We call him "Aydol" for a reason. Don't let his soft infectious smile and cheerful demeanor fool you. He is Rex Gonzales and he is the most badass ultra trail runner in the island.
Before locking his sights on trail running, he was one of the pioneers in Cebu's ultra-running scene, and has been a consistent podium finisher in local road ultras. A member of Danao City's Team Laspag - a group of really hardcore long distance running enthusiasts. Rex first tasted dirt and mud in 2014 when he joined TNF 100 in Baguio City. He can still recall how he almost cried because it was not what he expected - he thought it was ridiculous to call it trail running when all they did was hike... but it hurt like hell. This experience is enough for a sane runner to say 'no mas'... Rex is no ordinary runner. Nor is he perfectly sane. He craved for more pain. "Ganahan jud ko masakitan ba hehehe" - his exact words. That, and his fascination for beautiful scenery, the absence of pollution and the degree of difficulty (he actually means the possibility of getting badly hurt) kept him tethered to the sport.
While he keeps everything very low key, evidenced by his Strava log that he intentionally set to private, he actually likes to share his playground in Danao. In fact, when he was asked to direct a fun run to raise funds for the renovation of Manghilao Church (Pedro Calungsod Parish), he offered his beautiful practice routes. MagMa Trail Run was born. His pride and joy.
Rex is arguably the most decorated trail runner in Cebu. One of the first to finish the KOTM's K300 series and a Hardcore Hundred Miles (H1) Hall Of Fame candidate. Under his belt are countless local trail and road races, with distances ranging from marathon to hundred-milers, and even a 280-KM road race! International races are also in the menu - Tarawera 100 (NZ); Old Ghost 100 (NZ); and of course, one of the toughest trail race in the world, the Northburn 100 Miles, his favorite race. He is a real student of the sport who values serious preparation over applause in social media. Somewhat in contrast to his running heroes, Anton Krupicka and Tim Olson, but they have similar work ethics.
His weapons of choice is kind of pricey to be honest. The armory looks more like a Salomon outlet than an actual normal-person closet - a couple of S/lab Skin vests here, [many] pairs of S/lab wings and ultra shoes there; Black Diamond Storm headlamp is his go-to light source (I know he wants a 500-lumen spec). These things may cost so much but he says his wife Malou and his mini-me Raine supports him all the way and approves his purchases. His race day nutrition is really simple - it consists of solid food... served at the stations.
It's hard to tell when his off-season starts since his calendar is always full. But you get clues like weekly wanbats sessions and frequent shady invites to try his new dish - it still means wanbats, he's a great cook by the way. But these activities are currently on hold because he still has a couple of big races this year, DaSal in Davao and his 4th serving of the badass race, CM50 in Clark. He also has big plans for 2020... he wants to do the Northburn 100 Miles again, UTMF and H1. Big races this down to earth Radiologic Technologist can definitely handle.
"Dagan lang gyud ta ug enjoy, dol. Kung ma finish, maayo. Kung dili, plano ta ug usab unya study kung asa ta nag kuwang." - Aydol
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