I’ve created a “Bataan 102 Events” Page on this blog. You can register by stating your complete name, date of birth, age, name of running club, contacting number, and e-mail address on the Comment portion of the Page. Specify what event you are going to participate, however, for the meantime, I am going to accept first those runners who would join the Bataan 102K Ultramarathon Race.
There will be a total of 150 slots for the Ultramarathon Race, to include slots for interested foreign runners.
Registration Fee is Two Thousand Pesos (P 2,000) for the local runners and Seventy Dollars ($ 70.00) for the foreign runners.
Deadline of Registration and Payment of Registration Fee is February 1, 2010.
04-05 April 2009 @ Km 00 Bataan Death March Heroes Park, Mariveles, Bataan
The race started with administrative processing to all the participants to include the signing of Waivers and accounting to find out the presence of the runners. I wanted everything to be simple during the starting ceremony. I finally started the starting ritual by asking all the participants to get inside the Bataan Death March Heroes Park for the simple program and final briefing.
Ronnie, the Birthday Boy, Delivered The Prayers
I requested Ronnie De Lara aka Running For Christ to deliver the prayers before the race as he is celebrating his Birthday on the day of the race. It was followed by my final briefing to all the participants and later with a group pictorials at the Km 00 marker post.
Final Briefing & Inspirational Talk To All the 81 Brave WarriorsGroup Picture at Km 00 MarkerAt The Starting Line Inside the Bataan Death March Heroes Park
The race started at 12:33 AM of April 5, 2009 after a slight drizzle of rain and the elite/faster runners left the Park ahead than those most of us who participated to experience what it takes to run a 102K ultra run with a cut-off time of 18 hours.
Running the first 40 kilometers while it was dark and cold was just a warm-up run in preparation for the next 62 kilometers running with the heat of the sun. It’s true, the actual race started after the 50-Km mark at Abucay, Bataan when it was already 7:30 AM with the sun starting to rise up in the horizon. From this point, it was a battle of the mind, body and the environment. PAGASA made a wrong prediction of a cloudy skies for the day. Instead, it was a typical summer-hot day for the race.
Still Smiling After Running 46 Kms After 6 HoursJerry aka High Altitude with Ellen Tolentino at Km 48
After running for 92 kms, my brother, Samuel met me along the way as I was already walking and trying to switch from one side of the road to the other for the much needed shade. I was glad that I was able to use my power walking practices under the heat of the sun on the last few kilometers of the race. My brother and I took us almost one hour and half to share stories and he informed me of the news story written in the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s. So, at the Finish Line, people there were informed that I was reading the newspaper while I was brisk walking at Km Post 97 towards the finish line. Finally, on the last 2 kilometers, I alternately jogged and walked until I finally reached the Finish Line! I finished the race in less than 15 hours, placing # 30 among the survivors!
Out of the 81 brave warriors who started at the Starting Line, 65 Survivors finished the 1st Bataan Death March 102K Ultramarathon Race within the cut-off time of 18 hours. More detailed story to follow in my next posts. And more pictures, too!
Once again, my sincerest thanks to all the participants, to the sponsors of this project, my relative and friends who are dependable, and to those unknown runners and non-runners who voluntarily gave their time and resources to make this event a memorable one.
“A Salute To Our Heroes…Run, Endure, and Survive the Bataan Death March”
Baldwin & Lucas From Singapore Together With My Brother General Samuel At The Finish Line
Awarding a Finisher's Trophy To Norio Tanaka From Japan
Every Finisher Received A Medal with Inscribed Ranking; Trophy; and a "Survivor's" T-Shirt
I had been receiving and reading a lot of information about the Bataan 102 and most of them are apprehensions from the participants. As much as possible, I just laugh and try to relax myself and stay “cool” as I am supposed to be the one who is apprehensive and nervous about this plan/idea of mine which is becoming a reality. As the Race Organizer/Race Director and a Competitor in the race, the fate, welfare and safety of the 82 runner-competitors are on my shoulders. As everything in place through the support of volunteers, Team Bald Runner members, friends/relatives, and my former subordinates in the AFP/Philippine Army, the Bataan 102K Ultramarathon is set to “GO” on D-Day!!!
Ooopps…I did not realize that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA) will be celebrating her 62nd Birthday in her hometown on the day of the Bataan 102K. Her hometown, Lubao, Pampanga is one of the towns along the route of the race. I happened to know her activities in the area last week when I coordinated with the security support along the route during the race. I was assured that lots of security forces will be deployed on Sunday & Monday along the route for the PGMA’s Birthday and her attendance of the “Araw ng Kagitingan” Day at Mt. Samat, Balanga City as the Guest of Honor & Speaker the following day. Let us leave politics behind us for the meantime. Anyway, I did not get any support from the government’s sports and tourism offices for this event.
The Weather Forecast from PAGASA for the next days up to Holy Week will be cloudy with overcast sky with rains and thunderstorms. This is a good news for the runners as it will bring a lower temperature during the day. But it does not mean that each runner would relax in its hydration strategy during the race. I would like to emphasize again to encourage runners without support vehicles to bring with them their hydration system for contingency purposes even with the presence of the roving/mobile aid stations and stationary Aid Stations. Find time to drink water. sports drinks, and eat the foods available on each Aid Station. Remember to eat something sweet and salty as we prepared boiled sweet potatoes, boiled bananas, fresh fruits, boiled eggs with salt, salty biscuits & crackers, Mami Soup, Arroz Caldo, and chocolate bars!
On whether this event will land and will be printed on the daily newspapers. I really don’t care if news reporters or sports writers would write about this event. Basically, ultramarathon races spread by “word of mouth”, not unless I want to get profit out of it in terms of popularity and monetary considerations. I am doing this event because it “pains me” to know that other countries are using the name of Bataan Death March in races where it is becoming a worldwide event. There should only one Bataan Death March and that is supposed to be in our country. I encourage all the participants to come up with their own Race Report on this event and e-mail them to the publishers of ultra running magazines and to ultra running websites in the USA or other countries.
On the discipline of some of us. Some of the runners who would like to participate in this event thought that there is an extension for the registration deadline. These runners could not believe what they heard from me that the registration was closed last 16 March except for the foreign runners who made reserved slots. Yes, even if you double the registration fee for you to register after the deadline, you are firmly denied and wait for next year’s race. Many runners had been calling me as late registrants but I declined them. I think this is one way to discipline our runners.
My race strategy? Finish the race within the cut-off time of 18 hours and have fun and explore the limit of my body’s endurance as this will be my first 102Km Ultra Race.
Thanks for those who supported me to make this plan/dream a reality. You know who you are!
To The Bataan 102 Warriors, see you at the Starting Line and Think Positive to reach the Finish Line…Good Luck!
What’s my next ultra race?…Blue Canyon 100K Ultra Trail Run in Santa Barbara, California this June 2009.
It is amazing to be wearing the best and the latest trail shoes from The North Face for FREE! The following is my story.
I bought a TNF Arnuva 50 BOA running shoes last August 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. I used it during my training runs and on the day of the competition for the Bulldog 50K Ultra Trail Run. I also used it during my two trail running workouts at Mt Wilson with my kids and other “runabouts” at Griffith Park and Los Angeles. It is a versatile running shoes as it could be used as trail shoes and a road running shoes. Aside from being durable and light, it has a BOA Lacing System which is dependable for quick tightening of its shoe laces or quick removal from one’s feet. It takes few seconds to wear or unwear it due to the presence of a screw knob at the rear heel portion of the shoes.
Last November 2008, I joined the members of the Pinoy Ultra Runners with Jonel aka Bugobugo, George aka The Talkative Runner, Nickko & Maj Ferdie Espejo for an ultra run from Brgy Sta Juliana, Capas to Mount Pinatubo and back. Since I expected that the run would be on trails along the lahar areas, I used the TNF Arnuva 50 BOA. At first, it was very fast and comfortable removing it before crossing a river and then wearing it as soon we are on a dry land. But later during the run, I opted not to remove my shoes whenever we crossed rivers along the way. I was happy then that the shoes would easily dry up, after having it wet on those dozens of river crossings, while running on the dry lahar area.
We finished the 55-Km ultra run and I did not encounter any blisters with my feet and I was satisfied with the performance of the shoes. After washing it and having it dried, I observed that the left shoe’s screw knob could not tighten the shoe laces and it was very hard to turn it. I immediately brought to the attention of the sales staff in one of the TNF Stores in Metro Manila and they requested me to have it repaired/brought to their store. So, sometime in December, I gave my Arnuva Shoes to one of the TNF Stores in Manila.
After a few weeks, I received an update about the situation of my shoes through SMS and they need to replace the BOA Laces. Later, they told me that they were able to acquire or find replacement laces for my shoes which I thought would cost me for $ 10.00 a pair. Last February, TNF told me that there is something wrong with the tube where the laces would pass through but they were trying to fix the problem. After few exchanges of SMS with TNF, the service/sales staff of TNF finally informed me that my shoes has no chances of being repaired and there is no way that it would be given back to me! But, they told me to proceed to any of their TNF Stores and choose any of the available shoes on their display/stock for a FREE replacement of my Arnuva 50 BOA shoes! Very nice!
And so, I got the lastest and the best trail shoes of TNF with the BOA Lace System…The Hedgehog GTX XCR BOA!!! I can safely call it the “HUMMER/HUMVEE” among my trail shoes. It is WATER-PROOF as it is made of GORE-TEX/XCR breathable membrane and its upper/outer materials are abrasion-resistant.
TNF's Hedgehog GTX XCR BOA Side ViewLook at those Spikes! The Bottom View of the "Humvee"Outers are Abrasion-Proof unlike The Rocky Chucky whose TNF Logo was erased after weeks of trail running.The BOA Screw Knob: Push & Turn to Tighten & Pull to Loosen
If you want the best customer service in your running shoes, get the best, The North Face!
Note: I am not an official product endorser of The North Face. Even if TNF did not support or sponsor the Bataan 102, I still believe in the quality of their products and its superb/outstanding customer service.
I would like to mention the following observations on the conduct of last Sunday’s 2nd Men’s Health 10K Race held at the UP Diliman Campus:
1) The race started 20 minutes late from the scheduled time of start. Punctuality in the start of race is the first thing in my rating list in evaluating a road race. The race organizer should also remember that all the runners have to wake up early just to be in the starting line before the race starts. Allowing runners to register on race day was the contributory factor that delayed the start of the race. It is suggested that our race organizers must train or condition our runners to register within a period of time and not allowing late registration on race day.
2) Group exercise & stretching before the race—It was unthinkable that a member of the race organizer tried to lead the assembled runners at the corral with a group exercise and stretching. With all the runners jampacked and standing shoulder to shoulder at the Starting Area, the lead demonstrator tried to do some aerobics moves and I guess, nobody from the runners tried to follow him due to the lack of space. In a few minutes, the stretching/exercise stopped. Such group exercises should be done at least 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the race.
3) The distance of the race was short. Basing from the data that registered in my GF 305, the race distance lacked at least 200 meters to make it to 10 kilometers.
4) There were lots of water station and water in 5-gallon containers but water cups were lacking. Water in cups were able to all the runners during the 1st 5-km loop but it was surprising to see that there were no longer water cups in every water station on the second 5-km loop. Runners complained about this situation after the race. Even if the sponsor for the water supply accepted the responsibility in the distribution of water to the runners, I believe, the race organizer is still the one responsible in the overall implementation of services for the runners. The solution of this problem is a simple drill/exercise in mathematics—the counting of drinking cups for each runner in a given road race. Guys, those plastic drinking cups are too cheap in Divisoria! They cost P27 per 100 cups. So, if you have 500 registered runners, you need 4 cups per runner for a distance of 10K, assuming that each water station would be available in every 2.5 kms to include the Finish Line, the total number of cups needed is 2,000 cups. The total cost for the cups would be P 540.00! Cheap, di ba? It is equivalent to the registration fees of 1 & 1/2 runners.
5) There were lots of road marshals in road intersections but there were no dividing line to separate the runners from the weekend joggers/walkers and cyclists at the Academic Oval. At least, one of the road marshals should had been tasked to remind the non-race participants to take the outer lane of the Academic Oval and reserved the inner lane to the runners.
6) Full Shot Advertising is the race organizer of this race. This race organizing group is registered with PATAFA and it is represented by Ms Gay Maddela and Mr Pablo Cay. This is the same outfit that managed the conduct of the 2009 PSE Bull Run.
7) I paid P 350.00 for the registration fee and I was glad I was able to contribute a fund-raising event for the Tahanan Ng Walang Hagdanan that generated a total amount of P 240,000 for the said group. It was a very commendable cause to help the less-fortunate ones. I don’t mind the high cost of registration fee as long as some amount is allocated for the welfare ot other people who are in need of our support.
8) I don’t mind when the official results will be published. I usually depend on my finish times through my GF 305 watch. However, I was glad that there was a big digital clock at the Finish Line.
9) My overall rating for this race is 83%. I hope the race organizer would be able to correct the minor “lapses” in the said race.
Finally, my 3-year old SONY Cyber-shot 6.0 MegaPixels camera has retired. I replaced it with a CANON Digital IXUS 960 IS 12.1 MegaPixels Camera with Titanium body. I used the new digital camera in yesterday’s 2nd Men’s Health 10K Run at the UP Diliman Campus.
My running and group pictures were taken by the new Canon Camera. I could see the difference in the quality of the pictures taken by SONY and CANON. The pictures taken by CANON were crisp, clearer, and with no distortions/blurred images. The lens has a wide range adjustments with automatic settings and a clear depth of field.
The following pictures were taken through my new CANON Digital camera in my last week’s “runabout/walkabout” and other activities:
How about..."BR Be Our Next President of.....?University of Makati Oval TrackWhat is the difference living in a Gawad Kalinga Community and in a High-Rise Condo along the Pasig River?
The missed the first edition of the Men’s Health 10K Road Race last year as I was still in tha active service as the Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army stationed in Jamindan, Capiz in Panany Island. I did not want to miss this year’s edition this time even if I was already on my tapering stage for the 1st Bataan Death March 102K Ultramarathon Race. Upon hearing most of our Team BR members joining this weekend’s event, I decided to register in this race last Wednesday with the intention of maintaining a certain level of speed for my 10K and half-marathon races.
Immediately after the Condura Half-Marathon last Sunday, I scheduled a program as my last training preparation for the Bataan 102 for the remaining days before April 5. Actually, most of the seasoned ultramarathoners would suggest a 3-week tapering period before the race day but in my own way, I have some apprehensions about the long period for me to taper. Reducing my mileage for three weeks would make me “sluggish” on race day and I have a lot of experiences from past races where I took time to rest before the race day. I always smile and just tell to most of the runners that I don’t believe in taking some rest from running as part of tapering before the race whenever they asked me if I am already tapering for the ultramarathon race.
Since last Monday, I had one (1) “runabout” with my feet on the ground for 5 hours with most of the time under the heat of the sun; one (1) running workout at the oval track trying to condition my legs to an average pace of 6:45-7:30 minutes per kilometer which took me 3 hours and 30 minutes; two (2) sessions of “speed training” at the oval track (Tuesday & Friday) with an average pace of 4:35-4:50 minutes per kilometer; one (1) session of coming up with an average pace of “brisk/power” walking which brough me to an average pace of 8:30 minutes per kilometer; and one (1) “walkabout” under the heat of the sun for 6 hours with an average pace of 10 minutes per kilometer. It should be noted that “brisk/power” walking is entirely different from the “racewalking” style of Amado aka Reinier6666 wherein the latter generates a faster pace but with entirely different legs muscles at work and lots of hip swaying. The “brisk” walking I will be adopting for my ultra race would be the slower version of jogging.
Hardcore Runners Waiting for the OthersA View of the Starting AreaBR & The "Wingman"
This morning’s Men’s Health 10K Run was purposely for maintaining my competitive level of preparation for the Bataan 102. I was thinking of finishing the race in sub-50 minutes would be a satisfactory gauge for my training as a result of this week’s activities. I arrived at the UP Campus at 5:10 AM and I saw a small group of runners at the assembly area while more of the runners are still trying to register for the race. I assumed that there were no lady runners in this race as there was also another race for the ladies at the Mall Of Asia (MOA), Pinay In Action Road Race. I did some stretching and warm-up run near the place where my car was parked. But after about 20 minutes, I started to join the other runners at the Starting Line. The Team BR-Professional Group members were there and we had conversation about the race and about the incoming Bataan 102.
The Participants of the WheelChair Race DivisionAnd The Race Started...20 Minutes Late!
Finally, the race started at 6:20 AM, 20 minutes late from the scheduled start and I observed a number of ladies at the front of the starting line. I knew these ladies will slow us down once the race started but I did not mind them because I did not have any intention of having a PR in this race. My starting pace was slow because of the crowd infront of me and tried to overtake the ladies infront. After running for about 150 meters, I started to look at my watch and I saw that I was running at an average pace of 5:00 minutes per kilometer. I maintained such pace as I looked for the other members of Team BR way up ahead of me. The first kilometer was flat but I had to be careful with the asphalted road as there were uneven portions of the road. I observed that, despite my warm-up and stretching exercises, I still feel some pain on my ankles whenever I use my Newtons. But these pains are just temporary as they disappear after a few minutes of running. It could be that the Newtons would force my feet to use my midfoot when running after days of using my ASICS Running shoes. As I turned right at the curve portion as we go for our first downhill, it marked the end of our first kilometer.
Kilometer #1 Split Time—4:56 minutes
The downhill portion made me ran faster as I overtook some of the runners. After some turns, I was able to see the 1st water station and I immediately grabbed one cup and drank almost its contents. It was a nice move on my part. The downhill portion levelled off and we are already near the intersection of the main road towards the Oblation. Crossing the main road was no problem as there were lots road marshals manning that very sensitive place where lots of vehicles would pass in going into and going out of the campus. After about 150 meters from the intersection, the road started to have slight uphill terrain. Two hundred meters away from the corner ahead marked the end of Kilometer #2.
Kilometer #2 Split Time—4:23 minutes
The start of Kilometer 3 is an uphill portion of the route and it takes about 200 meters before you reach the portion of the route where it levels off. This was where I had to overtake more runners. Before going downhill at the front of the UP Cinema (?), this was where I saw the next water station and I grabbed one more cup of water and that was my last chance to drink water for the duration of the race. From here, it was a slight downhill and I took advantage of it to increase my pace in order to compensate the time lost in the previous uphill part of the route. As I started to go uphill again, it marked the end of Kilometer #3.
Kilometer #3 Split Time—4:47 minutes
The uphill part was short and I was able to overtake at least two runners as we turned right towards the Academic Oval. I tried to run at the middle of the road along the Academic Oval and the runners were mixed with the usual weekend joggers,cyclists, and walkers. The road was slight downhill and I tried to increase my pace while avoiding lots of the walkers along the way. The curved portion where we had to turn left towards the Oblation marked the end of Kilometer #4.
Kilometer #4 Split Time—4:38 minutes
The curved portion towards the Oblation is a slight downhill and I maintained my pace as I weaved from one walker to another just to have my running space along the route. As I passed the Oblation, going back to where we started was a slight uphill and I was surrounded by runners and cyclists. You can no longer determine who were part of the road race or not because of the sight of lots of people on the road. I am not complaining for those slower walkers and joggers and cyclists but the race marshals must be able to warn those who are not part of the race to keep a portion of the road. Orange cones would had been helpful as a dividing line for the road racers and the weekend walkers/joggers at the Academic Oval. The starting line marked the end of Kilometer #5.
Kilometer #5 Split Time—4:47 minutes
Since the 10K run consisted of two 5K-loop, I imagined that I was starting my second 5K run but with a plan to finish the second loop with a faster average pace. I increased my pace as I started the second half of the race.
Team BR's Elite Cris Sabal Leading The RaceTeam BR's Elite Ellen Tolentino Winning The 10K Ladies DivisionRunning Side By Side With The Younger Ones
Kilometer #6 Split Time—4:33 minutes
Kilometer #7 Split Time—4:22 minutes
Kilometer #8 Split Time—4:44 minutes
Kilometer #9 Split Time—4:32 minutes
Kilometer #10 Split Time—4:41 minutes
On A Full Throttle Mode
Definitely, I registered a “negative split” time where I had a faster time for my second half of the race. I was able to finish the race with a time of 45:12 minutes based from my GF 305 watch with an average pace of 4:38 minutes per kilometer. This is my fastest finish time in a race done at the UP Campus since I was joining races here. I registered an average Heart Rate of 156 beats per minute which I think is a very comfortable activity to my heart in the said race.
Near The Finish Line
Tomorrow, I will come up with my Chairman’s Report about the Road Race which I need to be brought officially to the attention of the Race Organizer and the Race Director or even for the information of the Race Sponsors. If you have any comments about the race, feel free to leave your comments on this post.
Congratulations to those who finished the race and most especially to those who registered their PRs.
Michelle and the Hardcore RunnersJoven & Mr Paiso with BR
Norio Tanaka, one of the Bataan 102 Warriors
A Meeting with the Rest of the Bataan 102 Warriors
For almost one week, I can say that all the runner-bloggers were writing about their experiences in the last Condura Run. Everybody was so excited to write about the event, on how they were able to finish their first half-marathon, how they ran the Skyway, the fun of running with friends and running club mates, the things that were good & need to be improved for the race, and lots of stories from those who improved their respective PRs.
Nobody among the runner-bloggers dared to write about the new “thing” in the history of running in the country. What I am talking about is the distribution of The Bull Runner Magazine and writing a simple review/feedback about its first issue. After changing my clothes after the race last Sunday, I had to go back to the Finish Line just to get a copy of the Running Magazine published by Ms Jaymie Pizarro. Since I didn’t have my reading glasses with me, I just browsed the pages and I was already impressed on the contents of the said magazine.
Once I got hold of my reading glasses, I intently read each topic and page of the magazine up to the point that my day is not complete if I don’t browse or review the contents of the magazine. I am impressed on the “vision” of The Bull Runner in coming up with this kind of publication which is FREE and very handy where the contents are concise and easy to read.
This magazine is a “one stop” shop for a runner, whether he/she is a beginner, competitive, or an elite. It has a race calendar for the 2nd Quarter of the year, Running Clinics, Gears, VIPs who are into running, Tips in Running, Nutrition, Runner’s Directory, Running Personalities, and Ads connected to running. I am highly recommending that every runner must have a copy of this running magazine.
Congratulations to Ms Jaymie Pizarro aka The Bull Runner for coming up with the 1st published running magazine in the country! Let us support her and contribute our running stories and experiences to the said magazine. (Jaymie, will this mean that I have a chance of winning a pair of Nike Running Shoes?)
And now, here comes the question that keeps on bothering me…who is that guy/gal who nominated me as the cover picture of the said magazine? Thanks for nominating me even though the silhouette was not meant for a bald guy.
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