Good luck to all the 2012 BDM 102 Ultra Marathon Race Participants.

See you at the Final Briefing & CLP/Starting Line!

Final Briefing & CLP for the 2012 BDM 102 will be held at the Officers’ Club (AFPCOC), Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on March 1, 2012, 6:30 PM, Thursday. All registered runners are advised to bring with them their LandBank Deposit Slip and Medical/Doctor’s Certificate for confirmation. My staff will be distributing Race Packet for each runner. For those who could not make it on the Final Briefing, race kit distribution will be done One Hour before Gun Start on Race Day. Gunstart on Race Day is 10:15 PM (evening), March 3, 2012.

Good Luck and See You At The Starting Line!

Running Accident!

Behind the success of the last BDM 160 Ultra Marathon, an incident happened involving the runners and pacers. While two runner-participants were running with their respective pacer along the Mabalacat, Pampanga’s part of the MacArthur Highway at about 1:00 AM of Sunday, January 29, a drunken motorcycle rider was able to “sideswipe” two pacers who were running with their respective runner on the right side shoulder of the highway. As a result, the two designated pacers were brought immediately to the hospital for treatment. One of the pacers was declared out of danger immediately as she sustained minor bruises. However, the other pacer was brought to Manila for further observation due to hip fracture and suspected internal bleeding. With more tests and observation & treatment, the pacer was declared out of danger and she was released from the hospital after one week.

It is for this reason that future BDM runner-participants are advised to be extra careful while running at nighttime during the race.

The following Race Rules will be imperative and strictly implemented during the conduct of future BDM Races:

1. Runners shall ALWAYS stay on the farthest LEFT SIDE of the Road. Runners should be facing the incoming traffic during the run. If a runner has a support vehicle and support crew, the support crew should be the one to approach the runner to the left side of the road. If a runner needs to take a longer “pit stop” with his support vehicle, he/she should immediately return to the left side of the road not more than 10 meters in front of the parked support vehicle.

2. Runners should be ON SINGLE FILE while running on the farthest left side of the road. Runners will not be allowed to run abreast at any time during the run.

3. During night time running, runners should wear “reflectorized” vest or wear “reflectorized” strips on their running apparel. Obviously, runners should also be using headlights and hand-held flashlight. Runners without these item/s will not be allowed to participate in the event.

4. Pacers are NOT allowed in the BDM 102. If two runner-participants would like to pace with each other, they should be ON SINGLE FILE during the run (on the left side of the road).

5. Ipods, MP3s, and headphones ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED in ALL FUTURE BDM RACES.

Violations of these rules will result to disqualification of runners. Marshals shall be advised to be observant to implement these rules. THERE WILL BE NO WARNINGS!!!

If the Race Director says that you are DISQUALIFIED, it will be a FINAL verdict on the runner and he/she is advised to stop the run. If a runner reported to have violated these rules and insisted on finishing the race, he/she will be declared DNFd and will not be included in the Official Result of the Race.

Runner’s Mistake & Omission

While I was trying to inspect and collate the “split times” of all the runners and finishers in every Time Station along the route, I discovered that ONE FINISHER did not pass through the “Km Post #118″ turn-around. He made a wrong turn directly to the Capas National Shrine, instead of running the last 10-kilometer stretch of the route.

I immediately advised the concerned runner that he is officially declared as DNF in the race; his name to be removed from the Official Result; to return all the Finisher’s Swags given to him at the Finish Line; and informed him that it is the runner’s responsibility to know and find out the actual route of the race.

This road race is already on its SECOND EDITION and a proper FINAL BRIEFING was conducted prior to the race, thus, runners are fully aware of the actual route of the event!

In view of this incident, all FINISHERS from 35th Place to the last place are advised to bring their respective Finisher’s Medal at the Awarding Ceremony & Get Together Party so that proper adjustment will be made on the proper rankings of recipients for the 2012 BDM 160 Finisher’s Medal.

The Final Official Result of the Race had been corrected.

See you at the Starting Line!

(Note: Awarding Ceremony & Get Together Party For 2012 BDM 160 & 102 Races will be on March 7, 2012, 7:00 PM, Wednesday @ The Officers’ (AFPCOC) Club, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City)

Some Finishers of the 1st BDM 160 asked me if they can volunteer as Time Station/Route Marshals for the 2nd edition of the said race. I was happy with the said gesture as finally, finishers in our ultra events are sharing their time as volunteers.

Chito Carreon and Mel Severino, finishers of the 1st BDM 160, “volunteered”  as Time Station/Route Marshals. Rene Villarta aka Jazz Runner, a runner-blogger also “volunteered” for the race in the company of Chito Carreon. George Dolores, another Finisher in the 1st BDM 160 also offered his services and time as a volunteer and he made sure that every runner was informed that they have another 10K to finish as they reach the Gate of the Capas National Shrine. He also assisted me in the Awarding of the Finishers’ Belt Buckle and other Swags at the Finish Line. John “Jepoy” Avellanosa, a BDM 102 Finisher, “volunteered” also as the Official Photographer of the Event. These guys did an excellent job during the race. Thank you very much!

I hope the Finishers of the BDM 160 will share their time as volunteers in the future BDM Races. We need more involvement of the past Finishers as volunteers in future BDM Races as well as in other ultra running events

Days after the conduct of the 2nd BDM 160, I’ve been receiving a lot of feedbacks and suggestions in order to help the participants in their needs during the race. One item that had been brought to my attention was a request for runner-participants to be allowed to run without any support vehicle and support crew. My staff and I tried our best to provide an Aid Station every 20 kilometers during the 1st edition of BDM 102 in 2009 but to our dismay, almost all the runners brought with them their support vehicle and crew with their respective nutritional & hydration needs. Our food and hydration preparations were snubbed and it was a waste as most of the food were not consumed. With this experience, we removed the Aid Stations and we left to the runners to provide their own. However, it is a “must” for them to have a support vehicle and crew if they decide/apply to join the BDM 102 then.

Now, there are some runners who would like to try to run the futre BDM 102 and 160 without support vehicle and support crew. And for the past days, I have been thinking about this proposal and trying to find out the best course of action to answer this concern.

As of present, I can count at least fourteen (14) Running Teams/Groups who are actively fielding or supporting their runner-members to ultrarunning events and to the BDM Races. These are the teams worth mentioning: (1) Team BORING; (2) Team CB; (3) Team UNGAS; (4) Team KAMOTE; (5) Team INTENSITY; (6) Team CLARK; (7) FAIRVIEW Running Club; (8) HINGS; (9) Team Frontrunner Magazine; (10) Team KB; (11) Team USB; (12) Team SMS; (13) HOB; and (14) Team AFP/PNP.

If only each of these running teams would volunteer as Aid Station in the BDM Races where they could serve foods; drinks; water; and others FOR SALE to each of the runner during the race, maybe, I would be convinced to make the BDM Races and the other ultrarunning events without any support vehicle and support crew for the runner-participants. This would be a nice way where the running groups themselves would volunteer not only for their respective team member but also to the whole runner-participants of the BDM Races. It’s up to the decision of the Running Group to serve meals/foods and drinks FOR SALE or FREE for the runners. Their mere presence as Aid Stations is already a big help to those runners who would like to finish the BDM Races without any support vehicle and support crew.

Let me know your thoughts about this proposal. You can also make a comment if you have any suggestions on how we would be able to help runners (without support vehicle) join and finish the BDM Races and other ultrarunning events. Thank you.

See you at the Starting Line!

Overall Champion Wilnar Iglesia In 17:35:48 Hours

Lady Champion Paulina Tanoto of Singapore In 25:56:37 Hours

BDM 160 Silver Buckle

Take The RIGHT Highway (Towards Concepcion, Tarlac)

Take the Highway on your RIGHT and you will surely pass by the McDonald’s Fastfood on your right. Continue for about 20 YARDS and you will see a road junction on your left. TURN LEFT on that road and in about another 20-30 meters you will see the Old Railway Terminal Building of Capas, Tarlac. There is a BDM Kilometer Post and a Shrine/Monument on the right side of the road.

Turn Left On This Road (20 Yards After Passing MacDonald's)

Follow this road and ultimately, you will cross the MacArthur Highway. Be careful in crossing this Highway. After about one kilometer, you will hit the road that goes to Camp O’Donnell and on your left is a CEMETERY. Turn right on the road that goes to Camp O’Donnell and you still have about 14 kilometers to the Finish Line.

Once you reach the Gate of the Capas National Shrine (BDM Shrine), you still have 5 kilometers to go to reach the Turn-Around Point infront of the Philippine Army’s Training & Doctrine Command. The distinct marker for the Turn-Around Point is the DPWH Kilometer Post #118. Once you reach this Km Post, you have to turn-around for the last 5 kilometers of the race.

The Finish Line is inside the Bataan Death March Shrine which is after the last pair of Flag Poles lined up along the wide approach towards the Shrine’s Obelisk. The Raceclock will be beside the usual simple BDM 160 Tarpaulin/Arc. And the RD will be there waiting for you to experience the RD’s BDM HUG!

Remember, the cut-off time of this road race is 30 Hours. Only runners who could cross the Finish Line within the prescribed cut-off time will be declared FINISHERS. This time, there will be NO Unofficial Finishers. Which means that the RD and its staff will no longer wait for runners to reach the Finish Line after the cut-off time had been reached or elapsed. Those who insist to Finish the race after the prescribed cut-off time will be declared DNF (Did Not Finish) on the Official Result of this Race which will be listed soon with Ultra Signup.

If you want to review what happened during the First Edition of this Race, you can read it HERE.

Good luck, ladies and gentlemen! Go! Go! Go! Brave Warriors of BDM 160!

(Note: BDM 160 Briefing & CLP will be held, tomorrow, 6:30 PM, Thursday, January 26, 2012 at the AFP Officers’ Club, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City for the Registered Participants Only. Runners are advised to bring with them their LandBank Deposit Slip (Payment of Registration Fee) for Confirmation. Runners will get their Race Bib/s and Support Vehicle Tarpaulin. If a runner intends to bring his/her Support Crew & Pacer, an additional fee of P200.00 per person shall be paid for the food & drinks.)

BDM 160 Batch #1

See you on the next BDM 52K “Test Run” on February 11, 2012. Assembly Time is 6:00 AM @ BDM Kilometer Post #50 in Abucay, Bataan.

Keep on training!

In Memory Of Our Fallen Heroes In The Name Of Peace & Freedom

2012 BDM 102/160 "Brave Warriors" (Photo Courtesy Of Simon Pavel Miranda)

This “test run” will simulate your run on Race Day, on March 3-4, 2012. This test run will be held tomorrow, January 14, 2012, which will start at the Bataan Death March (BDM) Shrine in Mariveles, Bataan where the BDM Kilometer Post/Obelisk #00 is located. The Assembly Time is 9:00 PM as most of the participants had signified their intention to register On Site. The Registration Fee is P 500.00 as this event will be properly timed and recorded.

BDM Shrine Kilometer Post #00 In Mariveles, Bataan

The Gun Start is at 10:00 PM (the same time for the Race Day). The “test run” has a cut-off time of nine (9) hours for the runners to reach/cross the Finish Line at the BDM Kilometer Post #50 which is located within the vicinity of the Abucay Public Market in Abucay, Bataan.

Participants have to take note of the following BDM Kilometer Posts where critical intersections are located: Kilometer Posts #14; #23; and #32. Once the runners see these posts, they have to TURN RIGHT on the road intersection in order for them to be on the actual route of the Bataan Death March.

As the runners would be staying on the left side of the road, facing the incoming traffic, the BDM Kilometer Posts are located on the right side of the road throughout the route of the event.

Runners are reminded to test the following during the run: wearing of reflectorized vest; race strategy; hydration & nutrition strategy; the positioning of one’s support vehicle & crew; running shoes & kit; use of first aid kit for blisters & other running-related injuries; and the use of one’s choice of lighting system.

Runners should be aware that the road will be dark during the run and there is a possiblity of rain showers and windy environment on the first 20 kilometers of the run. Practically, you will be running on top of a mountain with the wind coming from the sea/coast.

There is a lot of stray dogs on populated areas along the road. Make sure that your Ipod/MP3s volume are not too loud for you to determine the distance of the barking dogs from you. Take necessary precautions for these barking dogs.

There is a lot night spots/karaoke bars along the route and some of the customers could be drunk or surprised to see runners on nighttime. Find time to greet, wave or smile at them before they could say anything. Be friendly and smart.

For safety purposes, try to find somebody who has the same pace with you and at least, you have a companion during the run. Better if you can run with a group. However, remember to run on single file on the left side of the road. If the shoulder of the road is wide enough for two runners abreast, then it is allowed with care and vigilance.

When crossing the road to the other side to approach your respective support vehicle, be sure to stop, listen, and look around for any incoming vehicle before crossing. Support vehicles are also advised to stay on the right side shoulder of the road when on stop.

Remember, the starting area is in MARIVELES (not in Bagac, Bataan where another BDM Km Post #00 is located). The BDM Shrine in Mariveles, Bataan is located beside the JOLLIBEE. You will never get lost once you see the sign of the fastfood establishment.

(Note: For those who are joining this test run without support vehicle, you can take the Genesis Bus or Bataan Transit from their Cubao Terminal. Allocate at least 5 Hours as Travel Time)

Good luck! See you at the Starting Line!