Photo credit: James L. Go

But first they had to cross the 1^st and only checkpoint at kilometer 50 in Catmon town in nine (9) hours or be considered DNF (did not finish). This half-way cut-off made some runners run faster than they should and abandon the cardinal rules of finishing a 100K ultra – pace yourself, don't get sucked in someone else's program and conserve energy.

As the day progressed, the sheer difficulty of running 100++ kilometers was aggravated by the punishing and unrelenting heat courtesy of sunny, blue skies with nary a cloud sight. It was a perfect weather for going to the beach, but for the 160 ultra runners the sunny weather was simply a bitch.

Nevertheless, the aid stations and the mobile support crew made it all seem like a beach party rather than a death march. The aid stations and support crew, were all provided for and manned by volunteers coming from members of Cebu's running clubs like Ungo and Cebu Ultrarunners Club to name a few. Leg rub, neck massage, sponge baths, bananas, chocolates, biscuits, free-flowing ice water, sports drinks and caffeinated sugary drinks are standard fare, but others pulled out all the stops and provided puso, lechon, eggs, humba and ice candy

Runners rolling out the red carpet for fellow runners – without being asked, without being paid, and without discriminating whether you're local or not is something that I've only seen in ultra races held in Cebu. There were runners from out-of-town who had no provision for a mobile support crew and survived only with help from volunteer aid stations. If it were any other 100K outside Cebu, they would not have survived.

Photo credit: James L. Go

 In all of my ultra races here in Cebu, I have always been a recipient of kindness and generosity from the volunteer aid stations of Ungo and CUC. Last Saturday was my chance to give back. Together with fellow ultrarunners Cora Quiamco and Phindy Honasan, we manned the aid station at the 82KM mark in Liloan town right outside the house of Ironman Raymond Bontol, MD. With 18 kilometers still remaining after 11 to 15 hours of constant motion, runners were almost at their weakest both mentally and physically. It is part of the support crew's job to make sure that the runners do not give up after running so far. But what do you say to someone who's sleep-deprived suffering from unimaginable pain and still with 2 to 3 hours of running to do? Our standard line was “malapit na lang, promise” for the out of towners and “duol na lang jud bai” for the locals. Unless they were injured we did not allow runners to linger more than 2 minutes. They kept asking if there was still time to make it to cut-off and we would say -- “Of course there's time – but you have to keep believing!” That's all supporters could do, for in the end, it is still the runner who must will himself to finish and put one foot in front of the other no matter how painful.

Only 118 finished within the 18:30 cut-off, but many others would continue the race even knowing that they would no longer make it the official list of finishers like Richie Al Villagante, who was running with an engagement ring in his pocket and whose ultimate mission that day was to ask for the hand of his lady love Agatha Llamasares who was waiting at Plaza Independencia. 

Photo credit: Team WayPak Runners

After 20 hours of running non-stop and barely able to fold his legs Richie entered the Plaza with a banner announcing to the whole world his proposal and grant gesture of love– “I just ran 102K to marryyou.”  (click link for video).  Then he struggled to climb the stairs of the mini stage, whipped out a red box from his running shorts soaked with sweat and hugged a totally surprised and emotional Agatha while the runners and supporters who have not slept for almost 24 hours cheered, laughed and cried at the same time.

A fitting end to a day filled with triumphs – both of the human spirit and of the human heart.

Lessons from a Summit Challenge

October 11, 2011

Photo credit: Bro. Carlo Bacalla, SDB

Challenge is a word not to be taken lightly. This, in one short sentence sums up the Summit 60K Ultra Challenge – the debut race organized by the Sugbu Ultra Running Enthusiasts (SURE). And what a debut race it was.

There are good races and there are good races, but very few can claim to have set the bar high. The organizers of the Summit 60K Ultra Challenge composed of the hardworking triumvirate – Bro . Carlo Bacalla, SDB as Race Director, Joel Juarez as Technical Director and Rizalde Abapo Velano of Absolute Sales Corporation (who provided what seemed like an unlimited supply of Summit water and 100 Plus sports drink) did not only manage to put together a good race, they've also set the bar high for other ultra endurance races in Cebu as well. The following are the reasons why:

Photo credit: Khrizzie Mercado Enopia

• ·         The start and finish area at the Talisay City Hall had ample parking and security, clean restrooms, a real start and finish arc with digital clock.
• ·         The race started on time (exactly 4AM) thanks in part to Talisay City Councilor Bernard Odilao who came early to the starting area and not make the runners wait for the host city's welcome address.
• ·         Half of the SRP on the Talisay City side was closed to vehicular traffic even if there were only 81 of us.
• ·         As promised, there were hydration and aid stations every five (5) kilometers and roving marshals throughout the route.
• ·         A full force of Talisay City Runners Club members went out of their way to guide participants showing us visitors that, despite what you read in the papers about Talisay City's infamous son (a certain Joavan), Talisaynons are very nice, very welcoming people who were in fact very appreciative of special idiots called ultra runners.
• ·         The race included a relay category, which allowed newbies a taste of an ultra distance event, without forcing them to take on a distance that their bodies are not ready for.
• ·         As runners crossed the finishline, the race secretariat acknowledged through loudspeaker the runner's name and ranking.
• ·         Each finisher got a customized medal plus a customized trophy which showed the runner's actual placing in the race. The certificate of completion had the finisher's name printed on it and last but not least, the finisher's shirt with reflective material good for night runs was worth keeping.
• ·         Finishers were treated to a full meal of puso, lechon, ngo hiong, cold beer and cold water at the finishline.

    However, the best part of the race was the route/course design which was challenging and beautiful at the same time. Even Rick Gaston, a veteran of two Western States 100's (the oldest 100 mile trail ultra) called it a “hard and impressive course”.

Photo credit: Sydney Delos Reyes (Biga Con Pit, Atlas Mines)

It took us through the flat roads of the SRP, Tabunoc and Lagtang in Talisay City, going up to the misty mountains in Manipis Road through Campo 4 to Campo 6 before passing through a portion of Cebu City's Barangay Sinsin. Rough roads led us to (surprise, surprise) the Atlas mines in Lutopan, when minutes before I was just in Cebu City. I really did not know until then that these two seemingly far apart places are right beside connected by hidden mountain roads and trails. There in Loay we ran through 7 kilometers of sand, rocks and mud on one side with a view of lush mountains and the turquoise waters of a small lake inside what use to be the Biga Con pit. As we reached the summit, runners were treated to a view of the Tanon Strait and the island of Negros right across.

Photo credit: Sydney Delos Reyes (w/ Antit Del Rosario)

Just as we thought all the climbing was over as we descended towards Campo 7 passing through Minglanilla's interior barangays, we had to climb once again through a reforested area in Campinsa. Who would have thought that Talisay City had a mini forest! I later learned that even lumads like Frances Seville-Ang who was born and bred in Talisay City did not even know of its existence even if it's just five (8) kilometers from the back of Camella Homes where we descended on our way back to the finishline.

Photo credit:  Dr. Willie Estepa

I went home from last Sunday's race with more than just mileage. The Biga Con pit in Loay, with its juxtaposed beauty and desolation, made me feel like I was the last person on the planet running towards the edge of the Earth. Then it hit me, really hard -- how terrible it is to be doomed to wander the planet alone. Like being blindsided and caught with a punch coming from nowhere, I cried right there in the middle of what was once Southeast Asia's largest copper mine and realized that despite my procrastinating and my million reasons not to have children, deep down I really do want one.

You don't expect races to hit you on an emotional and personal level, but once in a while they do and when it hits home, it leaves you pondering even days after the last trace of muscle soreness is gone. The Summit 60K Challenge managed to do that for me.

Conquering Dahilayan

July 15, 2011

At 1:30 in the morning of Saturday, July 9, the shrill sound of the telephone awoke me and trail running queen Merlita Dunkin at our hotel room in Dynasty Court Cagayan De Oro.

Wordlessly, we went through our pre-race rituals – shower, final check on our running gear and anti-blister kits.  We made sure our pockets were filled with gels, salts and candies for the 55 kilometer trek.  Unlike the two ultramarathons in Cebu, we were on our own in Cagayan De Oro with neither support crew nor the ever- reliable Ungo Runners aid stations.

At the hotel lobby we met up with runners from outside CDO – secretly checking out the competition in the female category and it looked like aside from Helen Tacling (runner-up in the TNF 100 in Camarines Sur last May) and Michelle Estuar (fitness coach and winner of the 1^st Cebu Ultramarathon 50K) Merlita had no other competition.

Photo credit:  Bro. Carlo Bacalla, SDB

Circle Productions, organizer of Mindanao’s first ever ultramarathon  expected 150 runners.  But on the eve of the race, entrants ballooned to 175 runners (58 from Manila, 20 from Cebu and the rest from CDO, Iligan, Bukidnon, Davao and Zamboanga)  – a huge turnout by ultramarathon standards. 

Runners gathered in front of the Cagayan De Oro City Hall and at 3:12 in the morning the starting gun was fired as fireworks lit the sky.

Photo Credit:  A Runner's Circle Ph

We passed through hilly forested towns of Indahag and Kili-og where we passed by streams, pocket waterfalls, mini forests and local residents travelling on horseback.   But nothing can be as gorgeous and breathtaking  as the Municipality of Libona at daybreak.  It was like running a postcard-perfect route.  In Libona the pineapple plantation and the rest of the town looked like a manicured lawn you forget that you’re running an ultramarathon. 

As the race progressed, my candies and power gels started to run out, but I didn’t have to worry about nutrition and hydration.  In every barangay we passed locals provided boiled camote, cassava, eggs, bananas, yellow corn, salt and water.  This was in addition to the official aid stations provided by the race organizers every five (5) kilometers.  Runners were also treated to bottomless pineapple juice, L-Carnitine drinks, pinapple and mixed fruits at the Del Monte plantation where  aid stations were set up every two (2) kilometers).

Left Photo by Margie Velasquez (Frontrunner's Jonel Mendoza).  Top photo courtesy of A runner's Circle Ph (Ultrarunner and Triathlete Michelle Estuar)

With BDM classmate Chito Carreon photo by Margie Velasquez

But of course there’s no such thing as free lunch.  When we reached the bottom of Agusan Canyon, the relentless climb began.  The most difficult part of the race came at KM 45 just after Camp Phillips where runners had to run on sharp rocks and a relentless uphill climb to Dahilayan which had an elevation of 4,000 feet above sea level.  There was a nasty surprise as we realized that the finishline was two- kilometers more than the published distance of 55K.  This would have been fine had the route to the finishline been a flat road and not a killer uphill climb and if the runners were informed of the extra two kilometers at the race briefing.  In any case ultrarunners never complain about extra miles, except perhaps for those who were struggling to finish within the 12-hour cut-off.

In the end I finished in 9 hours 49 minutes while Merlita Dunkin finished in 6 hours 38 minutes placing second to Helen Tacling who finished in 6 hours 36 minutes.  Michelle Estuar finished third in 6 hours and 49 minutes. 

As for the men’s side, all the top three podium finishers were from Iligan.  The best finish by a runner from Cebu was courtesy of Paul James Zafico of the People Support Black Panthers who placed fifth and finished the race in 5 hours 7 minutes.  All finishers got a medal, commemorative jacket, finisher’s certificate, lunch and a free ride on Asia’s longest dual zipline spanning 850 meters.

       

The Cagayan de Oro-Dahilayan 55K Trail Ultramarathon is probably one of the best ultramarathons in the country I’ve run so far and I wish there were more Cebuano runners who experienced it. 

I’ve been schooled in the Baldrunner school of ultramarathoning where pain and suffering seem to be the order of the day.  But after Dahilayan I learned that an ultra distance can also be as fun as a regular fun run making it the perfect race for ultra virgins and veterans alike.  There will be a second edition next year.  Try not to miss it.

A hundred-mile journey (2nd of 2 parts)

March 11, 2011

I was the third woman to cross the KM 102 checkpoint in 17 hours and 34 minutes. The possibility of a podium finish got my brain pumped up, but it was also then that I made my first mistake.

The race plan called for a 30-minute nap and a (solid food) meal break, but then I decided to ditch the nap and meal break and forged ahead.

But ditching the rest and meal break slowed me down. At one point I went inside a Mc Donald’s restaurant in San Fernando to use the bathroom and found myself sleeping while sitting on the throne. It was only the pounding on the door by the restaurant staff that woke me. My crew told me to sleep for a bit and so we took a thirty-minute break and slept by the roadside in front of the Subaru showroom.

We started to keep moving again at 1:30 AM. Alternating walking and running my brother Alex who is a fireman paced me all the way to Tarlac. He would point to a tree or lamp post 200 meters ahead and we would run, then walk 100 meters.

When we reached Mabalacat it was almost sunrise and Eugene told me I wasn’t dead last because there were still two runners behind me. Eugene who was also monitoring my pace told me to keep running and cut my walk breaks to 30 seconds or else I won’t make it to cut-off.

And so my brother and I went on robot mode with a walk run ratio of two electric posts is to one (100 meters run: 50 meters walk). When reached the last junction before entering the road to the Capas National Shrine my brother and I ran faster. We had two hours and 45 minutes left, which meant we had to run all the way if we were to make it within the 30-hour cut-off.

Photo credit: Vener F. Roldan

Dodging tricycles and buses we made our way to the BDM train station marker where I saw Jonel Mendoza’s support vehicle. I thought he was done with the race and was waiting and cheering for stragglers at the final junction, then I saw him limping and ashen-faced. I called out to him and asked him what’s wrong, but he could not respond and merely pointed to his feet. His pacer

Camilla Brooks told me Jonel was in a lot of pain and that I should run ahead and make it to cut-off.

At 2 hours 30 minutes to cut-off I still had 16KM to cover, but then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I could feel the heat bearing down on me and blisters which I never noticed in the last 144 KM’s made me feel like I was walking on hot coals. I stopped to remove the duct tape on my feet and changed shoes three times wasting thirty minutes in the process.

My brother and I resumed our run-walk routine, but when I reached Capas National Shrine (11 KM to finishline) I felt faint and woozy from the heat and simply lost the will to run and race the clock. I thanked my brother for pacing me and told him to rest in the car so I can walk the rest of the way.

In the end, I crossed the finishline in 31 hours 8 minutes and 5 seconds. Too slow for a buckle, but good enough for a finisher’s trophy and medal. Out of 59 starters, I was the 36^th out of 38 souls who finished the country’s first 100-miler. Only 34 made it to the cut-off of 30 hours. Being the 3^rdwoman, it would have been a podium finish, had I stuck to the game plan and not choke in the last 9 kilometers of the race.

For the first time after three years serious running I cried tears of pure and utter regret thinking how close I was to “greatness”, yet I let the chance slip through in the last 6 miles.

But then Eugene consoled me by saying that now we know I have what it takes to finish 100 miles and that I can be a real contender and most importantly, he’s truly proud of me. Looking back I think it’s funny how despite all the show of physical strength, tenacity and iron will, at the end of the day all we really need is for our loved ones to be proud of us even if we fall short of expectations.

As the Rolling Stones would say, “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes you just might find, you get what you need”.

A hundred-mile journey (1st of 2 parts)

March 4, 2011

Only those that risk going too far can possibly know how far they can go.

– Walter Bishop, Fringe

The car ride from Camp O’Donnel in Capas, Tarlac to Mariveles town in Bataan was smooth and took only less than two hours. That’s barely two episodes of Fringe which I was watching at the back of the car to take my mind off the next day’s epic race.

The car’s trunk was crammed with two ice chests filled with nutrition and hydration for both runner and crew, change of clothes, a mini pharmacy, sanitary pads and tampons, wet and dry wipes, batteries, lights, Kinesio tape, knee supports, a foot care kit consisting of petroleum jelly, baby powder, betadine, super glue, duct tape, silicone gel shoe inserts, a banig and folding beach chair.

I also had a device that looked like the Olympic torch from afar and a beer bong up close. It’s my personal innovation of an improvised funnel that will allow a woman the convenience of peeing like a man where there’s no toilet or public restroom. Try squatting or sitting after running beyond 50K and you’ll understand why this bit of indignity becomes necessary.

Because I had very limited budget and didn’t want to bother my friends, I organized a lean but mean support crew of family members. My husband Eugene was in-charge of race logistics, race pace calculations and security. My brother Alex who’s a registered nurse and special rescue firefighter was the designated medic, alternate driver and pacer in the last 58K.

We were battle ready.

Photo Credit: Lorebelle Joy (with my brother Alexander @ the finishline of the 1st Cebu Ultramarathon 50K)

Photo Credit: Team Boring (with ultrarunner and triathlete from Leyte Meljohn Tezon)

At the crack of dawn of February 26 Saturday, I met the usual suspects at KM 0– Front Runner magazine publisher Jonel Mendoza, our very own Bro. Carlo Bacalla and several others whom I’ve become friends with after running last year’s Bataan Death March 102.

We were 59 starters, all brave and courageous. Fifty-five men and four women, all out to prove that there are no limits except for those we impose upon ourselves. My personal goal was not only to finish, but finish strong and standing on my own two feet. I would have none of the drama of last year’s BDM where I collapsed at the finishline from heat exhaustion.

It was a very slow start. When we reached the three-kilometer ascent up the zigzag pass, the runners slowed down some more and brisked-walked until we reached our support wagons at KM 7.

When I reached the top of the hill and saw the first ray of sunlight wash over Mariveles town, the magnitude of BDM 160 hit me -- it would take the runners two sunrises to finish the whole journey all the way to Capas. We had to keep moving.

But here’s the irony of running an ultra. The distance is so great yet the faster you try, the longer it takes you to get to the finishline or worse you never get there at all.

To successfully run an ultra, you hack away the distance both slowly and steadily. I’ve seen this happen in all ultra distance races I’ve joined. Those who run at a conservative pace at the back end of the pack always overtake those in the middle.

Instead of running I leaned forward and glided through the dusty road, lifting my feet as little as possible to conserve energy. There were only three words playing in a loop in my head that day to the tune of F.R. David’s “Sahara Night” – relentless forward motion.

As we passed through the towns of Bataan -- Lamao, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Abucay Samal, Orani then finally Hermosa, I could feel myself getting stronger. I hit 42 kilometers in 6 hours 45 minutes and it felt like I was just getting started. We reached the 50K mark in 8 hours 5 minutes and it felt as if I could go on forever. My blood pressure at KM 50 was 100/80. The only icky feeling I had was the desire to go to the bathroom and do the number two but there was no gas station in sight. So I did the next best thing and fed the fishes at a fishpond by the roadside.

One by one I overtook runners who earlier in the day were running at a much faster clip. As dusk fell, I knew I would make it to the 18-hour cut-off at KM 102. (To be continued.)

Running to infinity and beyond

February 25, 2011

By the time you read this, my crew and I will be on our way to Mariveles, Bataan. This historic town sits right across Corregidor Island – the last stronghold of valiant Filipino and American soldiers before surrendering to the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.

Mariveles is also KM 0 of a journey of a hundred miles – the Bataan Death March 160.

From a historical point of view, the Bataan Death March did not end in KM 102 where the old train station of San Fernando Pampanga used to be. The Filipino and American soldiers and defenders who survived the 100-kilometer march were all loaded in cattle cars for their final destination some 60 kilometers up north to the concentration camps in Capas, Tarlac. Participants of this memorial run will complete the infamous journey running through the path where WW II heroes used to tread.

The BDM 160 is the country’s first ever 100-miler solo running event. To prepare for this, I trained for four months doing longer than usual long runs. The longest practice I’ve ever done was fourteen (14) hours running and walking around the Cebu City Sports Center from 4AM till 6PM. Going round and round the oval allowed me to train under the heat and condition the mind to command the body to move forward despite boredom and fatigue.

Three weeks before the BDM, race director Jovie (Baldrunner) Narcise increased the cut-off time from 28 to 30 hours. Still, I don’t know if I trained enough or racked up enough mileage to survive this 100-mile journey. But then again, you’ll never know unless you try.

But there are two things about this race that I am not leaving to chance – nutrition and hydration.Unlike last year’s BDM I eliminated all solid foods from my race day menu and replaced them with liquid food. Ingesting Hammer Nutrition’s Perpetuem and two gels every hour ensures that I get exactly 450 calories of food replenishment every 2 hours. If I eat solid food on a really long run I find myself becoming sluggish and sleepy because all the blood rushes to my stomach and intestines to work on digesting food instead of helping me run he race.

As for hydration and electrolyte replacement, I’ve eliminated all the sugary sports drinks and replaced them with water and Endurolytes electrolyte caps.

To help me get through 160 kilometers of pure torture, I recruited my husband Eugene and my brother Alexander to be my support crew.

Eugene as you all know did a superb job as my one-man crew during last year’s BDM 102. But the sheer length and breadth of this year’s race is just too much for one man to handle. Eugene will be joined by my brother Alex who is a nurse and firefighter for the Special Rescue Unit of the Bureau of Fire Protection. With Eugene and Alex manning my support wagon, I’ve nothing else to worry about except run the race as if it was my best and last.