I'm sure you've heard his battle story before - the runner who badly sprained his ankle early in the race and still managed to snatch 4th place, limping his way to the finish line of this year's Pamutan Trailfest. Only a handful can pull this off. Kinda like Jurek at Hardrock in 2007. The grit: different level, so don't get any ideas - he is a seasoned athlete. Marquem Jay Mondido started his journey to the dark side two years ago at the manicured trails of Foressa in Balamban, Cebu. He fell in love... with the sport. It is worth noting that this dirtbag is still single and is probably planning marry Spartan Trail someday. Yes, he is in a relationship with Spartan Trail. True story.
He carries a very impressive resume for an up-and-comer, with strong finishes in some of the toughest trail races in Visayas and Mindanao, with Pamutan Trailfest 2019 as his favorite and tagged as one of the most challenging in his list. Marquem's signature blue top - black short shorts combo has conquered Mapawa Trail 50 2018 (his first ultra) placing 6th in a very stacked field, and Puncak Tanawan and Mt. Talinis Marathon on Negros, 3rd and 2nd respectively, Torrent FKT Muspo Trail Run in Bukidnon, 2nd place. Our local trail races are in his hit list too. He placed third in Sugat Trail run in Minglanilla, and shared a 3rd place finish with his teammate Christian Opone at MagMa last year. This young Field Service Engineer has yet to taste trail ultras longer than 60KM but he made sure he does his progression perfectly. No backlogs. Paying attention to details, from nutrition to his choice of trail running gears. His 2018 CV is an amazing 75% top 10 finishes and 75% of those are podium finishes.
Marquem is big believer of "if it's not on strava, it didn't happen". That explains his workout log... off-season and race season looks exactly the same. But if you look closely, you'll spot the slightest difference - the number of #SMR poses on each workout. On a more serious note, he is one dedicated Goat and a determined athlete. Type-A personality some say, with symptoms that include uncontrollable urge to break all existing FKTs around Pamutan; consistent podium finishes in almost all races he signed up; and obsession to all things Kilian Jornet, even occasionally yells Allez! Allez! for no reason.
Though Marquem is still new to the sport, he already made an indelible mark in the community. Just this year he was chosen as Salomon's go-to person in Cebu for their community activities. He is also a member of Cebu's alpha trail running group, CMG (Cebu Mountain Goats), the first group to ever apply auditing skills to plogging.
His most recent injury kept him from racing recently but he is almost back to 100% race-ready. We can only imagine the anxiety. MagMa Trail Run 2019 will be his come back event. Some people lose their appetite for training as soon as injury hits them. Not Marquem. His will is as loud as his snore! Kidding. He finds pleasure in self-improvement, a trait he shares with the greats. Even his happy disposition can be mistaken as complacency, exactly the opposite of what's burning inside him. There is just no quit in his blood.
No comments:
Post a Comment