Tag: Ultramarathon

2018 Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon Experience (Part 3)

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Places to Run, Races, Running, Sports Program, Travel, Ultra Marathon, Ultra Running, UltramarathonLeave a comment

2018 Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon Experience (Part 3)

2018 Badwater 135 Group Picture (Photo By Badwater 135 From Facebook)

Team Leono Inside The Room @ The Ranch (Furnace Creek)

Our room that was reserved by Tess at the Furnace Inn Ranch was good for one day from 1:00 PM of Sunday to 12:00 NN of Monday with the hope that we could be extended up to 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM with an additional cost. However, the Hotel Administration would not allow us to extend our stay for another 5 or 6 hours because all the rooms were fully booked and reserved for the whole week. We tried our best to plea for their understanding to extend our stay but they could only allow us an extended period of stay up to 2:00 PM of Monday. And this was final!

Let me describe to you our situation in the room. We were 5 persons in one room but there are two double beds which could only accommodate only 4 of us (two persons on each bed). To remedy the situation, we had to pay an extra bed to be inserted in the room. Because of the bags and luggages; food; coolers; and other needs for the race were all inside the room, we had a very limited space for the folding bed to be fully deployed, instead, we got only the mattress from the folding bed to be placed on the floor in between the two double beds. The tallest among us volunteered to be the “Floor Manager”! It’s was good we had a very good coordination in the use of the single bathroom and toilet during the duration of our stay in this room.

Typical Ranch Room With Runners & Support Crew (Photo By Donna Tabios)

The room has a Wi-Fi connection but it could only be used by two devices only per room. With the five of us, I was given the priority as I was the one who was posting some Updates on Facebook. However, there was a time that I could no longer connect when I disconnected myself so that others can use the allowed two slots per room. When I could no longer get any connection, I opted to have a dedicated Wi-Fi connection for myself by paying $10.00 from my Debit Card for the duration of 24 hours. This was the ONLY way for me to send some more “Updates” on Facebook before we left Furnace Creek. I knew that once the race starts, I will no longer have a Cellphone Signal up to Lone Pine, California or at Panamint Springs (Mile #70+)

While some of us were resting inside the room with the Full Power of the Air Con, Tess, Jas, and Khris were busy organizing our things but somehow all of us were able to rest. In the evening of Sunday, we started to get some Ice from the Ice Maker Machine of the Hotel at the front edge of the building. We were able to fill our Coolers with Ice for Free! From here on, it was just a waiting game and trying to maximize our rest and sleep inside our room. Night came but the extreme heat outside the building was almost the same during day time. After supper at the Diner, we just returned back to our room, take a shower, and then went to bed. I could no longer remember how many hours I was able to sleep during nighttime. I was too tired for the day. However, every time I go to the Bathroom to pee, I would observe that Tess was still awake. I wonder why she was not yet sleeping. Is she nervous, anxious, or have some things playing in her mind? Or is she checking on her cellphone or Facebook? I didn’t bother to ask.

We woke up at about 7:00 AM and we had to line up for the Bathroom and take turns. Hahaha! We were back to the Diner for our brunch…again! We did a lot of conversation in the room about how to fit in everything in the Support Vehicle and how we will be able to support Tess in an efficient clockwork manner. I would be the driver and the rest of the team will have to take their part of making sure Tess will finish the race. However, Tess had all the pressure on her as she is the Main Actress in this event.

After our Brunch, we started to bring all of our things to the Support Vehicle and it was Khris’ responsibility and work on making sure that all of our stuff was loaded properly before the 1:00 PM check-out time from the our room. Starting at 12:00 Noon we were disturbed by visits from the Hotel Staff reminding us of our check-out time by 1:00 PM. They made a lot of calls and visits to us and told us to leave the room until we finally left the room at 2:00 PM.

Waiting Game Before Leaving Furnace Creek

Tess told us that she will stay in one of the Team Tabios Rooms while the four of us as her Support Crew went to the Diner to pass the time and then pick her up near their Hotel Building anytime between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM. We waited inside the Diner for 3+ hours and we reviewed our plan on how to support Tess during the run. We made also our plan on how to resupply our needs for water and ice along the route as we anticipated for a higher and extreme heat/temperature the following day. On the last few minutes of our stay at the Diner, we ordered two Pizza for our anticipated Dinner food once the race starts at the Badwater Basin.

Tess Leono With Gerald Tabios’ Support Crew (Photo From Donna Tabios)

We left the Diner at 5:00 PM and parked a few meters away from the Team Tabios’ Hotel Building because there was no parking space available. We, instead, looked for a shaded area where we could wait for Tess. At exactly 5:30 PM, we left the Ranch Inn with Tess and dropped by the Gasoline Station at the entry road to the Ranch to fill up our gas tank on Full Tank. We panicked when a CLOSED sign poster was shown hanging at the Cashier’s counter. Jasper said that we could still pump the needed gas using her Credit/Debit Card of which we did. We were already fully-loaded and prepared for the event as we left Furnace Creek to the starting area in Badwater Basin, 17.5 miles away.

The two-lane/two-way road (one lane in each direction) from Furnace Creek to the Badwater Basin was busy with traffic due to the presence of the Support Vehicles. I drove slowly within the permitted speed from 30MPH up to 40 MPH until we reached the starting area in almost 30 minutes. We had enough time to take some pictures of the surroundings and watched the other runners and their Support Crew arrived at the Parking Area. After the usual Check-In procedures of Weighing and Final Check on the gear of each of the runners, they were advised to proceed to the Badwater Basin Sign which is on top of a wooden platform. More pictorials were done by the runners and their Support Crew on this spot while the start time was about to be reached.

Start Ceremony & Race Proper

RD Cris Kostman @ Badwater Basin Sign

The First Wave of Runners where Tess belongs starts at 8:00 PM and 30 minutes before that, a Simple Ceremony was held. There was a Short Prayer, Singing of the US National Anthem, and more Group Pictures of the Runners on video and still shots. Cris Kostman went on his way to shot a video of each of the runners using his cellphone while a group Pictorial was taken on them. He reviewed the runners on the cut-off times of each of the Time Stations but he emphasized that he wanted all the runners to reach Stovepipe Wells, whether they are within or not within the cut-off time. The RD is really a “hands-on” guy who treats his runners as his brothers and sisters. No wonder that this Badwater Event is a community of runners who know each other and help each other to finish the race.

Starting Area With The First Wave Of Runners
2018 Badwater 135 Philippines’ Representatives (Tess & Gerald)

Finally, the race started at exactly 8:00 PM and the runners started running, jogging, walking from the wooden platform of Badwater Basin, turning left on the concrete pavement/pathway going up to the curb of the Parking Area until the runners finally reached the left side of the road leading to Furnace Creek. The runners automatically formed a single file with reflectorized vests, blinking red lights on their back and front, and headlight on their head or using hand-held flashlight.

Each of the Support Vehicle was advised not to rush out from the Parking Area as there were Marshals who would control the traffic for all the vehicles leaving the Badwater Basin. The Traffic Marshals made sure that the Support Vehicles will not clog up with a file of vehicles along the road with short distance between each vehicle. I had the experience of being shout at by one of the Traffic Marshals when I interpreted his “hand signal” as a “go”, but instead, he was signaling me to proceed slowly and stop for a verbal instructions from him. Shit! I am a RD in the most popular ultra marathon race in the Philippines and here I am as a Driver being shout out by a Traffic Marshal??? Fuck You, Man!!! If only you know who I am.

To be continued….

The Cost Of Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Races, Running, Sports Program, Travel, Ultra Marathon, Ultra Running, UltramarathonLeave a comment

I am reposting this blog by Pam Smith aka The Turtle Path which was posted on August 3, 2018. Pam Smith was the Champion of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Race in 2013 with a time of 18:37+ hours when Timothy Olson broke the Course Record. She finished 6th Overall and First-Runner-Up in The Female Category with a time of 28:47:53 hours in this year’s Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon.

It is my intention to write a separate blog on this particular topic as part of my observation and experience as the Chief Crew of Ms Tess Leono. However, since I am not “in the know” of the actual expenses that my runner had incurred before, during, and after the event, my estimate of expenses will be purely not exact and accurate and that is why it will be always considered as an “estimate of expenses”.

For an International Runner coming from Southeast Asia like the Philippines, a runner would add more of its expenses if he/she would pay for the flight fares of his/her support crew from the country where the runner is coming from. With an average of $1,200 per person, you can add another $4,800 to the total expenses. Merchandise and Souvenirs are not included in Pam Smith’s expenses and I would estimate another $300 for this purpose. International Runners like the Filipinos are fond of having some items for souvenir for the event like, Badwater T-shirts, Caps, Buffs or Stickers. Another thing that was not included is the Uniform T-Shirts/Long-Sleeved Shirts of the Team to include those OSHA gear aka Reflectorized Vests/Shirts and Blinkers. There is also a need to buy, at least, two (2) big Coleman Coolers, if possible, able to fit the core portion of the body of the runner if there is a need to submerge his/her body with ice water, to bring down the body temperature of the runner.

So, there you go! If you have any plan to join in one of the future editions of the Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon, you better start saving now or have a plan where to source your logistics and financial support. Good luck!

The Cost of Badwater

Every big ultra has its critics these days, and Badwater is no different. However, if you pay attention, almost all of the Badwater criticism comes from those outside the event; those who have participated are full of appreciation and praise. I am a cynic by nature and I admit there was plenty to make me skeptical as well. However, after participating in the race, I, too am a convert and you will only hear me say good things. That being said, the indisputable fact is that Badwater is a VERY expensive race and if this race is on your bucket list you might need to start saving a few years in advance!

Here is a breakdown of my costs. I believe I spent significantly less than the average person, but there are a few places which I noted below where you could shave off a few more dollars.

Badwater entry fee – $1500. This is probably the most criticized thing about Badwater – a $1500 entry  fee and they don’t even have aid stations! This starts to make a little more sense when you are there when it finally dawns on you that Death Valley is really the middle of NOWHERE and there are no locals to help out, meaning many people have to be put up in hotels. There are a few niceties offered to runners, such as a cottage room in Panamint and a post race dinner for everyone. I will say the race had more officials for monitoring and safety on course than any race I have ever been at. Race officials found me three times to try to help me with my tracker (not entirely successful, but still appreciated) and I used the cottage room and footcare available at Panamint. Yes, the race is for profit and I am sure the RD gets a decent wage from the race, but this is now fairly commonplace in ultra running. The price is steep, but the only way around this is to pledge to raise $7500 for charity.

Crew Travel: $1200. Standard practice at Badwater is for the runner to pay entirely for the crew. This includes travel, lodging and hotels. My pacer Dennis and I drove from Oregon and crew chief Jimmy drove from L.A, significantly cutting travel costs. I paid $660 for my sister’s flight and $515 for my other pacers flight. It was worth every penny to have them there with me, but if you want to keep crew costs down, stick with three crew members instead of four and find crew that doesn’t have to fly to get to Death Valley. (Update: Others have noted “standard practice” is to pay for crew once they get to Death Valley but for crew to pay their own travel. That would certainly mitigate expenses.)

Van: $750. I rented a van for a week for $525. I was a little taken aback when the person picking up the van added the $30/day insurance; however, this ended up being a good thing as we spilled dirty water in the van and it stunk to high heaven when we were done with it. The crew also reported there were a lot of places that it was easy to open doors into rocks. Anyway, we probably could’ve gotten by without the insurance, but it was nice to know we didn’t have to worry about anything we did to it while racing.

Hotels: $1900. I had two hotel rooms for two nights in Furnace Creek and two rooms for two nights in Lone Pine, plus one extra night while traveling. Both places outside of Furnace Creek, we stayed at Best Western, which has air-conditioning (about half the hotels in Lone Pine don’t – your crew will thank you for the AC!) and a free breakfast (decreased food costs!). I got 10% off with my Costco card. I paid $127 in Fallon, NV and $141 x 4 in Lone Pine, both of which seemed reasonable. Furnace Creek  is where you will pay an arm and a leg – nearly $300 per night per room – and anyone looking to save money should think about staying elsewhere and driving to the Sunday race briefing and the Monday night time start.  I had my crew come in Sunday, which worked out fine in the end, but most people arrived Saturday which made for a bit more leisure time and less stressful race prep, but certainly adds to the costs, especially if that means more nights in Furnace Creek.

Gas- $500. This was 6 tanks of gas to and from Oregon, plus three tanks of gas for the van to and from LA and during the race.

Food – $500; Groceries -$150. A huge chunk of this was a $190 crew dinner on Sunday at the nicest place in Furnace Creek. On the bright side my crew didn’t do much drinking and they weren’t into dessert. 😉 I brought a lot of groceries from Oregon and several crew members traveled with food, which meant we had snacks and race food covered.

Ice- $138. That’s 200 pounds of cube ice plus two frozen water jugs. Be prepared to be gouged on the ice pricing in Panamint (and severely limited) but every place else was reasonable and plentiful.

Race Items and Supplies – $120. This is where I spent nearly nothing but you could easily rack up big bills here. Driving from Oregon meant I could bring things like coolers, sunscreen, towels, chairs, and spray bottles from home instead of buying when I got there. Critical gear includes: calf sleeves, arm sleeves, a high coverage hat, ice bandanas, and full protection sunglasses but I already owned all those things (and actually didn’t pay for any of them originally either!). I also wore clear glasses for most of the second night but I used a free pair of protective eye goggles I got from the hospital where I work. I did not buy any of the “add-ons” offered by the race, such as signs or crew shirts, nor did I have any matching team shirts for my crew (they have to be in OSHA gear anyway, so not like anyone really sees them on race day!). Next time (yes, I said that!) I will buy better OSHA gear because I borrowed and skimped and we should’ve had a little higher quality stuff. I did buy 8 red blinky lights ($28) and 10 “Biffy bags” ($25) (cheaper online than through the race) as required, plus one OSHA vest ($8), and an umbrella ($14). I was able to borrow coolers and water jugs from a local race as well as a crew member and only bought one extra large cooler at Walmart for $60.

Total: ~$6,800. That’s a hefty price tag for a single race! (Now think about the ten time finishers or Marshall Ulrich and his 23 Badwater starts – yikes!). As one friend and excellent Badwater candidate told me, “I’d much rather vacation in Europe for that kind of money.” It’s hard to argue with that, and as such, a lot of top runners will never be on the starting line of this race. However, there’s a reason this is an iconic race and it was definitely a unique and special experience.

Badwater Check-In & Merchandise Sale

2018 Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon Experience (Part 2)

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Places to Run, Race Results, Races, Running, Sports Program, Travel, Ultra Marathon, Ultra Running, UltramarathonLeave a comment

2018 Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon Experience (Part 2)

Pahrump To Furnace Creek

I was surprised to see that Pahrump had been developed to a larger community of Commercial establishments and residences as compared when I first passed by at this place 10 years ago. This town is 60 miles away from Furnace Creek and it is about 50-minute to 1-hour drive. The scenery of the desert and mountains changed as we entered nearer to the Death Valley Park. Since it is mandatory for the Badwater 135 runners to purchase a Permit or Adventure Pass to stay at Death Valley Park, we have to stop in an unmanned Kiosk along the Highway and purchase the $30 Permit Pass which Tess Leono had to show to the BW staff during her Registration at Furnace Creek Registration Area. Since the place is unmanned Kiosk, you need to have a Credit/Debit Card to purchase the said Permit Pass.

Death Valley Park Kiosk For Permit Pass

From this point, you could see all around you the different colors of the rocks and mountains which I was not able to appreciate during my previous trips in this area. Five miles from Furnace Creek, on your left, you could see a large Parking Area which is the trailhead of the famous Zabriskie Point, a tourist spot in the area. However, at this period in the year with the high temperature in the area, it is very risky to hike on these spots. It was later in the day when I found out that these mountain and rocks around us were popular shooting locations of Hollywood’s Cowboy Films when I was still a child, starring Richard Widmark, William Holden and Marlon Brando in their younger days.

Zabriskie Point (Photo From Google)

Finally, we reached the Furnace Creek Inn Resort which is the only Hotel establishment that you can see at the intersection of Highway 190 and the Road to the Badwater Basin. It is located on the right of the Highway. The place is now called the Oasis At Death Valley which has a Resort, Ranch and Golf Course! This is the first place where runners should go for their Registration, Body Shots/Picture with Race Bib, Group Picture of the Runner’s Team, Expo For Merchandise Items for Sale , and where to meet the other Runners for the first time.

Furnace Inn Resort/Oasis Of Death Valley (Photo From Google)

At The Furnace Creek

There was a long line of Runners and their Support Crew when we entered to the Lobby of the Resort. There was a need to Fill-Up some forms for the whole Team and wait in line before we were told to proceed at the Registration Area, which is the Ground Floor of the Resort. The Registration and Plate Number of our Support Vehicle were also needed. After Tess submitted all the required forms and documents, we were led to the Pictorial Area where Tess “Mugshot” was taken as well as the Group Picture of Team Leono. The next step is more interesting…Shopping for the Badwater Merchandise! Badwater Rules and Regulations is very strict that we need to have Category 3 Reflectorized Outfit for the Support Crew. As compared to Category 2 Vest, the Category 3 Vest has Reflectorized bands on the sleeves. It is only the Runner/Participant who have the option to use any kind of reflectorized vest during the race.

Tess Leono’s Pictorials
Catra Corbett & Her Book

I had a chance to greet my friend, Catra Corbett, who was at the Pictorial Area promoting her newly published book and I was able to buy a copy of her book with an autograph. One of our Support Crew was able to buy also her book and had some pictorial with her. From here it was time for us to look for our accommodation which was reserved by Tess.

Furnace Creek Inn Lobby (Photo From Google)

One mile from the Oasis At Death Valley along Highway 190, is where our room/accommodation is located. It is called the Furnace Creek Ranch, simply called “The Ranch”! The entry road to the establishment is beside a Gasoline Station (the only one at Furnace Creek!) and a road further down along the Highway is the entry to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center where the Digital Thermometer is located. After our Check-In at The Ranch, we finally have the comfort of our bed in an Air Conditioned room. The room is a heaven for us knowing that the outside temperature was 120 degrees Fahrenheit and it was still going up later in the afternoon. The Ranch consists of rows of two-store buildings with rooms and we were designated to stay at Building 6, first floor. The rooms are designated from 500-900, of which I really don’t know if the establishment has that 400+ rooms in the said place. From afar, you could not see the buildings as this patch or portion of the Furnace Creek is the only green and vegetated area in the place surrounded with trees and palms. There is a Diner, a Golf Course, and Golf Shop/General Store where we can buy some groceries and ice, but with a higher price for obvious reasons.

Furnace Creek Ranch Palm Trees
The View From Our Room At The Ranch

After we settled in our room with our personal belongings, we went to the Diner to have our late Lunch/early Dinner. It is a walking distance from our Building but we opted to ride in our Support Vehicle because of the heat outside the building.

The Diner is big and according to Tess, it is a new structure in the place. It looks like a huge Cafeteria to me where one has to order his/her choice of food whether its Pizza, Pasta or Hamburger and some packed foods and sliced fruits. There is unlimited serving on drinks/Soda if you paid for the drinks. A Whole Pizza costs $24.00, enough to have 2 slices for the members of the team and Hamburger with French Fries at $13.00 each. The drinks must an additional $3.00 each! After our lunch, we went back to our room and waited for the scheduled Race Briefing at 5:00 PM of Sunday with only the Runner and the Chief Support Crew in attendance at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.

Date Grove Diner @ The Ranch
Inside View Of The Diner

The whole team went to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center where there is a Hall and Seats, which looks like a Stage or a Hall where a Movie/Film could be shown. The rest of the team waited at the Lobby of the Visitor Center where there is a Merchandise Store, Museum, and Reception Area manned by The Park’s Rangers/Management. Tess and I went inside the Hall and the Race Briefing had started already. All the seats were full, some were seated on the floor at the back portion of the Hall and some were just standing on edges of the said Hall. Chris Kostman, the Race Director & Organizer was at the stage infront of a Speaker’s Podium and Microphone. He just barely started as he was relating to the audience about the history of the event and the his story on how he became the Race Director and Organizer.

His briefing progressed with a relax tone with some funny ad-libs to his briefing. He explained the reasons why the Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon Race is considered as the “Toughest World’s Foot Race” as stated by the National Geographic Magazine; writers from Outdoor Magazines around the world, and from other Runners who finished this Race. As he was talking about his mission/objective as the Race Director, he asked the audience if there are Race Directors in the audience and asked them to stand up. Of course, I was one of those who stand up because my BDM 102 is becoming popular to international runners. Until it came to a point when he called the International Runners mentioning their country and letting each runner stand up to be recognized. I cheered, shouted and clapped when Tess Leono and Philippines were mentioned by the RD. He asked the “First-Time” runners to stand up and congratulated them for being selected in this year’s edition of the event. And then asked the “repeaters” of this event to stand up, mentioning how many times they have finished and then asked to sit down until the last one, Marshall Ulrich, remained standing! Yes, he is the Legend of the Badwater 135 for finishing the event for 20 times and winning as Champion in some of the editions, I think, for four or five times!

Race Briefing With RD Chris Costman

He awarded an Award of Recognition to Ray Sanchez who finished the Badwater 135 for 10 consecutive years! Wow! And after the awarding, Ray Sanches was made to say a few words to the audience. This guy is really tough! He got a lot of applause from the audience.

The last part of the briefing is the briefing presentation on the Rules and Regulations of this race. It just a repetition of those R & R that you can read on the event’s website and the regular e-mail that a runner-participant receives from the Race Director.

Some administrative announcements had been made about what establishments along route which will be open at nighttime and early morning where gasoline, water, grocery and additional ice will be available. There are four significant places/locations where these runners’ needs will be available: Furnace Creek Ranch; Stovepipe Wells; Panamint Springs; and Lone Pine.

After the briefing, all the runner-participants were asked to assemble infront of the Digital Thermometer outside the Furnace Creek Visitor Center for the Group Picture. I took this opportunity to take some picture of the runners and talked to some of them.

Group Picture Of Runners

Tess Leono will be starting with the First Wave of Runners at 8:00 PM of Monday, July 23, 2018. We have at least a day, 24 hours, to rest and prepare before going to the Starting Line at Badwater Basin, 17 miles away from Furnace Creek. We should be there before 7:30 PM for the Weighing, Final Briefing and Group Picture.

It’s time to rest and sleep. It will be two (2) very long days ahead of us once the race starts.

To be continued…

2018 Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon Experience (Part 1)

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Pictures, Places to Run, Race Results, Races, Running, Sports Program, Travel, Ultra Marathon, Ultra Running, UltramarathonLeave a comment

2018 Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon Experience (Part 1)

Introduction

I did not have any plans of going to the Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon Race for this year or go thereat to have a visit in the US on the early or middle part of this year. But I was thinking early this year to have my “redemption” run in this year’s Javelina Jundred 100-Mile Endurance Run which is usually held on the last weekend of October.

When Tess Leono was admitted in the lottery for this year’s Badwater 135 last February, I was surprised when she asked me to be her Chief Support Crew in the event, together with some members of Team PAU (Philippine Association of Ultrarunners). I was supposed to be a part of her Support Team in her first time to participate in the event (in 2016) where she finished and unfortunately, I was not able to make it due to more important commitment within the family. Actually, my International Race Schedule had been set as early as January of this year and Crewing for Tess at Badwater 135 Ultramarathon Race was not included as I wanted to return to Arizona, USA for my redemption at the 2018 Javelina Jundred in October of 2018. With her request, I have to adjust my schedule and finances. Having travelled to MIUT in Portugal (and London, Great Britain) in March and then in TNF Lavaredo in Italy in June, it drained a lot from my financial resources/savings and I was hoping that I could save some money for the rest of the year for my October trip to Arizona, USA. Nevertheless, if there is a will, there is always a way to solve problems.

I have known Badwater 135 Ultramarathon Race since I have started blogging, moreso, when I got hooked on ultra marathon. When I thought of creating and organizing the 1st BDM 102, I extensively visited its website and read its rules and regulations. Even if I attempted to provide Aid Stations in every 20 kilometers of the course of BDM 102, I have always returned to its website as my reference. On the 2nd edition edition of BDM 102, I completely copied and implemented the Rules and Regulations of the Badwater 135 to the BDM 102. Thus, it started my interest in this event and I even went to the Badwater Basin to witness the start of the 2009 edition of the event. I made post on this blog about such experience, thereby, seeing my “idols” in ultra marathon in person!

2009 Badwater 135 Champions: Jaimie Donaldson & Jorge Pacheco

It became more interesting when Benjamin Gaetos finished this race in 2013 as the First Filipino Finisher and and then another Filipino based in California, Thomas Zaide, finished it and another Filipino based in New York City, Gerald Tabios, would finish the race, but it was Tess Leono who made an impact and more interest on this event because she was the First Locally-based Filipino and First Female Filipino to finish the race in 2016. In 2017, Franco Soriano, a Filipino based in San Francisco, California finished this race and Gerald Tabios finished his 4th consecutive finish in this event. In summary, only five (5) Filipinos and only one Female/locally based Filipino had finished this race.

This year, it would be another history in the making for Tess Leono to join this prestigious world’s ultra marathon race.

Training & Preparation

I asked Tess if she is interested to ask for the assistance of a Professional Coach and I recommended CTS for her or any of the available Coaching Services Online. She declined my suggestion but she requested me to guide her and assist her in her training. Knowing the training philosophy of CTS, I recommended to her my training schedule with the end goal to prepare herself for the mountain climbs and to improve her performance when she finished this race. I immediately sent her two weeks of training schedule to improve her lactate threshold through hill repeats and endurance runs and I would ask her about her feedback on a daily basis. I was frustrated when she told me that she was doing these runs on a treadmill. I can not blame her since she has an office job and some trips abroad to attend to as she had deadlines from her superiors. One time, I invited her for actual “hill repeats” in my Playground, of which, I was not satisfied with her performance at that time. There was still time for her to improve and I asked her to visit my Playground regularly or on a weekly-basis. Unfortunately, that single visit to my Playground to run and train was not repeated. As months, weeks and days passed by, I would see her in my PAU Events as one of the participants and I would see in her FB posts that she had LSDs and “heat training” in Metro Manila on holidays and on weekends. From what I saw on her performance in my PAU Races for the past months, I was confident that she will be able to finish this yea’s edition of Badwater 135 Ultramarathon.

My Playground
Female Champion Tess Leono In A PAU Race Weeks Prior To BW135

Badwater 135 Team Leono

The Team Leono was organized after Tess Leono got the word from the Race Director Chris Kostman, through a Live Broadcast on Facebook, that she was able to get in in this year’s edition. I was requested as the Chief Crew and Pacer; Khris as Assistant Crew and Pacer; Jasper as the Medic Crew being a Registered Nurse; and Madam Rowena as the Assistant Driver. All of the members of the team are Licensed Drivers but I was the only one who had been in the area, Death Valley Park, for so many times. However, it was evident that I would be the Main Driver of the Support Vehicle from Las Vegas to the event’s site (up to Mt Witney Portal) and then back to Las Vegas.

Way back in Manila when we had a chance to meet in informal gatherings, Tess would advise us on some tips on how to be a Support Crew at the Badwater 135 and we have the impression that it was almost the same with what our Support Crew are doing in most of my PAU Races, most specially on those 100K and longer distances. However, during our arrival at the Death Valley Park a day before the start of the event, we realized that a special attention must be given to our runner, considering the extreme heat in the area. Fine tuning on how we would be able to support our runner was finalized on the day we arrived and stayed at Furnace Creek Ranch.

Sunday (AM) July 22, 2018

The team left Las Vegas at about 9:30 in the morning and I was the driver using my old GPS Navigation System for my Car whenever I am in the US. Our Support Vehicle was a Chevrolet Mini-Van and took a few seconds to orient myself and know the controls, specially the Hand Brake which is actually a Foot Brake for this particular vehicle. I had a mistake of setting the Automatic Transmission to Drive not realizing that the Foot Brake was still engaged. That was my Lesson #1 for this Mini-Van; Lesson #2 was the Air-Con control; and Lesson #3 was on how to make the Automatic Transmission Control to Manual (which I learned on the steep downhill drive on our trip back to Las Vegas after the event).

With everything complete on our administrative and logistical needs in our Support Vehicles (Ice Coolers, Stove, Food, Water, and some Ice) for the event, we left Las Vegas with a happy mood but with a little nervous feeling knowing the extreme heat weather forecast to the place we were heading.

We had our late breakfast/brunch in one of the Taco Bell branches on the commercial establishments located along the Blue Diamond Highway which leads us directly to the Furnace Creek Resort Hotel. Our first activity once we reach Furnace Creek, which is 110 miles west of Las Vegas (2-hour easy driving trip), is the Check-In and Registration of Participants.

Brunch @ Taco Bell Along Blue Diamond Highway, Las Vegas

To be continued….

 

2018 Badwater 135: Official Press Release From Death Valley National Park

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Race Results, Races, Running, Sports Program, Travel, Ultra MarathonLeave a comment

While I am still writing a full description of my 2018 Badwater 135-Mile Ultra Marathon Experience as the Chief Crew & Pacer of Ms Tess Leono, I would like to repost this article taken from the BADWATER Facebook Page. My story about my experience will be divided into parts and every detail of the story will be a description of what happened during the event from my own perspective.

Official Press Release from Death Valley National Park

World’s Hardest Foot Race Gets a Little Hotter

DEATH VALLEY, CA – On July 23-25, ninety-nine of the world’s toughest long-distance runners participated in the legendary Badwater 135. Even by Death Valley’s standards, this year’s ultramarathon was hot.

The annual summer race is widely recognized as “the world’s toughest foot race.” Extreme athletes from 22 countries and 22 American states faced off in a grueling 135-mile non-stop run from Death Valley National Park to Whitney Portal, CA in scorching temperatures.

With the hottest start line temperatures yet recorded (118⁰F), the racers began at Badwater in Death Valley National Park in three waves at 8:00pm, 9:30pm, and 11:00pm on Monday, July 23. It remained over 110⁰F through much of the first night of the race, eventually dropping to 95⁰F just before the sun came up and temperatures climbed up to 127⁰F.

With that brutal first night behind them, many runners struggled to meet the first time cut-off at mile 50.5, located approximately halfway up Towne Pass. Beaten down by the heat all night, which was also unusually humid, many were forced to stop to cool off in their support vehicles and were experiencing stomach issues and more.

As the new day began, the racers were climbing the 17-mile-long, 5,000-foot ascent of Towne Pass, as temperatures climbed to 127⁰F, setting a Death Valley temperature record for the date. The 135-mile race route includes three mountain ascents (Towne Pass, Father Crowley, and Whitney Portal), totaling 14,600 feet of elevation gain.

Twenty-two of 32 women and 47 of 67 men finished the race and earned an honorary belt buckle. This year’s winner, Michele Graglia, finished in 24:51 hours. The fastest woman was Brenda Guajardo, finishing in 28:23 hours. Sixty-two-year-old Pamela Chapman-Markle set a record in the women’s 60+ age group for the third year in a row with a time of 34:30.

Thirty of the 99 competitors were not able to finish the race this year, the lowest completion rate in the 41-year history of the event. This high “did not finish” (DNF) rate was likely due to the unusually high temperatures.

The vast majority of those who withdrew were veterans of the race and yet they still succumbed to the challenges of the course and the conditions. Notable “DNFers” included 2015 and 2016 champion Pete Kostelnick and 20-time finisher and four-time champion Marshall Ulrich.

“I’ve never seen such an astonishing number of withdrawals from the race. It was heartbreaking to see these incredible gladiators forced to withdraw from the race due to time cut-offs or because they succumbed to the incredible challenge of the race course and the extra brutal weather unleashed by Mother Nature,” commented Race Director Chris Kostman, who has helmed the race since 2000. “Of course, this race is widely known as ‘the world’s toughest foot race’ and the athletes intentionally come to Death Valley to compete during the hottest part of the year. They, and their personal support teams which leapfrog along the course to provide aid to the runners, know what they signed up for and they relish the challenge, even if they meet with DNF. In fact, seeing so many incredible athletes having to withdraw only underscores how fortunate and life-changing it is to actually finish the Badwater 135,” he continued.

Resting Before Towne Pass

Official Result: 3rd Mariveles To Bagac 50K Ultra Run

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Race Results, Races, Running, Sports Program, Travel, Ultra Marathon, Ultra Running, Ultramarathon1 Comment

3rd Mariveles To Bagac 50K Ultra Marathon Race (BDM Km 0 To Km 0)

Start: 4:00 AM July 8, 2018 @ Bataan Death March Shrine, Mariveles, Bataan

Finish: 2:00 PM July 8, 2018 @ Bataan Death March Kilometer Post #0, Bagac, Bataan

Cut-Off Time: 10 Hours

Number of Starters: 15

Number of Finishers: 15

Percentage Of Finish: 100%

Group Picture @ Starting Line

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RANK       NAME              TIME (Hrs)

  1. Anselmo Cruz Jr (Champion, Course Record)—4:43:11
  2. Ralph Louie Jacinto (1st Runner-Up, Overall)—6:22:41
  3. Christopher Tagara (2nd Runner-Up, Overall)—6:38:15
  4. Tess Leono (Champion, Female)—6:45:41
  5. Mharvin Benamir—7:15:49
  6. Vanessa Grace Reyes (Female)—7:18:32
  7. Leonard Cruz—7:41:40
  8. Rod Losabia—7:42:52
  9. Michael Fajota—7:53:27
  10. Vicente “Blue” Zapanta—7:54:50
  11. Michael Maribojoc—7:55:01
  12. Mick De Jesus—8:14:03
  13. Mel Valerio—8:31:58
  14. Victor Sales—8:32:03
  15. Brady Leandoc—8:33:43
Podium Finishers (L-R: Christopher, Anselmo, Ralph Louie)
Female Champion Tess Leono
1st Runner-Up Female Vanessa Grace Reyes

Congratulations To All The Finishers!

Official Result: 12th Tagaytay To Nasugbu 50K Ultra Marathon Race (T2N 50)

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Race Results, Races, Running, Sports Program, Travel, Ultra Marathon, Ultra Running, Ultramarathon1 Comment

12th Tagaytay To Nasugbu 50K Ultra Marathon Race (T2N 50K)

4:00 AM To 1:00 PM May 6, 2018

Picnic Grove, Tagaytay City To PETRON Gas Station, Nasugbu, Batangas

Cut-Off Time: 9 Hours

Number Of Starters: 172 Runners

Number Of Finishers: 161 Runners

Percentage Of Finish: 93.60%

12th Tagaytay To Nasugbu 50K

RANK         NAME              TIME (Hrs)

  1. Jeffrey Orolfo Galicio (Overall Champion) — 3:56:23
  2. Thomas Combisen (1st Runner-Up, Overall) — 4:25:56
  3. Ronnel Valero (2nd Runner-Up, Overall) — 4:25:58
  4. Roland Lucban — 4:39:30
  5. Sherwin Bargo — 4:59:11
  6. Isaias Tonog II — 4:59:50
  7. James Cabaluma — 4:59:55
  8. Roldan Luzara — 5:01:19
  9. Isaias Tonog — 5:12:54
  10. Enrico Flavid — 5:17:14
  11. Angelino Tapan — 5:19:33
  12. Rexie Liwag — 5:21:41
  13. Runner Concepcion — 5:25:13
  14. Christopher Dela Cruz — 5:26:39
  15. Edizer Marasigan — 5:34:06
  16. Jaime Pace — 5:34:09
  17. Tim Subahani — 5:37:52
  18. Ralph Loiue Jacinto — 5:39:23
  19. Raymond De Pano — 5:43:48
  20. Rovel Gonzalvo — 5:46:02
  21. Criselda Balicas (Champion, Female) — 5:46:09
  22. Meliton Carag — 5:51:49
  23. Dan Pastorfide — 5:57:59
  24. Richard Gano — 5:59:17
  25. Gerald Cavosora — 5:59:48
  26. Remelito Brion — 5:59:54
  27. Rommel Santiago — 6:00:46
  28. Johnzel Irlandez — 6:02:47
  29. Kevin Luna — 6:03:05
  30. Gina Factura (1st Runner-Up, Female) — 6:03:56
  31. Emman Sabdao — 6:04:36
  32. Bryan Christopher Anoran — 6:05:55
  33. Alla Uy — 6:06:04
  34. Oca Velasco — 6:06:21
  35. Efren Olpindo — 6:06:46
  36. Janice Reyes (2nd Runner-Up, Female) — 6:08:18
  37. Cibo Malvar — 6:15:13
  38. Annie Paloma Cruz (Female) — 6:15:39
  39. Christian Villalobos — 6:17:51
  40. Jayann Carlo Mauricio — 6:18:40
  41. Sandy Alentajan — 6:18:50
  42. Tess Leono (Female) — 6:19:49
  43. Glenn Rosales — 6:21:37
  44. Jun Briones — 6:24:19
  45. Jethro Lee De Ocampo — 6:26:55
  46. Martin Jude Lacambra — 6:32:42
  47. Edison Dantes — 6:34:22
  48. Danilo Filarca — 6:37:23
  49. Emerson Zalameda — 6:37:47
  50. JP Navarette — 6:39:32
  51. David Andrew Leido — 6:42:50
  52. Rhymond Bagus — 6:44:17
  53. Miguel Lazaro — 6:45:39
  54. Reque Angway — 6:45:59
  55. Joanna Bantayan (Female) — 6:47:36
  56. Joy Bea (Female) — 6:48:19
  57. Robert Selecios — 6:49:19
  58. Jenneth Soriano (Female) — 6:50:49
  59. Elcid Pangilinan — 6:56:30
  60. Arild Egay — 6:57:13
  61. Mark Lavin — 6:57:55
  62. Danny Nad — 6:58:17
  63. Michael Jove — 6:58:21
  64. Felisisimo Gura Jr — 6:58:25
  65. Dixie Sagusay (Female) — 6:59:07
  66. Granwel Aguila — 6:59:30
  67. Franky Von Crisostomo — 6:59:51
  68. Marlon Jove — 7:00:49
  69. Jerard Asperin — 7:02:09
  70. Roderick Castro — 7:02:37
  71. Carolyn Mariano (Female) — 7:02:38
  72. Noriel Alcantara — 7:04:02
  73. Ruel Niala — 7:04:33
  74. Ruel Rios — 7:04:49
  75. Kathleen Piñero (Female) — 7:07:04
  76. Goldenboy Herrera — 7:07:31
  77. Junmar Que — 7:07:54
  78. Ian Torres — 7:09:10
  79. Rex Villafuerte — 7:09:43
  80. Liezel Monido (Female) — 7:19:14
  81. Roy Allan Pusing — 7:19:22
  82. Mark Sidamon — 7:19:27
  83. Bryan Chester Selisana — 7:20:15
  84. Glen Balais — 7:20:27
  85. Winjun Cullanag — 7:21:36
  86. Sherman Manuel — 7:21:46
  87. Mark Paraiso — 7:22:16
  88. Brabjef Morales — 7:23:05
  89. Waldin Hernandez — 7:23:08
  90. Richard Loresca — 7:23:12
  91. Avin Sauler — 7:23:22
  92. Mandoy Cariaga — 7:25:26
  93. Gary Garcia — 7:25:37
  94. Joy Frances Monsanio (Female) — 7:25:43
  95. Rosuello Roselito — 7:27:31
  96. Danilo Navarro — 7:29:22
  97. Ryan Bagaloyos — 7:29:47
  98. Ma. Mercedez Castro (Female) — 7:30:58
  99. Kelvin Dela Torre — 7:31:25
  100. Larry Olaguir — 7:33:50
  101. Kelly Castro — 7:35:16
  102. Raul Pobre — 7:36:02
  103. Oliver Galanto — 7:36:54
  104. Aaron Valinton — 7:37:03
  105. Earl Louis Saez — 7:37:25
  106. Beth Castro (Female) — 7:37:51
  107. Adrian Tendilla — 7:38:27
  108. Joselito Aquino — 7:39:57
  109. Erika Batac (Female) — 7:40:21
  110. Junior Bombasi — 7:41:10
  111. John Gabriel Daos — 7:42:58
  112. Aga Angsioco — 7:43:23
  113. Lester Acha — 7:44:14
  114. Aris De Leon — 7:45:09
  115. Gen De Leon (Female) — 7:45:11
  116. Goddy Villanueva — 7:46:18
  117. Auden Gomez — 7:46:25
  118. Salve Atie — 7:49:18
  119. Michael  Maribojoc — 7:50:15
  120. Beverlyn Leynes (Female) — 7:51:25
  121. Jeffrey Colitoy — 7:52:31
  122. Mark Lawrence Hizon — 7:53:35
  123. Rita Cruz (Female) — 7:54:09
  124. Josie Escobanez (Female) — 7:55:27
  125. Jonas Olandria — 7:58:34
  126. Jonathan Moleta — 8:01:43
  127. Teresa Generos (Female) — 8:02:19
  128. Arvic Mandawe — 8:02:49
  129. Domindo De Ramos — 8:02:51
  130. Gilbert Garcia — 8:04:42
  131. Elmer Caballes — 8:07:45
  132. Billy Belen — 8:10:22
  133. Michael Peralta — 8:10:46
  134. Mark David Licud — 8:11:36
  135. Ryan Oriondo — 8:15:32
  136. Ale Paez — 8:17:26
  137. Joan Sacas Lapore (Female) — 8:18:11
  138. Anna Odessa (Female) — 8:20:25
  139. Dhanielyn Punzalan (Female) — 8:20:28
  140. Pogs Cunanan — 8:21:47
  141. Nico Enaje — 8:24:37
  142. Art Castro — 8:25:40
  143. Mark Punzalan — 8:25:41
  144. Rheannon Celi (Female) — 8:26:05
  145. Ralph Estardo  — 8:30:15
  146. Gary Atienza — 8:31:37
  147. Ryan Flores — 8:31:42
  148. Ariane Morales (Female) — 8:31:46
  149. Sheila Marie Tiong (Female) — 8:34:13
  150. Jamir Ramor (Female) — 8:34:58
  151. Kim Pinili — 8:35:02
  152. Raizza Videna (Female) — 8:35:44
  153. Nathaniel Caronongan — 8:36:15
  154. Ojet Tobato — 8:36:20
  155. Julius Cesar Lacsa — 8:36:22
  156. Krystian Ty (Female) — 8:37:38
  157. Pinky Bernaldo (Female) — 8:38:03
  158. Rowena Tan (Female) — 8:38:25
  159. Isagani Zuñiga — 8:38:27
  160. Rimberto Del Rosario — 8:38:30
  161. Budz Salvador — 9:00:00 
Overall Champion Jeffrey Orolfo Galicio
Female Champion Criselda Balicas

Congratulations To All The Finishers!

Official Result: 10th Edition Bataan Death March 102K Ultra Marathon Race (BDM 102)

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Race Results, Races, Running, Sports Program, Travel, Ultra Marathon, Ultra Running, Ultramarathon1 Comment

10th Edition (2018) Bataan Death March 102K Ultra Marathon Race (BDM 102)

Start Time & Place: 10:30 PM January 27, 2018 @ BDM Shrine, Mariveles, Bataan

Finish Time & Place: 4:30 PM January 28, 2018 @ Old Railway Station, Barangay Sto. Niño, San Fernando City (Pampanga)

Course Cut-Off Time: 18 Hours (9 Hours @ Km 50)

Number of Starters: 244 Runners

Number of Finishers: 212 Runners

Percentage of Finish: 86.88%

RANK          NAME                 TIME (Hrs)

  1. Desiderio Engbino (Overall Champion)—10:35:30
  2. Edilberto Batiancila (1st Runner-Up, Overall)—10:35:41
  3. Felmer Hiponia (2nd Runner-Up, Overall)—10:40:01
  4. Jon Las Bruce —11:23:34
  5. Thomas Combisen —11:24:45
  6. Ronnel Valero —11:25:01
  7. Herbert Gutierrez —11:45:02
  8. Moses Moreno —11:48:09
  9. Jonathan Bajaro —12:07:37
  10. Bong Dizon —12:08:20
  11. Reynolds Enriquez —12:30:59
  12. Preciousa Sanchez (Female Champion) —12:34:49
  13. Sherwin Bargos —12:46:24
  14. Jonas Nacario —12:50:36
  15. Gil Conanan —12:51:37
  16. Michael Dela Rama —12:57:16
  17. Peter Christopher Illanza —13:02:19
  18. Raffy Barolo —13:05:38
  19. Angelo Rodriguez —13:12:37
  20. Jovencio Luspian —13:19:28
  21. Rex Brillantes —13:28:15
  22. Salvador Sietereales —13:28:23
  23. Raymond Balan —13:53:26
  24. Kevin Luna —14:05:19
  25. Richard Antonio —14:05:48
  26. Jeneth Silvestre (1st Runner-Up, Female) —14:11:23
  27. Desrei Balla —14:16:57
  28. Rene Villafuerte —14:18:11
  29. Aldrin Pallera —14:18:56
  30. Ralph Louie Jacinto —14:20:52
  31. Greggy Galicia —14:21:30
  32. Joseph Lizardo —14:23:39
  33. Simon Pavel Miranda —14:25:32
  34. Jose Napiloy —14:26:34
  35. Wai Thing Law (2nd Runner-Up, Female) —14:35:09
  36. Jonathan Epes Suerte —14:35:31
  37. Kelly Castro —14:38:03
  38. Dante Dela Torre —14:41:09
  39. Remy Caasi (Female) —14:43:38
  40. Alex Bugnos —14:43:57
  41. Monday Klaus Gimeno —14:47:55
  42. Fer De Leon —14:48:56
  43. Gibo Malvar —14:49:45
  44. Oliver Angeles —14:49:53
  45. Meljohn Tezon —14:50:08
  46. Joselito Rosales —14:52:27
  47. Mario Carig —14:53:35
  48. Peter Lloyd Molera —14:54:18
  49. Engelbert Pantig —14:55:41
  50. Khristian Caleon —14:55:54
  51. Rena Serion Manubang (Female) —15:06:12
  52. Rod Losabia —15:10:16
  53. Loben Macairan —15:13:44
  54. Richard Buco —15:14:17
  55. Jess Edmar Guerea —15:14:33
  56. Louie Cotejar —15:14:44
  57. Richard Rantillo —15:16:17
  58. Jim Taguiang —15:18:15
  59. Joel Ibañez —15:19:36
  60. Jovenal Narcise —15:20:08
  61. Anthony Noriel Fodra —15:20:57
  62. Juanito Centino —15:21:44
  63. Peter Canlas —15:23:24
  64. Rogelio Espe —15:24:34
  65. Eric John Galeos —15:26:32
  66. Rogelio Reyes Jr —15:28:03
  67. Roy Simon —15:28:26
  68. Glenn Rosales —15:30:45
  69. Rolan Cera —15:31:07
  70. Aaron Laron —15:31:36
  71. Richard Gamo —15:31:48
  72. Adonis Amoro —15:33:45
  73. Henry Laborde —15:35:19
  74. Renz Bruno —15:36:10
  75. Marilou Ingua (Female) —15:37:19
  76. Elgrace Jazmin (Female) —15:37:32
  77. James Kieven Liong —15:41:16
  78. Manuel Johnson Balancio III —15:41:47
  79. Noel Ade —15:42:44
  80. Domingo Patiño Jr —15:42:59
  81. Gary Mosqueda —15:43:30
  82. Edward Agdamag —15:47:20
  83. Laico Tolentino —15:49:15
  84. Virgilio Diaz Jr —15:57:49
  85. Rone Milan —15:58:20
  86. Jaime Sanchez Jr —15:58:47
  87. Bryan Francia —16:00:00
  88. Tess Leono (Female) —16:00:53
  89. Franz Quiestas —16:05:24
  90. Joemel Rojas —16:05:44
  91. Ricardo Catangay —16:06:00
  92. Hope Jhon Brazil —16:07:45
  93. Raymond Bueno —16:09:56
  94. Ma. Elena Cuario (Female) —16:11:06
  95. Joven Gozum —16:15:20
  96. Rey Timbreza —16:16:14
  97. John Arman Perez —16:20:43
  98. Mark David Elpedes —16:21:57
  99. Inla Diana Salonga (Female) —16:24:07
  100. Margie Pailaga (Female) —16:24:24
  101. Kathleen Piñero (Female) —16:24:31
  102. Bong Anastacio —16:26:02
  103. Anthony Pelera —16:26:43
  104. Brady Yandoc —16:27:03
  105. Jennylee Pascua (Female) —16:29:34
  106. Bien Alcala —16:29:52
  107. Elizer Loquere —16:32:17
  108. Joy Eder (Female) —16:33:03
  109. Nelson Val Caro Jr —16:33:17
  110. Joel Joseph Montilla —16:33:32
  111. Maria Theresa Santos (Female) —16:33:52
  112. Dennis Racho —16:35:16
  113. Michael Socito —16:39:48
  114. Aris De Leon —16:40:51
  115. Jeffrey Furigay —16:40:51
  116. Raymond Tuazon —16:41:30
  117. Marquis Albert Minlay —16:41:59
  118. Christopher Maravilla —16:42:53
  119. Jeneth Soriano (Female) —16:43:05
  120. Homer Paras —16:47:18
  121. Elmer Caballes —16:47:40
  122. Eduardo Magpoc —16:49:05
  123. Joey Alcantara —16:50:22
  124. Che Che Magramo (Female) —16:51:27
  125. JP Navarrete —16:54:18
  126. Rosario Mosca Jr —16:55:03
  127. Abgermel Tayaban —16:56:08
  128. Adelaida Laking (Female)—16:57:00
  129. Earl Louis Saez —16:57:25
  130. Romeo Canda —16:57:51
  131. Alnie Amoro —17:00:34
  132. Vladimer Quetua —17:01:20
  133. Oliver Salas —17:03:14
  134. Bernadette Aguirre (Female) —17:03:44
  135. Faustino Quiocho —17:05:48
  136. Ivan Lu —17:06:13
  137. Prances Autor —17:06:39
  138. Audie Tolentino —17:06:59
  139. Manuel Remandaban —17:07:29
  140. Eric Salazar —17:08:14
  141. Rimberto Del Rosario —17:08:30
  142. Leonora Ealdana (Female)—17:08:47
  143. Jun Ramirez —17:09:05
  144. Mary Jo-anne Lim (Female) —17:09:23
  145. Rodolfo De Ocampo Jr —17:09:37
  146. Anne Rose Paras (Female) —17:09:55
  147. Cecilia Lalisan (Female) —17:10:21
  148. Maila Bautista (Female) —17:10:49
  149. Hendricks Gonzales —17:11:18
  150. Jun Galita —17:11:44
  151. Yulo Andrew Patone —17:12:01
  152. Elmar Bob Tolete —17:12:16
  153. Josephine Amoguis (Female) —17:12:30
  154. Kharl Ocampo —17:12:57
  155. Marlon Saracho —17:13:33
  156. Bingky Musngi (Female) —17:14:26
  157. Paolo Tiong —17:14:42
  158. Gamaliel Tayao —17:14:59
  159. Oliver Cavinta —17:15:11
  160. Ann Sweat (Female) —17:15:32
  161. Michael Sacluti —17:16:06
  162. Roderick Salih —17:17:27
  163. Christopher Saavedra —17:17:37
  164. Alexer Resurrection —17:18:15
  165. Florie Bartolome (Female) —17:22:31
  166. Pia Ballesteros (Female) —17:22:32
  167. Rasette Pesuelo (Female) —17:22:48
  168. Efren Olpindo —17:23:12
  169. Beverly Andal (Female) —17:23:25
  170. Queenie Villanueva (Female) —17:23:45
  171. Alvin Alcantara —17:24:40
  172. Arianne Ortega (Female) —17:24:56
  173. Arnold Pagaran —17:25:10
  174. Yang Wai Yee —17:25:27
  175. Albert Joseph Carreon —17:25:34
  176. Jesus Arevalo —17:25:53
  177. Jeffrey Velasco —17:26:07
  178. Marjohn Presbitero —17:26:23
  179. Marilou Ruanes (Female) —17:27:05
  180. John Wilfred Saraza —17:28:18
  181. Markrinello Sarical —17:28:27
  182. Marissa Lim (Female) —17:29:09
  183. Jessibel Casamis (Female) —17:29:21
  184. Victor Rodriguez —17:29:39
  185. Ma. Naomi Tan (Female) —17:29:47
  186. Jonas Olandria —17:30:14
  187. Mark Hernandez —17:30:36
  188. Mandoy Cariaga —17:32:07
  189. Ramil Dumantay —17:33:14
  190. Juan Crisanto Cunanan —17:34:35
  191. Florydette Cuales (Female) —17:36:31
  192. Jose Mari Mercado —17:36:49
  193. Carl Vincent Mano —17:37:46
  194. Michael Peralta —17:38:03
  195. Edwin Dalusog —17:38:17
  196. Joselito San Diego —17:38:29
  197. John Robas —17:38:53
  198. Abegaile Par (Female)—17:39:27
  199. Alipio Narciso —17:39:58
  200. Rodrigo Quillan —17:41:22
  201. Mark Leonard Partoza —17:42:34
  202. Aldwin Palomo —17:43:15
  203. Rona Carandang (Female) —17:45:50
  204. Miles Evangelista (Female) —17:46:04
  205. Fritz Erwin Fernandez —17:46:38
  206. Christine De Guzman (Female) —17:47:03
  207. Angelica Paz (Female) —17:47:27
  208. Ariane Al Legarte —17:48:29
  209. Quennee Roseanne Mamano (Female) —17:48:59
  210. Clarissa Calingasan (Female) —17:49:26
  211. Joseph Nebrida —17:49:53
  212. Katrina Marie Cruz (Female) —17:56:13

Congratulations To All The Finishers!!!

2019 QUALIFYING RACE

Things You Should Know About BDM 102 Ultra Marathon Race

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Races, Running, Sports Program, Travel, Ultra Marathon, Ultra Running, Ultramarathon1 Comment

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

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

2017: Year-End Review On Pinoy Ultra Runners & PAU Runners

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Races, Running, Sports Program, Trail Running, Travel, Ultra Marathon, Ultra Running, Ultramarathon1 Comment

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:

  1. Jag Lanante: The First and Only Filipino who have finished the Honkong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4UTC) in less than 60 hours this year.
  2. Gerald Tabios: The First and Only Filipino to have finished the Badwater 135-Mile Ultra Marathon Race for Three Consecutive Years (2015, 2016, & 2017).
  3. Rolando Espina: The First and Only Filipino who have finished the Spartathlon Ultra Marathon Race in Greece for Two Consecutive Years (2016 & 2017).
  4. 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.
  5. Paul Encarnacion—Based in Maryland, USA, he finished the Massanutten 100 in Virginia, USA and Eco Trail Madrid 80K in Spain.
  6. 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.
  7. Mon Beleno & Jerome Bautista—Finisher of the 2017 The North Face LAVAREDO 120K Ultra Trail Race in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy.
  8. Jerome Lagumbay, Rodney Cabahug, Rex Gonzales, & Jovenal Narcise—Finishers of the 2017 Tarawera 100K Ultra Trail Race in New Zealand.
  9. Edmund Cura—Finisher of CCC 102K (UTMB)
  10. Sandi Menchi Abahan & Aldean Philip Lim—Finisher of TDS 121K (UTMB)
  11. Hermogines Olvis; Miguel Carranza; & Majo Liao—Finishers of UTMB 170K.
  12. Henry Laron—The Only Filipino Finisher in the 2017 San Diego 100-Mile Endurance Run (Solo Category).
  13. 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.
  14. Wilnar Iglesia—Finisher of the Penang Eco 100K; Mesastila Trail Challenge 100K and other Ultra Trail Races in the Asia Trail Master Series.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. Bong Dizon, Rolan Cera, Fer De Leon, & Jon Borbon—Finishers of the PAU’s 200+K Road Grand Slam Ultra Marathon Series for 2017.
  20. Thomas Combisen, Gibo Malvar, and Salvador Sietereales—Candidates for the PAU’s 100-Mile Road & Trail Grand Slam Ultra Marathon Series for 2017.
  21. 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.