I was invited by JC Igos and the members of the Team Cavite Endurance Sports Enthusiasts (E.S.E.)  last month to run and recon a route for a road ultra marathon event in their province. We agreed on a scheduled date but due to my participation in last Sunday’s Clark Miyamit 42K Trail Marathon, I asked them to postpone the recon activity on a weekday.

Today, I was accompanied by Rico Laplana and Enrique Sundiang aka DaBull Runner to recon the route aboard my personal vehicle. I measured the route through my GF 305 GPS Watch as we started from the Petron Gasoline Station at the junction of the road going to the Poblacion of Naic, Cavite and the road going to Maragondon, Cavite. We went to the direction going to Maragondon, Cavite. After a few kilometers, we reached the junction road going to Puerto Azul and Caylabne Resort/Philippine Marines Tarnate’s Beach Training Camp. We took the left road going to Caylabne Resort/Philippine Marines’ Training Camp.

This part of the route is simply amazing and serene—-no traffic, no vehicles, and the road is surrounded by forest and thick vegetation with some water falls on the sides of the road. We passed by the DENR and trailhead in going to Pico De Loro. We were on a mountain road and the air around is so refreshing!

Then, we came into a tunnel where workers were busy installing lighting system into it. I was amazed by the engineering works done in this tunnel. It is more modern and wider/bigger in space than those tunnels in Corregidor, Subic or in Marin Headlands in San Francisco, California!

And after coming out from the tunnel, we were met with a beautiful scenic view of the South China Sea with Corregidor Island and the coasts of Cavite and Bataan! We can’t resist not to have a picture with the view of the sea as the background!

I was able to take some pictures of significant views along the route.

More scenic views of the mountain and the sea as we passed by the so-called “Boracay of Cavite”.

After some hilly, steep ascents and descents in the mountains that surrounds Pico de Loro, we came to a flatter portion of the route as we reached the entrance to Hamilo Coast Resort. After 3-4 kilometers of flat road, another steep inclines and declines would meet us as we got nearer to the Poblacion of Nasugbu, Batangas.

From the place where we started to measure the route (Petron Gas Station in Naic, Cavite) to the Plaza Roxas of Poblacion, Nasugbu, Batangas, the GF 305 GPS Watch registered a distance of 52.8 Kilometers. It registered also a Total Ascent of 1,250 meters and Total Descent of 1,220 meters.

Some fine adjustments on the location of the Starting Area and Finish Line will lessen the distance and come up with a 50K distance road ultra event.

Having measured and recon this route, I am already thinking the possibility of having the following ultra events in the said area:

1. 1st Naic To Nasugbu 50K Ultra Road Race

2. 1st Tagaytay To Naic 102K Ultra Road Race

I am really excited to actually run these routes in the future and come up with these two separate ultra events for everybody to experience.

My special thanks and appreciation to JC Igos, Rico Laplana, Enrique Sundiang aka DaBull and to the Team Cavite E.S.E. for sharing this route and for suggesting that the events shall be part of the yearly regular races of the Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU).

Keep on running!

(Note: Scheduled Dates for these Ultra Races will be posted on this blog’s 2014 Ultra Races’ PAGE)