BisdakSole: When did you start running trails?
Jomil: Only weeks before my first trail race, Salomon Xtrail Cebu Leg, in October 2017.
He is technically a newbie to trail running.
His name is Jomil Rollon. A Patent Engineer and speed demon. Only two years in the trail running scene but already creating huge ripples by consistently grabbing podium spots race after race after race. Second place finish in Sugat Trail Run 2018; 25K Champion at Mt. Talinis Marathon 2018; 3rd place at TAPP Trail Run2019; 2nd at last year's MagMa Trail Run 30K; and capping off his 2019 season by winning MagMa Trail Run 2019 30K. Makes you think if he really is a newbie. Well if you followed his Strava feed, it's not surprising at all. His off-season log looks like some regular dude's marathon program, plus some cycling and hiking on the side. You can just imagine how that would quickly escalate when he starts training for a trail running race.
Jomil's passion for the outdoors is his biggest asset, and his mountaineering background proved to be a great fit to his new found sport. He talked about having more fun tackling varied terrains, fresh air and even touched the topic of hand-feet-eye coordination, when he was asked about the things he liked about trail running - that really excites our interest since if you must know, Jomil is color blind. Something most of us consider a handicap since in trail races the course is marked with bright-colored ribbons and signs. How he managed to navigate is nothing short of mind-blowing. He has always been a fast runner on the road. He won the Lexmark Dash three years in a row, not to say he bullied his way to the podium - he also had some tough competition, the likes of 2017 Pamutan Marathon Champ, Peri Pevida, and duathlon superstar, Rey Carulasan.
In spite all the accolades Jomil remained somewhat invisible. He chose to remain low key and let his results do the talking for him. But for some reason, his Strava posts after a race contained about 300 words each describing his experience and some sort of a race review. A complete contrast to his quiet disposition but still maintaining humility, nonetheless. Like the in most recent race he won, MagMa Trail Run 30K, where he said he was just happy to arrive a bit earlier than the 2nd runner; and the longest trail race he's done, Impasugong Ridge Marathon, explaining how he tripped over some concealed rocks and his cramps episodes. There were no excuses, though. He is human, he had some rough patches in his races. But he never forgets the "having fun" part of the race. Our champion says he wants to help promote trail running as means to release stress, at the same time raise environmental awareness.
Jomil is one of those really gifted individuals if we talk about his diet and nutrition plan. He eats a lot but is as slim as a mint twig. Although he has this cult-like ritual of drinking pineapple juice every single night to flush out, in his words "excess matter", one can argue he has a nasty choice of pre-race food - from pizza to pancit and pancit with bread... and pasta... and pasta with bread. You can't help but wonder where all those calories get stored. His race day nutrition is pretty basic: you guessed it, Carb-loading like there's no tomorrow! Unlike his Gung Ho approach on nutrition, he is pretty picky when it comes to his choice of weapons. He traded his hydration vest for a more minimalistic gear which is capable of storing all the mandatory items. The T8 Sherpa Shorts. Never races without his compression socks paired with his Salomon SLab Ultra SG.
It has been a great couple of years for our podium grabber and he is looking forward to 2020 as he sets his crosshairs on even bigger races, like the CMU in Benguet and Alicia Ultra, and of course, after missing 2 consecutive years - The Pamutan Trailfest.
