The following are things that you should know about the Bataan Death March 102K Ultra Marathon Race which makes it very unique and special from the other ultra marathon races in the country and around the world:

1. The FIRST Ultra Marathon Race In The Country: Nobody believed or thought of this event to be done in one Solo and Single Stage Running Event with a prescribed cut-off time to finish the event in 18 hours. It took a group of 83 brave runners to test the course on the very first month of Summer in 2009 (April 4-5, 2009) and everything is now history.
2. “By Invitation Only” Race: It is the runner’s own volition to send a Letter Of Request to the Race Director to introduce himself/herself that he’s/she is qualified to join the race. If accepted, he/she receives a Letter Of Invitation from the Race Director to join the said race. There are NO Commercial Promotions or Advertisements published in the traditional media about the said event. The RD does not encourage runners to join the event simply to make the number of participants bigger and more profitable.
3. No Dedicated Website: This is a Race that had gained popularity through the years without a dedicated Event Website where you could “register and know” all about the event. If somebody would like to know the details of the said event, he/she would be able to browse on the articles posted at the Blog site of the Race Director—www.baldrunner.com. On Facebook, there is a dedicated Page for the said event which is used as a Chatroom for everybody interested to join the event.
4. Integrity Of The Race Is Paramount: Since this event is a commemoration of a historic event of the country where the lives of past heroes, military veterans, and those who defended our country in the name of freedom, independence, and democracy, it is fitting that all the runners should be honest in finishing this race as there are no monetary prizes or popularity recognition in the media for being the fastest or slowest in finishing this race. The ultimate prize here is bragging on the Social Media.
5. No Commercial Sponsors: The Race Director had strictly maintained his position for the event to be not supported by any Commercial Sponsors, even with the Government, except for the Local Government Units, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Philippine National Police for security and administrative assistance. The RD had a bad experience with these Private Commercial Brands and the National Government bureaucracy when this event was on its “birth stage”.
6. “Lesser Number Of Runners, The Better”: In the 2014 edition (6th Edition) of the race, the number of runners reached the number of 300 and it was a nightmare on matters of control, administration, logistics, and overall supervision of the event. Even then, the result was still the 4th lowest finisher percentage in the history of the event. In order to lessen the number of interested runners, the RD decided to increase the Registration Fee and had maintained it since 2015 up to the present. It drastically resulted to a lower number of runners in 2015 but the RD and its Staff were happier to have managed the event with ease and comfort.
7. No Special Treatment To Any Runner: Whether a runner is coming from abroad or coming from Visayas and Mindanao, they have to make their own research on how to reach the Start of the Race and make their respective accommodation and other logistics matters. The RD also goes to some International Races abroad and he does need to contact the RD of these Races for basic information about such events.
8. “No Whining” On This Race: Not All Running Events are Perfect. Even the oldest and most prestigious Marathon Race, the Boston Marathon, is NOT perfect! We try to investigate such “whining” related to the event and if we find out that such complaints are baseless and try to destroy the reputation of the race and its Race Organizer/s, we immediately BAN these people from joining this event, whether as volunteers, support crew, or a requesting participant. There are other running events scheduled on the same dates with the BDM 102 Ultra where they could join.
9. No Reimbursement or Roll-Over of Registration Fee: If you have decided that you can not make it at the Starting Area on Race Day, the least that you can do is to pick-up your Race Packet and you will be declared as DNS (Did Not Start). No alibis or reasons will not be accepted why you could not make it to the race. Your Registration Fee for this year is NOT transferrable to the next edition if you can not make it this year.
10. 2019 Western States 100-Mile Qualifying Race: It is with deep gratitude and thanks that the Western States 100 Endurance Race’ Board of Trustees have selected the 2018 BDM 102 Ultra Race as a qualifying race for its 2019 edition. This will be a good chance for our local runners who will finish this year’s race to apply for the lottery in the 2019 WSER 100.
11. BDM “Get Together Party”: This is the ONLY Ultra Marathon Race in the country that  honors its runners to a “Dinner Party” and a chance to recognize outstanding ultra runners of the Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU) for the year 2017.
12. The Race Director Runs His Race: The Race Director ran and finished the FIRST Edition of BDM 102 just to prove to everybody that it could be done. He could be the Only RD in the country that runs its own race and competes with the younger runners. Now that he is already 65 years old, he would wish that he could still finish the BDM 102.
13. Rules & Regulations Are Strictly Enforced: Do you know why every runner must memorize his/her Bib Number? Because our Marshals (Checkpoint and/or Secret/Intel people) will ask your Race Bib Number and this will remind you that you must follow the Event’s Rules and Regulations strictly throughout the Race.