The following is the list of Pinoy Ultra Runners (Locals & Residents Abroad) who have represented the country in International Ultra Running Races and those who performed outstanding finish in our Local PAU Races:
Jag Lanante: The First and Only Filipino who have finished the Honkong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4UTC) in less than 60 hours this year.
Gerald Tabios: The First and Only Filipino to have finished the Badwater 135-Mile Ultra Marathon Race for Three Consecutive Years (2015, 2016, & 2017).
Rolando Espina: The First and Only Filipino who have finished the Spartathlon Ultra Marathon Race in Greece for Two Consecutive Years (2016 & 2017).
Conrado Bermudez, Jr: Based in New Jersey, USA, he finished Four (4) 100-Milers (Trail) in 2017—Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler in Texas, USA; Massanutten 100 Miler in Virginia, USA; Cruel Jewel 100 Miler in Georgia, USA; and UTMB 170K in Chamonix, France. He is setting a goal to be the First Filipino to Finish the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning Series in the USA this year.
Paul Encarnacion—Based in Maryland, USA, he finished the Massanutten 100 in Virginia, USA and Eco Trail Madrid 80K in Spain.
Aleksis Capili-–The First Pinoy to Finish the Tor Des Geants 330K Endurance Run in Courmayeur (Aosta Valley), Italy. He also finished the 2017 Tarawera 100 in New Zealand. He is also one of the Pinoy Runners in the Asia Trail Master Championship Ranking.
Mon Beleno & Jerome Bautista—Finisher of the 2017 The North Face LAVAREDO 120K Ultra Trail Race in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy.
Jerome Lagumbay, Rodney Cabahug, Rex Gonzales, & Jovenal Narcise—Finishers of the 2017 Tarawera 100K Ultra Trail Race in New Zealand.
Edmund Cura—Finisher of CCC 102K (UTMB)
Sandi Menchi Abahan & Aldean Philip Lim—Finisher of TDS 121K (UTMB)
Hermogines Olvis; Miguel Carranza; & Majo Liao—Finishers of UTMB 170K.
Henry Laron—The Only Filipino Finisher in the 2017 San Diego 100-Mile Endurance Run (Solo Category).
Joseph Sibal-–One of the Pinoy Ultrarunners with the Asia Trail Master Championship Ranking, finishing the following trail races in 2017—Beach Bunch Trail Challenge 100K; BTS 100K Ultra; Ultra-Trail Panoramic 100K; and other Ultra Trail Races in the Asia Trail Master Series.
Wilnar Iglesia—Finisher of the Penang Eco 100K; Mesastila Trail Challenge 100K and other Ultra Trail Races in the Asia Trail Master Series.
Rose Betonio—Finisher of the Monster Ultra 200K in Singapore and 2nd Runner-Up in the Coast To Coast 444K Ultra in Malaysia. She also finished 2nd Runner-Up in PAU’s North Coast 200-Mile Run and finisher of PAU’s West To East 280K Ultra.
Cheryl Bihag—Finisher of this year’s Beach Bunch Trail Challenge 100K; The Magnificent Merapoh 100K Trail Challenge; Ultra-Trail Panoramic 100-Mile Run; and other Ultra Trail Races in the Asia Trail Master Series.
Kat Bermudez-–Based in New Jersey, USA and wife of Conrado Bermudez, Jr, is the First Lady “Virgin” Pinoy to have joined the Barkley Marathon finishing the 1st loop with 12 pages gathered. She finished the 2017 Rocky Raccoon 100-Mile Run in Texas, USA.
Rhoda Oporto & Remy Caasi—PAU’s Top Lady Ultra Runners who finished the PAU’s 200+K Road Grand Slam Ultra Marathon Series for 2017.
Bong Dizon, Rolan Cera, Fer De Leon, & Jon Borbon—Finishers of the PAU’s 200+K Road Grand Slam Ultra Marathon Series for 2017.
Thomas Combisen, Gibo Malvar, and Salvador Sietereales—Candidates for the PAU’s 100-Mile Road & Trail Grand Slam Ultra Marathon Series for 2017.
Thomas Combisen & Ronnel Valero—PAU Top Ultra Trail Runners who finished among the Top 10 Local Runners in the 2017 Hardcore Hundred Miles Trail Run.
Congratulations to everybody. Keep inspiring other runners to excel and to join international ultra running events and local ultra running events.
The following is a Powerpoint Presentation on the Rules & Regulations of the 2018/10th Edition of the Bataan Death March 102K Ultra Marathon Race. All Runners and their respective Support Crew & Drivers must abide by these instructions. Any infraction of these rules and regulations will jeopardize the success or finish of every runner during the event.
The 10th Edition of the Bataan Death March 102K Ultra Marathon Race (BDM 102) is a Qualifying Race for the 2019 Western States Endurance Race (WSER) in California, USA.
For the first time in this blog I will be featuring an article (based from my own view and opinion) on Pinoys who excelled in running or those who have shown the true spirit of an outstanding runner, whether they are based locally or abroad for the year 2017. I will limit my story for the Marathon and Ultra Marathon distances.
Marathon Distance:
Top Award For Best Performance: Mary Joy Tabal was our First Gold Medalist in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the Marathon event with a finish time of 2:48:26 hours beating the second runner by seven (7) minutes. Her personal best time in the Marathon distance was 2:43:31 hours at the Ottawa Marathon Race in 2016, which qualified her to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In the local races, Mary Joy Tabal has in her name a record in the history of running as the First Female Champion of the MILO Marathon for five (5) successive years. Last December, she won the MILO Marathon in Cebu City with a time of 2:58:01 hours, the day after his father died.
Mary Joy Tabal From Cebu City (Photo From Facebook)
Ultra Marathon Distance (Road)
Top Award For Best Performance: Rolando Espina is now the Filipino Record Holder for the 24-Hour Run finishing a distance of 210.798 kilometers (130.99 miles) in the July 2017 IAU Belfast 24-Hour World Championship held in Belfast, Ireland. He is also the Overall Champion in the 9th Edition (2017) of the Bataan Death March 102K Ultra Marathon Race with a time of 9:26:39 hours, the second best time finish in the history of the event. He is the first and only Filipino who have finished the Spartathlon in Greece in two consecutive years, 2016 & 2017, with finish times of 33:19:33 hours and 32:30:03 hours, respectively. He is also the Overall Champion and New Course Record Holder in this year’s PAU’s West Coast 200K Ultra Marathon Race with a time of 26:45:18 hours.
Rolando Espina From Bacolod City & Based In Ireland (Photo From Facebook)
Ultra Marathon Distance (Trail)
Top Award For Best Performance (Male): Hermogines “Gene” Olvis outstanding performance at the 2017 UTMB Race makes him as the Best Male Performer in Ultra Trail Running for 2017 for finishing the race with a record finish time (among the local runners) of 35:33:54 hours. He also finished Overall 2nd Runner-Up in the 2017 edition of the KOTM’s Hardcore 100-Mile Trail Run with a time of 30:17:29 hours.
Gene Olvis (Photo from Facebook/Jajaferrer.com)
Top Award For Best Performance (Female): Sandi Menchi Abahan outstanding performance at the 2017 TDS Race (118K) @ UTMB makes her as the Best Female Performer in Ultra Trail Running for 2017 for finishing 21st Overall in the Female Category and 9th Overall in her Age Category with a record finish time (First Female Local Finisher in the TDS & Record Holder) of 23:27:16 hours. Being a member of the Philippine Skyrunning Association Elite Team, she won as the Female Champion for two successive years, 2016 & 2017, in the Mt Kinabalu International Climbathon Race with these finish times, 2:58:48 hours and 3:04:30 hours, respectively.
Sandi Menchi Abahan @ TDS Finish Line (Photo from Facebook)
Finally, I earned my #Legit Boston Qualifier at the age of 65 years old at the 2017 Revel Canyon City Marathon Race with an official time of 3:46:06 hours. My BQ time for my age is 4:10 hours.
My New PR since I retired from the military service & as the Bald Runner.
Boston, here I come in April 2019!
Bonus: I won the First Place in my Age Category Group (65-69 years old) out 16 Finishers.
2017 Revel Canyon City Marathon Race
Aside from being a Senior Citizen, I am the ONLY General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as a Boston Marathon Qualifier.
The ONLY General Of The Armed Forces Of The Philippines (AFP) As BM Qualifier
Race Report: 2017 Miyamit Falls 42K Trail Run (4th Edition)
I was one of the “pioneers” of this trail race and I published a Race Report about it. That was four years ago and had been a trail runner for two years when this event was conducted.
I did not have any plans of joining this year’s edition but I thought of exposing my running buddy and training partner for a race, for the first time, which is very near my Playground. It was still within the Registration Period when I sent a message to the Race Director, Atty Jonnifer Lacanlale, of my intention to join in this year’s edition of the event with another runner. He gladly accommodated my request and I informed my training partner (aka Official Kodaker) that I have registered him to compete in a Trail Marathon.
Whatever my training for the day is the same training that we had to do and run together. For the past months and weeks since the middle of June of this year, my training partner was exposed to the training program/schedule that I got from my Professional Coaching Services. If the schedule calls for “hill repeats”, he would do so but with a faster speed/pace than me. If my schedule calls for a “tempo run repeats”, he would stay with me for the first repetition and ask him to just hold my camera and take pictures of me while doing my intense and hard “tempo repeats” in the mountain. If I do my “strides”, he would quicken his pace as he is always positioned behind me in my runs.
Knowing that he has the strength and speed for the race, I taught and advised him on tactics and race strategy during a race. I advised him to position himself on the 3rd or 4th guy from the front, with his eyes on the leading runner on the first half of the race. If he has still the strength and speed on the second half, that is the time to make a move. On a final advise, I told him not to talk or engage in any conversation with those guys in front of him or to anybody. He should be focused on getting in front by all means before reaching the finish line. However, if he can not keep up with the pace of the top runners, I advised him to conserve his energy on the first half (climb to the peak/turn-around) and then go as fast as he can on the downhill going to the Finish Line. And that was what he did! He finished #6 Overall and he was happy. And the Coach is happy, too!
Leo Taruc, My Training Partner & Kodaker (Photo By Glairold Recella)
Four years had passed when I joined the First Edition of this event and I finished #36 out of 115 finishers with a time of 7:58+hours then at the age of 61 years old and two years after I’ve transformed myself from a road runner to a trail runner. It is not bad to condition my mind that I would improve my time in this year’s edition. I announced on my Facebook Wall that I will try to improve my time in this event, even for some few minutes! I was wrong!
At exactly 5:30 AM of Sunday, October 1, the race started at the Alviera Recreational Center in Porac, Pampanga and the runners were combination of those doing the 42K and 26K distances. I call the 42K runners as the “bravest ones” in this event! As for me, running without “trekking poles”, is again my “bravest and dumbest” decision in this race! It should be noted that I finished the CM50 for four times without the aid of trekking poles because I was simply “hard-headed”! I guess, as I become older in this kind of sports of Trail Running, it is already a mandatory on my part to bring trekking poles with me if the event allows the runners to have them as a running gear.
From the Starting Line, I jogged and ran comfortably, making the flat and downhill sections going to Barangay Sapang Uwak (1.5 to 2 kilometers) as my “warm-up” run which is equivalent to my 20-minute of “warm-up” runs during my daily workouts. As I approached the center of the Barangay, I was still running comfortably as the road became steeper. I am glad that we took the original route where almost one kilometer of the steepest portion after the Barangay Hall had been cemented/paved. But the steepness of the road was still brutal to the runners’ legs! A Lady Runner would curse and shout the F-word as I passed her. I really don’t know if she was cursing me or cursing herself or cursing the road! There was no need to look back to see her face or engage in a conversation with her!
There was a lot of new faces in this event and most of them were my first time to see them. I saw some of the “usual suspects” and I know by their names and most of them are “loyalists” to this event. It was also a good observation that I saw a lot of runners wearing the Hoka One One Speedgoat 2 but I was glad I was wearing a different shoes! The color of the my Speedgoat 2 does not match with the color of my Running Kit! Hahaha!
Miyamit Falls 42K Elevation Profile (From Training Peaks)
I tried hard to reach the Miyamit Falls within two hours but I failed! I reached the falls at 2:28+hours and went back to AS3 where I filled my hydration bottle before proceeding to the Peak/Turn-around point which is another 10 kilometers! It took me another 2:30+ hours to reach the Peak/Turn-Around point. On my way back to AS3, I have to stop and eat my Pack Meal on a flowing stream where I have to sit on a rock and drink some water. I think I was able to rest for about 20 minutes just to regain my strength and rehydrate my tired body. I even went to extent of pouring cold water from the stream to my head and whole body to cool off and dip my legs to the flowing water. My decision to rest, re-hydrating, taking a dip to the cold water, and eating my packed meal gave me the strength to run all the way to the AS3. It took me another two hours to reach AS3 from the Peak/Turn-Around Point.
I knew already at this point that I could no longer improve my previous time of sub-8 hours! Instead, I took some time to talk with my friend, Joma Sison, who was manning the AS3, and eat some food served at the Aid Station and drank the Sprite soft drinks he reserved for me! Thank you, Joma for being there despite the inclement weather and slippery/muddy road! At this point, I was already raining and my feet would compete with the flowing water on the trail as I ran down towards Barangay Sapang Uwak. I have to stop and refill my hydration bottle for the next two Aid Stations and pour some water to my head and face! There are also sections of the trail that I would run through some deep and shallow muds. And that is part of the fun and challenge in trail running.
From the second to the last Aid Station to the Finish, I knew that my quads will be challenged on those steep downhill road towards Barangay Sapang Uwak and I was prepared for the beating! I continued to run and took some small successive steps on those steep portions of the road until I reached the flatter sections at the center of the Barangay. From the steel bridge, I knew that I have at least 1.5 kilometers to the Finish Line!
Approaching The Finish Line! (Photo By Glairold Recella)
I finally crossed the Finish Line in 8:58:30 hours, which is One Hour slower than my previous time! My performance is still on passing grade, considering that the cut-off time for the event is 10 hours! Aside from the inclement weather; muddy and slippery condition of the trail; extended rests on the stream; and staying more time in the Aid Stations, I think my age is catching up on me! However, I am happy that I finished this race; served as one of my training runs for a longer race in the future; and being the Oldest Finisher in this Badass Trail Running Event!
I highly recommend this trail running event to everybody but there is a need for a race-specific training schedule and workout for this event. A 3-month trail running schedule/training preparation with lots of elevation gain and downhill running would best prepare anybody to finish this event within the prescribed cut-off time of 10 hours.
Congratulations to Atty Jonnifer Lacanlale and his Team for coming up on this yearly Badass Trail Running Event. It is one of the well-organized trail races that we have in the country today!
Running Gears:
The North Face Orange Shirt; The North Face Cap; The North Face Trail Shorts; AMIHAN Go Lite Race Belt; Taiwan’s Beast Hydration Bottle; The North Face Compression Socks; New Balance Vazee Summit Trail Shoes; Adidas Gloves; 2017 UTMB Buff; San Diego 100-Mile Endurance Run Buff; Miami Sunglass; and IPhone5
Nutrition: XO Coffee Candies; Cloud9 Chocolate; SkyFlakes Condensada; Goya Chocolate Pops; and Meal Pack
I am not fond of Blogs whose topics are about Politics. Since this blog is safely categorized as Health and Lifestyle, a part of being a Sports Blog on Running, and had always been a personal journal of my running adventures, opinion on running about my personal experiences, and my Ultra Races under the Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU), such kind of writing will be continuously followed in this blog.
This blog has never been involved in advertising and promoting other running events except for BR’s Events and PAU Events. As for the other running events, I usually post Race Reports in Running Events where I finished or Did Not Finish. I even post Running Events which I intend to join for the year to the point that I would also publish my weekly training schedule and workouts as my preparation for the said events.
My opinions about running are geared towards my personal experiences and the things that I have observed in my participation to running events. There nothing fake about my opinions and experiences as they are taken from my first-hand/personal experience.
There are times that I feature Runners or Ultrarunners who have shown exemplary performance as they serve as inspiration to other runners. These runners are considered as “trailblazers” or “pioneers” to running events where no one have dared to join before, most specially, in international races. To some, they have set a National Record in Ultra Running Events and best performance in International Ultra Running Events.
As I reckon the new birth of ultra marathon/ultrarunning in the country from the time I thought of the idea of conducting the 1st Bataan Death March 102K Ultra Marathon Race, ten years had passed and I predict that more ultra marathon runners will join us to promote the sports and experience what our body is capable of after the Marathon distance.
Approaching The Finish Line @ Miyamit Falls 42K Trail Run (Photo By Glairold Recella Photography)
Bald Runner 
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