Yes, you are reading it right. There will be an annual ranking of PAU members starting this year. Although I got this idea from one of the Ultra Running Groups in Southern California, I deemed it necessary to apply this “ranking system” to the members of the PAU for whatever purpose the Sports Federation will decide later this year. I hope that the members will be happy to know about this development as they would be able to compare themselves with their co-ultrarunners and will serve as their source of motivation to improve some more and excel in ultrarunning.
The first race to be considered as part of the PAU’s ranking of members is the result of the 2010 BDM 102K Ultramarathon Race. The formula goes like this: Winner’s Finish Time Divided by the Individual’s Finish Time X 102. The higher your points is, the higher your rank is. So, Alvin Canada earns the highest total points of 102 because he is the Champion. Let us compute Jonel Mendoza’s points for the 2010 BDM 102 as he had a Finish Time of 14:47:25 hours. Since Alvin Canada’s Finish Time is 10:01:05 Hours, it is now divided by Jonel’s Time X 102, and the result is 69.08 points. All the Finishers of the 2010 BDM 102 will be ranked according to points based on the said formula.
The second race to be considered for PAU’s ranking will be the 1st PAU 50K Run at Tanay, Rizal on May 9, 2010. The third race will be the 2nd PAU 65K Run from Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte on August 29, 2010. The fourth race will be the 3rd PAU 50K Run sometime on November 2010 from People’s Park, Tagaytay City to Nasugbo, Batangas.
And the 5th Race will be a 24-Hour Endurance Race in an Oval Track for the Top 30 Ranking PAU Members (taken from the 2010 BDM 102 + 1st PAU 50K Run + 2nd PAU 65K Run results) which will be held before the 3rd PAU 50K Run. In order to find out the ranking/points in the 24-Hour Race, the formula is, Runner’s Number of Kilometers Completed divided by Winner’s Kilometers Completed X 100.
A member of the PAU is considered to be in the ranking if he/she can finish at least four (4) PAU races before the end of the year.
I hope this ranking system will motivate you more to train for the ultras! Good luck!
Finally, I was able to save and download Google Earth to my blog after I’ve transfered most of my “files” from my “C” Drive to my Unused “D” Drive! Well, for being a “low-tech” blogger, it took me some time to experiment and try how the other bloggers post their runs by using the Google Earth.
From Crossing Tanay-Sampaloc to Sierra Madre Hotel
The incoming PAU races are well-described as “fun runs” with a “guerrilla-type” conduct of the race (according to Marathon Foodie). There are no “distractions”; no “festive” atmosphere; and no corporate endorsements and tarpaulins. What is important is to be able to have an orderly start, conduct , and finish of the race where every runner would be able to enjoy the scenery and challenge his/her personal endurance limits. Thus, we try to be simple in our purpose…we provide each runner a nice & challenging venue/route and you join this race because you love to run!
The 1st PAU 50K Run will start at 5:00 AM of May 9, 2010 at the crossing of Tanay, Rizal and the road that goes to Barangay Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal. Barangay Sampaloc is the location of Camp Capinpin, the Headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. Coming from Metro Manila, one has to take the Ortigas Avenue/Extension going East towards Antipolo. The National Road leads you to Morong and then to Tanay, Rizal. Once you see Kilometer Post #54 on the right side of the road, there is an intersection that goes to Tanay Proper (going right) and Barangay Sampaloc (going left). The intersection has Flying V Gasoline Station on the right side of the road and a Shell Gasoline Station on the left side of the road. The Shell Gasoline Station is the location of the Starting Line of the 50K Race.
"Flying V" Gasoline Station On the Right Side of the RoadSHELL Gasoline Station On the Left Side of the RoadSampaloc Road/Starting Area
Runners would reach the center of Barangay Sampaloc after running an uphill climb of 13+ kilometers and they have to turn left at the crossroad/intersection, leading the runners to the Pranjetto Hills Resort. After 7 kilometers from the Intersection of Barangay Sampaloc, runners would be able to reach the Sierra Madre Hotel & Resort. From here, runners would run a roller-coaster hills for a distance of 15 kilometers. The runners would pass the entrance of the Palo Alto Subdivision and run another 2 kilometers from the said gate. At the turn-around, the runners have the last 15 kilometers to run before reaching the Gate of the Sierra Madre Hotel & Resort which is the Finish Line.
Gate of Sierra Madre Hotel & Resort/Finish Line
This race has a cut-off time of 8 hours. The race is planned to start at 5:00 AM as daybreak will be earlier due to the Summer session.
Runners are required to have with them their hydration belt or Camelbak during the race as there will be limited number of Water/Aid Stations.
Pollution-Free and Well-Paved Sierra Madre Road
For those who can afford to bring with them their support vehicle & support crew, they are allowed to bring them during the race. Also, runners can share their support vehicle with other runners. For those without any support vehicle, they will be provided with 4-5 plastic bags where they can place their water, sports drinks and food replenishment and will serve as their “drop bag” in every 10 kilometers.
At the Finish Line, every runner will be awarded with Individual Trophy, Finisher’s Certificate and a Finisher’s T-Shirt. We are hoping that there will be good and generous Sponsors for Ice Cold Beer at the Finish Line.
1. The invitation of the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) for the Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU) to participate in the 1st Asian IAU 100K Ultramarathon Race was an opportunity to represent the country in the sports of ultrarunning in an international event and to make an impression among the Asian Ultrarunning Federations that PAU is a legitimate Sports Federation on Ultrarunning.
2. The Ultrarunning Federations of Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea maximized the number of runners per country-delegation into 6 athletes ( 3 men & 3 women). These countries had been into ultrarunning events for the past 10 years or more. Mongolia, the latest member of IAU, and the countries of Indonesia, India, and Hongkong were represented with only one male runner. While the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand were represented with two (2) runners. Among the delegation, I was the only Head/President of an Ultrarunning Federation who competed and ran in the 50K Ultramarathon Race.
3. Due to the unfamiliarity of the place and the lack of communication among the residents of Jeju (Jeju residents could hardly understand and speak in English), we were not able to recon the actual route but verbal explanation from the Race Director (the only member of the Korean Ultramarathon Federation who can speak with good English) was the only source for the description of the route.
4. Meeting the President of IAU, Dirk Strumane, IAU General Secretary Hilary Walker and the Asian Representative to IAU Souhei Kobayashi was an opportunity to meet the “top bosses” of IAU. These personalities were very close to our delegation because of our ability to communicate with them in English.
5. The Chairman of the Event, Mr Jun Sang Yu, is presently the President of four (4) Sports Federations in South Korea and a former 6-time elected Congressman in one of the Congressional Districts in South Korea, was the one responsible in raising the funds from the government and the private corporate world to support the conduct of this international ultramarathon event. He is also an ultrarunner who ran and finished the 100K distance last year in the said event within the cut-off time of 15 hours. (I really do not know if we could find a Congressman/Politician in our country who has that kind of passion of being athletic and has the “all-out” attitude to support an international event).
Sights & Scenery of Jeju Ultramarathon Race
6. The 1st Asian IAU 100K Championship Race was held as part of the 9th Annual Jeju International Ultramarathon Race which has the 50K, 100K, 148K Trail Run and a 200K Race. Out of the 585 participants, the 50K, 100K and 200K runners were equally divided with only 33 runners who joined the 148K Trail Run.
7. The race did not have any race marshals along the route as the runners followed the circumferential paved road of the island. A small printed white paint of “U200” with a small arrow on the paved road is seen few meters before any intersection. However, if there is no printed indicator on the paved road is seen, it means that the runner should go straight. (In the future editions of BDM 102/151, I hope that runners would not need any race marshal to follow the route of the event).
8. It was funny when the Head of the Japanese Team asked if the Race Organizer had placed Portalets along the route. The answer of the Race Organizer was there was none and instead, the runners have to use the toilets/CR of gasoline stations, parks along the sea, or knock on the doors of houses/commercial establishments along the way, or look for a big rock or tree or canal/ditch where the runner could do his/her thing. Silently, I was smiling when I heard this question during our technical meeting. I remember the experiences of the BDM 102 runners for the past two editions!
9. It appeared that the Koreans just ran the course on “automatic mode”—they were smiling, chatting with one another, and enjoying the scenery of the route. The Koreans are very strong runners and calm during the run. I did not see any of them “wired” with MP3 or Ipod during the run.
10. The Japanese ultrarunners have small strides but their “turn-over” or frequency of their strides was very quick. I could not believe what I’ve seen with these Japanese runners. Their strides were consistent from Km 0 up to the Finish Line! It shows their advance and dynamic knowledge on running as I saw them running with midfoot strike in an ultramarathon race!
11. The Taiwanese runners were also strong but they are more comfortable in their 24-Hour Endurance runs in their country. One of the male runners who was running the 100K race had passed me at the 43K mark and he was fast and strong. The first female Taiwanese runner who finished the 100K race was trailing me when I finished the 50K race.
12. The only Mongolian runner whose country is colder in climate than in South Korea had some issues on the second half of the race due to his blistering pace on the first half of the race. He was not able to manage his pace for the 100K race. I had to bring out my Salonpas spray for him to use when he was in pain due to leg cramps at the Km 65 point.
13. The first Aid Station was placed at Km 10 mark and after the first one, each Aid Station was placed in every 5 kilometers. Each Aid Station’s contents were simple. It has few cups for water, Pocari Sweat, Coke with sliced fresh bananas (Imported from the Philippines), sliced Oranges, and Chocolate Munchmallow. The volunteers serve water, Pocari Sweat and Coke from 2-liter bottles and each runner would ask for additional water from their cups. There is no need for a lot of lined-up cups of water/Pocari Sweat or Coke as a few runners would stop or pass along these Aid Station at a time. There is no excess or wastage on the liquid or food being served in the Aid Station as the fruits are only served if the runner would ask for them!
14. For those runners who don’t need the Aid Stations, these runners are given plastic bags where their race number is written with permanent Pentel Pen. These bags are used as their “drop bags” where the runner could place his/her drinks/special drinks and food and even running apparel which he/she can use to change. These “drop bags” are placed every 10-Km mark and they are collected from the runners before the race started. It is the duty of the Race Organizer to place these “drop bags” in every 10K mark along the route. The last “drop bag” at the Finish Line contains the clothes/apparel of the runner which he/she can use to change from his/her running attire. (I am planning to adopt this “drop bag” concept for the 1st PAU 50K Run in Tanay, Rizal in order to get rid of those Aid Stations but I am still allowing runners to have their Support Vehicles/Crew with them).
15. There are no Km Posts along the roads/highway in South Korea. There are no Kilometer Markings on the route of the race. The Aid Stations act as the Km marker in the race as they are placed every 5 kilometers after the Km 10 marking. The race route was measured by the Race Organizer/Director through GPS.
16. I’ve never seen any Ambulance during the race! Not even at the Starting & Finish Lines! This implies that the runners are well-trained and prepared for the event.
17. With the prevailing cold temperature at 8 degrees Celcius during the race, I observed that my quadricep muscles were the ones that started to feel tightness and “cramps” when I reached the Km 36 mark and before reaching the Km 40 mark, my groin muscles were also starting to have cramps. As compared when running in the country with hotter and humid weather, the calf muscles are always the ones that have the tendency to experience “cramps”. In Jeju, it was my first time to experience “cramps” on my quads & groin muscles! It could be the cold climate and elevation profile of the course that contributed to such experience.
18. What impressed me most is that all the runners/participants in this ultramarathon race were HONEST. Nobody cheated and most of the runners just run, have fun , and enjoy the scenery and the “journey” towards the Finish Line by themselves.
19. I am encouraging the ultrarunners here in the country to experience this event in their next edition. If you are a member of PAU, this race and experience is a MUST.
The following is an article that is worth reading for those who are preraring for their first or next marathon race or their first ultramarathon race which I copied from www.fastrunningblog.com.
Enjoy the weekend!!!
Top 10 Training Mistakes By Sasha Pachev
Below is a list of the training mistakes I have collected from the training entries at the Fast Running Blog:
Doing anaerobic speed work without proper aerobic base conditioning. If you are running less than 8 miles a day and/or less than 6 days a week, your extra energy should go into increasing the daily mileage and the number of training days per week rather than speed work. If you feel you have to reduce your aerobic mileage on the speed day or the day after, this also shows that anaerobic speed work is not something you need at the time.
Randomly skipping training days for odd reasons. Do not do it. Active recovery is more effective than passive recovery even if you are very tired and sore. Sure, one missed day does not hurt, but it creates a precedent that will make you miss enough days to make a difference.
Making up for a skipped day with additional mileage or intensity. This catches your body by surprise and gives it a jolt that it may not be ready to take often resulting in an injury. Additionally, a habit of doing so makes it easier to rationalize skipping days thinking you can make up. You cannot, the train is gone. If you missed a day or more, come to grips with the setback and start the recovery. If you’ve missed too much, you may need to resume with a significantly lower mileage or intensity to avoid injury and/or overtraining.
Running longer in the long run than you have the fitness for. A long run as a rule should not exceed 3 times your regular daily mileage. Otherwise, the long run will likely beat you up beyond your ability to recover, and you will be wondering why you hit the wall so soon even though you’ve gone 20+ miles in the long run on a number of occasions. Increase your daily mileage before you increase your long run. If you can feel the effects of your Saturday long run Monday morning, you have gone too long.
Neglect for recovery. Many runners mistakingly believe that they get faster from training. Think about this for a moment. Are you faster before a hard 10 mile run, or immediately after? Of course, before. So what did the run do to you? It made you slower! When do you actually get faster then? During the times you do not run! What you do when you are not running is absolutely critical to your growth. You must get enough quality nutrition, as well as enough sleep. You must learn to control your emotions and deal with potentially stressful situations in a calm and graceful manner. If you allow yourself to experience any kind of emotional stress, it greatly reduces the effectiveness of your recovery window.
Failure to adjust the training volume and intensity in response to reduced recovery. Perfect recovery regime is difficult to achieve even for a professional runner, and practically impossible for somebody with a full-time job, family to take care of, community or church service, etc. You may have to work longer hours than you planned, a sick child may keep you awake in the middle of the night, or your boss may insult you in a particular way that just gets under your skin. Your recovery potential is reduced, and so must your training stress. You should first seek to reduce the intensity of the workout, and only then cut the mileage if you feel that was not enough.
Cutting a run short due to not feeling energetic at the start. When you first increase the training volume, you will often find yourself tired in the morning. If so, your body does need to relax and recover. However, active recovery is much better than passive recovery. You can continue to build your general aerobic fitness almost just the same while recovering from a harder workout a day earlier. Just run at a pace that feels right even though in may be much slower than you think you should be going, and cover the distance you originally planned to run. A lot of times it is not so much the fatigue of the body, as the inertia of the nervous system. When training harder, the nervous system often goes into a deeper rest mode, and takes longer to get activated. Some days, it takes me as long as 4 miles before I start feeling good in my runs.
Pushing the pace on the easy runs. There is no pace that is too slow for an easy aerobic building run. If your body wants to go slow, that is fine, do not force it to go fast. In fact, I often recommend finding a slower training partner for those runs, running with him, and making sure he stays conversational. If you start feeling feisty, maybe you should be doing a tempo run instead that day. Pick it up to the fastest pace you can hold while still in control, and try to hold it. One of the two things will happen after about 10 minutes of that – if you are truly ready for a tempo run, your body will tell you to keep going. If not, it will tell you to stop, and your pace will slow down to a true recovery pace for the rest of the run. You may also try doing 10-15 second strides in place of a tempo run.
Increasing the mileage or intensity too fast for your fitness. This is perhaps the most common cause of injuries. Your body can be trained to handle a lot of stress eventually through a gradual increase of the training load. However, any kind of a sudden stress is bad. How fast should the training load be increased, and how fast is too fast? The answer depends on your body a lot. There is a standard 10% rule, which is a good rule of thumb, but does not always apply. Forget the rule. Listen to your body instead. Generally, if you are venturing into the levels of training load you have never done before, or recently, you should be very cautious. In some cases, it may be a good idea to keep the load the same for months or even years. If you have trained at a certain training load recently, you can return to it a lot faster than the 10% rule would dictate. If your current load gives you soreness or makes you feel you are on the verge of injury, do not increase at all. If your current training makes you feel undertrained in every way – e.g an hour after the run you would have had no idea you’ve run just from the body signals and without the actual memory of having done it, you can increase it fairly fast. If you are going from sporadic training (2-3 days a week) to consistent (6 days a week) you can in most cases go ahead and nearly double your mileage by running the same daily volume with greater frequency. If that is too much, then cut the daily volume as appropriate, usually 20-30% cut will do. Similar principle if going from single runs to training twice a day – keep the first run the same, and add some easy jogging for the second run.
Using the popular heart rate guidelines as the primary guide to determine training intensity. Why can this be bad? Your heart rate monitor could be malfunctioning. Your maximum heart rate may be not what you think. Your anaerobic threshold percentage as well as the easy run threshold percentage may not be what the charts would recommend. The air temperature and the humidity could vary affecting your heart rate. The primary guide of the training intensity should be the way you feel. For an easy run threshold, you should feel very comfortable carrying on a conversation (although for some people this is not a good guideline, they might be very fit but still will not pass this test even sitting down). For a tempo run, the thought of having to run like that for an hour should not scare you. Heart rate can still be used effectively, but the focus should be on the observation rather than guidance/pace decision making. Sometimes it is fun to play a game of keeping your heart rate below a certain limit while trying to run no slower than a certain pace. This game is good for easy run, and mild tempo runs. When running hard or racing, use your perception of effort as the primary guide and your heart rate only for observation/second opinion.
I bought this ASICS racing shoes as my “prize” for finishing the 2009 Los Angeles Marathon in May of same year. I think I bought it through On Line/Internet with a cheaper price as it was not available in the running specialty stores in Los Angeles. I did not try to use it for my daily training or made a “break-in” of this racing flat shoes and had to use it immediately in a Marathon Race.
What caught my attention and interest in buying this racing flat was for the reason to have a lightweight racing flat for my road races aside from the fact that I am an ASICS “die-hard and loyalist”. The shoes was advertised to have a weight of 6.9 ounces! The running shoes that I used in the 2009 Los Angeles Marathon was my one-year old ASICS Gel-DS-Trainer which I have retired after the said marathon. As compared with the DS-Trainer, the Hyper Speed 3 is much, much lighter.
It was advertised also as the official racing flats used by US Marathon Runners Ryan Hall and Deena Castor in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Although these runners did not win any medals in the Olympic Marathon Race, the shoes was still popular because of its lightweight but well-cushioned sole due to the presence of gel inserts which “disperse shock on foot impact on the ground and during toe-off”. It also has “Magic Sole” which minimizes weight and maximizes breathability because of the presence of well-placed “holes” on the sole. Even the open mesh upper is made of lightweight material which provides comfort to the feet and additional breathability.
ASICS Gel-Hyper Speed 3
The first time that I used this shoes was during the 2009 MILO Marathon Elimination which was held last July 5, 2009. I did a poor performance on this race due to lack of training and preparation after the 2009 Los Angeles Marathon. The shoes was really light and versatile for marathon races as I did not have any problems or pains after the marathon race. The shoe appears to have a narrow width but as soon as I wear them, I can still feel more room for my feet. But in order to prevent my upper midfoot from sliding from side to side, I have to tighten the narrow & thin shoestrings for me to feel a “tight & well-snugged” fit with my feet and the shoes.
Since then, I’ve been using this lightweight racing flat in my next marathon races except when I participated in the 2009 Pasig River Marathon in November where I used an Adidas Adizero Racing Flat. I think this sudden change in racing shoes had also contributed to my peroneus injury at the middle of the said marathon race. In my other marathon races, this shoes helped me a lot to register better finish times in the 2009 MILO Marathon Finals and the 2nd SMART Subic International Marathon.
Lately, I used this shoes in my latest Condura Marathon held last February of this year. So far, I used this racing flats in only four (4) marathon races which is contrary to some of the reviews that I’ve read that say that this racing flat is more recommended to be used up to half-marathon distance races. But with my experience, this racing flat is perfect for the marathon distance. However, this kind of shoes should not be used in trail running as small rocks and dirt might enter through the “holes” of its “Magic Sole”.
Since I only use this shoes in my Marathon Races, I think I have yet to breach the 200-Km usage of this racing flat. After browsing the Website of ASICS, I’ve seen the new model of this shoes, which is the Hyper Speed 4. I guess, I have to wait for my Hyper Speed 3 to reach the 600-700-Km mileage before I will be able to replace it with the latest model.
I don’t recommend this racing flats to those who are using cushioned/stability shoes as these are neutral shoes. I don’t also recommend this shoes to those heavyweight runners, moreso, with the “newbies” and those who have not yet experienced their first full marathon. This racing flats need strong feet and strong legs for them to provide the runner’s a decent finish time in any road race.
Last March 1, 2010, I conducted a Running Lecture and Start of a 3-month Running Clinic among the Officers, Staff, and Employees of the Ortigas Properties. This is an evidence that more corporate offices are taking advantage of the Running Lecture and Clinic of the Team Bald Runner for them to be equipped with the proper information and knowledge about running.
Attentive Staff & Employees of Ortigas Properties
The lecture was conducted at 4:00 PM and after the Open Forum, the actual running clinic and demonstration was continued and held at the ULTRA Oval Track which is very near from the Ortigas Properties Building. Coach Titus Salazar took command of the Warm-up Exercises, Drills, technical know-how on the proper running form, strides, and the implementation of basic principles in sports training in order to prevent any running related-injury to the body.
More Than 35 Personnel Attended The Lecture & Clinic
The “common denominator” in these running lectures and clinics where I’ve been invited was a result of good leadership of the corporate “bosses”. If the boss or head of the office is a recreational or competitive runner who believes in the positive benifits of running, it is 100% that he/she tries to motivate and influence his/her staff and subordinates to get into running or in any kind of physical exercise or activity.
Open Forum Was Conducted After The Lecture
The officers, staff and employees of the Ortigas Properties had been diligently attending the Team BR’s Running Clinic at the ULTRA Oval Track on Monday afternoon and sometimes in any day of the week. for the past month. Since they are now enrolled as students or trainees in our BR Running Clinic & Speed Training, the group has paid P 500.00 each as their training fee for the duration of 3 months. Basically, this is the cheapest fee that is being asked from anybody who wants to train properly in running.
We hope that these running lectures and clinics that we, at the BR’s Events had been conducting, had greatly contributed to the efficiency, health and well-being of the officers, staff, and employees of the corporate offices that invited us for these lectures.
Bataan Death March (BDM) means heroism, sacrifice, love of country, determination, courage, and survival. BDM 102 means proper training, preparation, “heat” training, correct race strategy & hydration, “craziness”, endurance, cooperation & coordination among runners & support crew, discipline. and focus to finish the race within the cut-off time of 18 hours.
Original Picture of the BDM in 1942
On my part as the Race Organizer and Race Director, BDM means the fulfillment of a dream to commemorate this event into an ultramarathon race in order to create awareness on the history of this event that brought the death of almost 25,000 soldiers and militia where most of the victims were our countrymen. Let this awareness on this infamous event in the history of warfare and mankind be carried down from one generation to generation so that wars amongst nations will never happen again.
The BDM 102 in the eyes of the Race Director also means appreciation to the determination of some of the runners who braved to reach the Finish Line even if they knew that they could not make it before the cut-off time of 18 hours. I have to be generous to these runners who overcame the heat, dust, pollution, pains, and the challenge in order to finish the 102K distance.
So, during the Get Together and Awarding Ceremony for the 2010 BDM 102 last March 11, 2010, as a surprise to everybody, I presented “special awards” for these runners who were determined to finish the race with their remaining strength and will power. Each of these runners were awarded with the BDM Individual Trophy, Finisher’s Medal (without any ranking), and a Finisher’s T-Shirt. Their names were not included in the Official List of Finishers.
The following runners were able to finish the 102K distance in less than 20 hours. They persisted and they were rewarded well.
I presented this report during the “Get Together & Awarding Ceremony” of the 2010 BDM 102K Ultramarathon Race last March 11, 2010 at the Tejeros Hall, AFP Officers Club in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. This post then is for the benefit of my readers who were not part of the 2010 BDM 102 and who in the future would like to experience this ultrarunning event.
Top 10 List: What Is Unique About The BDM 102?
10. It commemorates the infamous Bataan Death March of World War II along the exact route where history happened. This is in honor of the 20,000 to 25,000 soldiers who died during the said March.
9. At present, the BDM 102 is the Longest Solo Road Race in the country.
8. Every Finisher within the cut-off time of 18 hours is awarded with a medal & individual trophy.
7. A Test of One’s Endurance Limit.
6. A Test of Teamwork between the runner & his/her support crew.
5. A Race where every runner helps each other to finish the course.
4. A Running Event where you can have a “fashion show” of your running apparel.
3. A venue where a runner can raise funds for his selected Charitable Institution.
2. A Running Event where a runner can take a shower & massage along the route.
1. The ONLY Road Race with an Awarding Ceremony & Get Together Party days after the event!!!
On Statistics:
1st BDM 102
2nd BDM 102
Date of Race: 4-5 April 2009
Date of Race: 6-7 March 2010
Runner-Applicants: 150
Runner-Applicants: 186
Registered Runners: 82
Registered Runners: 142
Race Starters: 82
Race Starters: 128
Finishers: 63
Finishers: 104
% of Finishers: 77%
% of Finishers: 81.25%
On Comparison of the 1st BDM 102 with the 2nd BDM 102:
1st BDM 102:
1. The result that I published was UNOFFICIAL due to the following reasons: (a) there were “cheaters” and I personally observed cheating among the runner-participants; (b) the Actual Route was not followed as the leading runners did not pass “critical” kilometer posts along the way.
2. I was the Race Organizer and Race Director and also one of the Runner-Participants.
3. There were Aid Stations in every 20 kilometers plus a Breakfast Station at Km Post #50.
4. There were four (4) Checkpoints where I placed “secret marshals” who handed color-coded wrist bands.
5. There were Cash Prizes to the Overall Top 3 Male & Female Categories and Trophies to Top 3 in the Age Category for both Men & Women Categories.
6. There were seven (7) Foreign Runners but only five (5) finished. There were five (5 lady runners but only two (2) of them finished.
2nd BDM 102:
1. The result that I published a day after the event was OFFICIAL.
2. The prestige and integrity of the race were maintained as there were no reports of cheating among the runners.
3. The actual route of the BDM was followed.
4. I was the full-time Race Director of the event.
5. I removed all the Aid Stations, instead, each runner must have his/her Support Vehicle & Support Crew in order to compete in this event. The halfway Aid Station at Km Post #50 was maintained and it offered breakfast, foods & drinks to all the runners.
6. Submission of a Medical/Doctor’s Certificate for each runner is a MUST.
7. I have placed seven (7) Time Stations & Checkpoints that gave colored string necklace to every runner.
8. Final Briefing & CarboLoading Party were conducted two days before the Race Day. Administrative matters were done during this event.
9. No Cash Prizes. Awards/Trophies were given to the Top 3 Men’s & Ladies’ Categories.
10. There were eleven (11) Foreign Runners and all of them finished. There were thirteen (13) Lady Runners but only ten (10) finished.
2010 BDM 102 Winners
Men’s Category
Champion: Alvin Canada—10:01:5 hours
1st Runner-Up: Randy Bumahit—10:44:27 hours
2nd Runner-Up: Jonnifer Lacanlale—11:01:47 hours
Women’s Category
Champion: Whreachelle Cordova—16:00:07 hours
1st Runner-Up: Raiza Tulan—16:23:01 hours
2nd Runner-Up: Maria Myrna Emelyne Buenafe—16:38:48 hours
Observations:
1. The Last Day of Registration and Payment of Fees for Invited/Qualified Runners were scheduled six (6) weeks before Race Day.
2. The responsibility of logistics/support was given to the individual runner.
3. Some of the runners are still fond of last day submission of race requirements.
4. Administrative matters were done during the Final Briefing & CarboLoading Party which resulted to a shorter processing at the Starting/Assembly Area during Race Day.
5. For this year, the Race started earlier (11:30 PM of Saturday) and it was finished earlier, too!
6. Published Rules & Regulations were followed but some minor violations were observed.
7. Our Time Stations/Checkpoints were effective to pinpoint/deter cheaters. We deployed more checkpoints this time.
8. Support Vehicles were more responsive to the needs of the runners than placing stationary Aid Stations.
9. There was a tie in 4th Place. This thing will never happen again or else both runners will be disqualified for pacing with each other.
10. There were some runners who registered to have Support Vehicle but in reality, they were not supported by such vehicle. A stricter measure will be implemented in the next edition in order to monitor runners without any support vehicle.
11. Some runners lack “heat training” and the necessary training to finish an ultramarathon distance race. They understimated their supply of water & drinks needed for the road race.
12. There were cases of “bandit” runners. I had to warn Norio Tanaka from Runnex, a finisher in the 1st BDM 102, to stop running during the race as he was a “bandit” in the race. Another unidentified runner was also warned to stop “brisk walking” at Km Post #14. Guys, if you want to “bandit” in my race, please don’t do it! If you want to experience running the BDM route, please don’t do it during my race day. You have the remaining days of the year to do it by yourself.
13. Some runners have two or more vehicles tagging along with their authorized support vehicle. I know that this race is a family affair among the participants but please limit the vehicles tagging along with the support vehicles.
14. We did not commit a mistake in our Finisher’s Medal. What you see in your Finisher’s Medal is the Official Seal of BDM 102 with the year 2009 as its founding year. I requested the finishers to have the date of the 2010 Bdm 102 engraved at the back. In next year’s edition, we will correct and place the engraved date at the back of the medal.
2010 BDM 102 Trivia:
1st Husband & Wife Finishers—Ria Go Tian & Emerson Go Tian
1st US/American Finisher—Charles Fletcher
1st Grandson-Finisher of a BDM 1942 Survivor—Jose Maria Galauran
Youngest Finisher—Mark Peralta, 19 years old
Oldest Finisher—Artemio Ladia, 54 years old.
1st Active General of the AFP To Finish The Race—Major General Samuel D Narcise AFP
1st Active PNP Officer Finisher—P/Supt Gregorio Torres
1st Father & Son Finishers—Major General Samuel D Narcise & Lemuel Narcise
Assessment:
1. 2010 BDM 102 was a successful event. Although we did not earn any profit or proceeds from this year’s edition, the support of the “Friends of the Bald Runner & Team BR-Professionals” covered the expenses/support for the additional logistics and activities to make this event a successful one. The BDM 102K Ultramarathon Race will remain to be a simple race devoid of unnecessary “distractions” and funfare.
2. Planning and Execution were almost perfect this time due to the experience from the 1st BDM 102. Our staff, volunteers, and marshals were fully briefed, rehearsed, focused and coordinated for the event.
3. The weather conditions were extreme but runners were able to adapt to the situation.
4. Teamwork & Unity were displayed among competing runners and support crew were responsive to the needs of the runners.
5. Lastly, this event would not be successful without the support & cooperation of the runners/support crew; sponsors & supporters; volunteers; and the Elite Team Bald Runner & Staff. Thank you very much!!!
The Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU) will conduct a series of 50K races starting on May 9, 2010 with the objective of promoting ultramarathon running in the country.
My personal observations during our participation in the 1st Asian IAU 100K Championship Race in Jeju Island, South Korea made me conclude that our runners have the potential to be at par with the Japanese and South Korean ultramarathon runners. The Japanese and the Koreans had been years ahead of us in this field of running event. These countries have also ultrarunning events almost every weekend.
In order to identify, promote and train ultrarunners, there is a need to conduct regular ultra races in the country. The first series of 50K runs will be held on May 9, 2010 and to start at 6:00 AM in Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal. The registration fee is P 750.oo. Each finisher will be awarded with Individual Trophy and Finisher’s T-Shirt.
This race will be done along the paved road and each runner is required to bring a hydration pack/belt system. The cut-off time is 8 hours.
Registration starts today, March 30, 2010. Registration Forms are available at the BR “Speed” Training/Clinic at the ULTRA Oval Track; at the Bald Runner’s Events Office at #115 M.H. Del Pilar corner E. Angeles Sts, Barangay Santo Tomas, Pasig City, Metro Manila; or at Sunday’s Road Races. For further inquiries, please contact Telephone Number: 497-6442 or e-mail us at bald.runner@yahoo.com.
Rules and Regulations/Protocol for this event will be published in this blog soon.
The next 50K run will be held from Laoag City to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte on August 29, 2010.
Last October 2009, I received a formal letter from the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) informing me that the Philippines had been officially accepted as a member of IAU through the Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU) which I created and organized. IAU officials informed me that the Philippines is the 6th ASIAN member and the 45th member worldwide.
After two weeks, I received an invitation from the IAU for our country to be represented in the 1st Asian IAU 100K Championship Race to be held in Jeju Island, South Korea on March 27, 2010. Attached with the invitation are the protocol and requirements for participating in the said race. The Event Organizer, South Korea’s Ultrarunning Federation, invited 3 men & 3 women whose accommodation and food will be provided free for the duration of only two days. The participating runners are supposed to be the best and most qualified ultra runners that the country could offer.
The desire to join in this competition was so strong on my part but the big problem was the logistics/financial support needed for the plane tickets of the athletes. As of November 2009, I met all the members of the Elite Team Bald Runner and asked them who would “volunteer” to train for the 1st Asian IAU 100K Championship Race. Alquin Bolivar & Frank Indapan came forward to accept the challenge and started to train from then on.
Last year, I also thought of sending the top Male & Female Champions of this year’s BDM 102 to Jeju’s 100K Ultramarathon Race but the timing/schedule was not conducive for the best performance of our athletes as they are on their “recovery” mode barely weeks before the event after the BDM 102.
Being a relatively new running sports, ultramarathon is “alien” to our government sports officials, moreso, to our friends in the government and corporate world. So, I did not want to be frustrated again to be begging to these “personalities” for some financial support for me to send our country’s representatives to this IAU-sanctioned international event. My experience with the government & corporate world in the 1st BDM 102 will never happen again.
The only way to make this invitation to materialize and succeed was to ask help from the “Friends” of the Bald Runner and they came in full force to donate the needed amount for the visas, plane tickets, travel tax, and training/competition support to Alquin Bolivar & Frank Indapan. The following are the “running angels” and their respective donation/s to the members of the Elite Team Bald Runner for Jeju Island:
July Oconer
6,868.00
Kim
5,000.00
Bard’s Bathan
5,000.00
Armando Fernando
5,000.00
Mark Hernandez
5,000.00
Lester Chuayap
4,000.00
Ria & Emerson Go Tian
2,500.00
Oscar Sañez
2,000.00
Jael Wenceslao
2,000.00
Junrox Roque
2,000.00
Tin Ferrera
1,000.00
Mari Javier
1,000 + CWX
Jeremiah Isip
1,000.00 + CWX + Long Sleeve
Jerry Adriatico
1,000.00
Randy San Miguel
1,000.00
Macky Coronel
1,000.00
Carlo Coronel
1,000.00
Melvin Pangan
1,000.00
Mitchie Nafarete
1,000.00
Juanne Molina
1,000.00
Gin Estacio
1,000.00
Tere Gangan
1,000.00
Mark Salazar
500.00
Benette Jimenez
500.00
Bitmap
Randy San Miguel
5,000.00
Jerry Adriatico
Nickko Nolasco
2,600.00
Ralph Salvador
George Dolores
Jay Lee Cu Unjieng
$100
Mesh Villanueva
$100
Ben Gaetos
$100
Jan
1box Hammer Gel + 1 box Gatorade Powder + Roll on Linement
Joshua Suarez
Jerome Cartailler
(Note: The names without any donation had made their pledge already)
Jeju International Airport Frank & Alquin Inside the Shuttle Van
As of this morning, the Elite Team Bald Runner and PAU’s representatives to the 1st Asian IAU 100K Championship Race had arrived in Jeju Isalnd, South Korea. The place is nice, clean, orderly, cold and windy. We were met at the airport by the representative of the Race Organizer and we were brought to our Hotel which is at the very center of Jeju City.
It is very hard to find somebody here who could speak English! But by walking and jogging on the main streets of the city, we were able to find familiar fastfood establishments and shopping malls where to eat and buy much needed water, food and fruits.
Korean Version of McDo ( We Did Not Eat There Yet!)
I found out later that this running event will also be the 9th Jeju International Ultramarathon Race and the Jeju International Cycling Race which will be held on the same day. The circumferential road of this island will definitely be dedicated to the ultra runners and cyclists on Saturday.
Infront of a Car Repair's Shop!!!All International Runners Are Staying In This Hotel
Note: We are wearing the Official Jacket of the Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU)
Tomorrow will be another day to run and acclimatize with the weather ( rainy, cloudy & windy) of the island. A formal program, briefing, and carboloading party will be held tomorrow afternoon. It would be a nice time to meet other international elite runners and ultra running sports federations leaders/officials.
Hopefully, the following goals/objectives will be attained in this race:
1) The IAU 100K Championship Race (no cash prize for the winners, only medals will be awarded to the top 3 runners) will set the Philippine Record in 100K Ultramarathon Race in an IAU-sanctioned event. Winning this event is our ultimate goal but with Japan’s attendance/presence in this event, simply finishing and setting a National Record Time for the distance from our runners will be a great accomplishment already.
2) The Philippines, through the Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU), will be represented to an IAU-sanctioned ultra race for the first time. This will expose our country to other ultrarunning countries.
3) The Elite Team Bald Runner goes International as we will be using our official uniform-singlet, courtesy of MILO/Nestle, Philippines.
Once again, for those who supported and continued praying for us, thank you very much. God bless to everybody!
Bald Runner 
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