April 2020: QuaRUNtine

It's a wrap, April!

Never really thought about doing some crazy stuff during the ECQ, but on the 3rd week of lockdown I got really fed up with Netflix. I tried running on our roof deck, around a really small loop measuring less than 20 meters, or about the same size as the loop you make if you run around your car. The transition was never seamless and the first run was horribly boring. Tried it again two days later and found some sort of a sweet spot. April came, and it was time to level up. After my third try I covered 10K so I thought I could do at least a half marathon easily. For added motivation, I challenged my friends to do a home quarantine ultra... Jacob accepted, Tito Bo and Kotz Ney were quiet but I knew they would do it because I saw their Strava logs doing trial runs. Rex? No brainer - he does crazy stuff all the time. Now it became a goal to at least finish an ultra at home within 12 hours.

Fast forward April 4th. Prepped up the aid station. Yes, there was an aid station complete with a cooler, bottles of coke, candies, bread, and water. Watched Unbreakable on youtube before hitting the sack to somehow boost my confidence, well I did nothing really. D-day. waited for the sun to come up so I could start and played Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack on my phone, and went off at 5:59 AM. After more than 2500 laps around that miserable concrete micro loop, I called it a day. I covered 50.62 kilometers in 10 hours. Lost some weight, gained some mana foor my mojo and of course some painful sunburns. That was probably the craziest thing I did.

Check out my 20-meter loop

Aid station

cloudless day

Accidentally saved my activity at about 15K so I had to start a new track.

I actually swore I will not visit the roof deck again for some time. But I spoke too soon. Two days later I was up there again doing crazy loops.

Logged a total of 176.03 kilometers total on my roof deck this month. Not even close to my usual
 monthly mileage. Maayo nalang kaysa mag tiktok ko. 😂

Lockdown is depressing? Au contraire! But I might need to see a shrink soon. And facebook will remind me of this pointless feat every year. 😂😂

CTR Dirtbag Of The Week Special Quarantine Edition: RD Richard Anania

The stage is set for what could be the most beautiful Trail Ultra in the Visayas region... but this pesky Corona Virus came and dimmed it's shine - multiple times in a span of 2 months. Alicia Ultra 2020 is the brainchild of one of Bohol's pioneers in trail running, Richard "Chardee" Anania. Nope, this is not about the race, so save your whining later. Let's get to know the RD a little bit.

Chardee has always been a student of adventure, and just recently became a full-time adventurer after leaving the corporate world. Ever heard of Bohol Trail Adventure? That's him, too. An avid outdoors-man who craves big challenges and has this weird thirst for pain. He got a taste of both when he signed up for Columbia Eco Run Pinatubo in 2012, his first 12K trail run, just to get 50% discount on Columbia products. The rest is history.

It is almost automatic to consider all race directors to be badass runners themselves, well I heard there are few of them who can't even check a box (myself included) but that's none of my business. Chardee is probably the best example of an RD who has been there and done that. Check his CV and I'll hold your jaw. He has done trail races with distances ranging from marathon distance to 100K. This includes last year's Mt. Apo Vertical race 100K, Cordillera Mountain Ultra in 2017, TNF 50K, Mt. Pack Ultra, Rizal Mountain Run in 2017, Mt. Talinis Ultra, MusPo 50K, TMMT 100K and the TMBT 100K in Malaysia and many more. Oh and we can't just skip CM50 which he completed five times, making him one of only a handful of "Baddest Ass" awardees. It's pretty obvious this is his favorite race. Well, he also told me CM50 is not just an ordinary 50-miler because it always brings out the grit you knew you had in you but could not quite reach it easily in any other races. Whatever that means.

But it isn't just his resume that makes him an awesome RD. Chardee's hands-on approach to his races and his seemingly unending search for "something new" adds to his mojo. And nobody hates him. True story.

Fun facts:

Chardee...

- is an Ahon athlete... and he sell Ahon mercs too.

- is a chapsuey runner... Salomoon vests, Hoka shoes, T8 shorts and underwear, Petzl headlamp

- is not big on structured nutritional plan. As long as rice is available, he'll survive.
- already set his crosshairs on KOTM H1, but Covid... 

- idolizes Kilian, Walmsley, Meux and the 50 Miles expert himself, Jacob Ong

Well that is all I can squeeze from this lanky race director. I'm not sure why he is reluctant to share more, but I respect that. I should probably start a podcast so I can get you all to open up. Heh! 

CTR Dirtbag Of The Week (W7): Jomil Rollon

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. 

CTR Dirtbag Of The Week (W6): Arneil John Mercado

He showed up at Bagsakan in Pamutan to join one of the recon runs for the first Fatass trail run some five years ago, and just decided he wanted to be a badass ultra trail runner. True story. AJ "Wawa" Mercado runs as part of a very serious weight loss program - because he was dared to lose some weight in exchange for one whole lechon. Nothing more... well, that's before he stumbled upon a very inspiring video of Kilian Jornet on Youtube, "This. I want to do this!": his exact words after watching that video. Then started to take trail running a bit more seriously. Like, two H1 finishes and 4 CM50 finishes, serious.

While others are busy racking miles and religiously covering hours-on-foot on weekends, AJ runs 10K's and half marathons at local fun runs. Yes, you seldom see him out on the trails on weekends, and he spends most of his free time at the gym strength training or some yoga session. That's it - no dates, no clubbing. That's about the most SINGLE lifestyle you'll ever hear. Well, aside from investing in Salomon trail running gears because he has no one to buy a gift for, or go out on a date with. Sorry, friend. He is a fast road runner which can be credited to his ever growing obsession to chase people. He is one of those who always makes a race out of a small backyard event. Competitive is an understatement.

There is no question why AJ picks races in the north as his personal favorites. For him, the best trails are found in the Cordilleras, and the north in general. In fact, he did H1 three times already just to have an excuse to travel to Kayapa and socialize. He finds joy in rubbing elbows with the country's hardcores. By the way, CTR folks call him "Friend". Self-explanatory. Not to say he stays in the friend zone for too long and actually believe he has no Asshole bone in him, no. He loves being single and friendly. There. Kidding aside, he considers H1 2018 as his most challenging race. His feet was already riddled with coin-sized blisters before tackling the last big climb to Mt. Ugo and was on the verge of giving up and no one is there to push him since he had no pacer. Facetime came in handy! After that, it was the longest 18K hike of his life. Well, maybe longer since H1 is more that 160K.

AJ's work ethics is rather crazy. Check his strava logs and see why. His off-season log looks like he got hospitalized or something. Almost zero! And during the months leading to a big race, it's all green... in most days, he logs multiple runs in a day! Much like his training, his race day antics are also kind of eccentric. He does this weird 8-10K warm up run hours before the start of the race. No hard-boiled eggs, only gel, tailwind and nuun for nutrition. He relies heavily on his pre-race snack... half a gallon of ice cream!

His journey from a really heavy teen to the young  and buff software developer friend we know now is truly inspiring. Apart from his curly locks (only a miracle can straighten that), he managed to turn everything around by putting in the time and effort.

CTR Dirtbag Of The Week (W5): Marquem Jay Mondido

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.   

   

CTR Dirtbag Of The Week (W4): Lyra Valles

You probably haven't heard of this event called Pamutan Multi-day Trail Ultra A.K.A. The 5 Trails challenge until today. Yes, there is such a thing, and our featured dirtbag of the week is one of only two runners crazy enough to complete it (they were both women, by the way). Her name is Mandreza Lyra Valles. An ALS (Alternative Learning System) instructional manager for an NGO, and a full time outdoor sports junkie. And probably the friendliest trail runner in the community. Well, aside from AJ of course. 

Her path to trail running is something most of us can relate to. A hardcore mountaineer for almost 20 years who also does road runs for conditioning - typical you and me, right? Nope. She does road ultras after successfully hitting the summit of some of the biggest mountains in the country! One of her most notable crazy feats is being part of the group who did 7 marathons in 7 days, 7/42. And that's adding AWUM in the equation, less than a week after. Kalasa ug congrats oi. But seriously, who wakes up early 7 days in a row... and run a marathon every day? Oh and, they added 1 more day the following year making it 8/42!

Manay Lyra's transition to trail running was seamless and she went to out to slay a beast named TNF 100 in the same year for a respectable 8th place finish... not bad for her first trail race. From 2013 to present Ta-Lyr has already racked in a number big finishes here and abroad, including the prestigious BDM road ultra and the Badass badge at CM50. She was not spared from painful DNFs though, but she makes up for it by bouncing back strong. Really strong.

Manay is one of those who deliberately deletes 'off-season' from their vocabulary. Although she admits she does not have a specific training plan in place, you can always find her training with some of the fastest runners in Cebu. She even added another discipline to her already full activity schedule: OCR. That's after tasting mud last year competing in the Spartan race at Foressa. This ball of energy finished many more OCR events within just a couple of years - Spartan Trifecta, Ultra Beast, Hurricane Heat 24 hours, to name a few. And some podium finishes too.

Her race calendar nowadays looks pretty similar to the Spartan race calendar, with Spartan Hurricane Heat 12 hours in Sarawak Malaysia at the very top of it, but as we scroll down a big race is still italicized... her unfinished business, Pulag 100. 

Lyra is no doubt a pioneer of the sport. The first to learn from the pillars of trail running in Cebu, Nap Dela Torre and Meux Cordova. The perfect Padawan who went on to share her knowledge in trail and ultra running and mountaineering... even applying them to OCR. She paved the way and served as the inspiration to many of our female trail running champions. On many these milestones, Lyra wore her Fenix 3, but she's yet to figure out how to actually use it. No kidding. Ok, that's unnecessary but that really cracks us up every time. Sorry Manay. Lyra is a true "Lamang bukid", always out there either as a racer or a volunteer. 

CTR Dirtbag Of The Week (W3): Rex Gonzales

Idol : /ˈīdl/ - noun - A person greatly admired and revered by many.

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

CTR Dirtbag Of The Week (W2): Meux Cordova

This is Laz... half of his soul resides in Cebu, and is lodged in Muex's brain.

There are masters and then there are Masters with a gift of bloodhound-like terrestrial navigation, and an insatiable thirst for pain - usually directed to himself. "Usually" because we get dragged to his hellhole sometimes. His name is Romeo III Cordova AKA Master Meux. IT Dev Manager by trade, a slightly mad trail overlord by choice.

He first tried trail running in 2010, and he never looked back since. He says the thrill of the trails got him hooked. Like most of us he craved for more and locked his sights on longer trail races. Two years after his first trail run, he joined TNF Philippines 100K in Baguio City in 2012, his first trail ultra, and his favorite race. He was surrounded by like-minded people and he learned a lot. That was the exact date when his brain started morphing, slowly gaining resemblance to Mr. Lake's. Warning: it's best for us to avoid encouraging him, or else we might be opening a can of worms (Fatass trail run - exhibit A). Meux is the first Cebuano to complete the K400 series (Mt. Pack Ultra [50K] + Four Lakes 100K + Pulag 100K + H1 [100 miles]). KOTM's brutal series of trail races summing up to over 400 kilometers of beautiful trails in the Cordillera region.  

Master Meux might not be the pioneer of the sport in Cebu but a great number of trail addicts already regard him as Cebu's Father of Trail Running. He is the man behind Cebu Trail Challenge Series, the first race director and the person responsible for the nasty but beautiful routes of what is now known as the Pamutan Trailfest. He is also the brain behind that sadistic ego-provoking monster of a trail run called Cebu Fatass Trail Run, a free race designed to, well, break you and make you quit just moments after the start. He is obviously used to challenges but he says none compares to the demon he faced called H1 or the Hardcore 100 Miles. He loaded himself with more than enough physical and mental strength to defeat this beast. And defeat it, he did... twice!

Unlike most of us, he doesn't have a specific trail running idol. Although one can tell from his off-season activity, gravel biking, that he is a Krupicka fan - he still wont admit it. Meux is also strict on his gear preference. He only wears shoes with Vibram outsole and only uses headlamps with brightness index of over 300 lumens. 

Asked about his Strava log, he says it's very erratic, but he always  sticks to his training rule - distance is important but time-on-feet is important-er. Meux's raceday nutrition is quite hard to do as he is fat-fueled. He follows a specific diet plan months leading up to raceday to get himself adapted to fat.

His second H1 buckle

Meux is currently preparing for two races, DaSal 2019 in Davao this coming November and MGU - Gaoligong by UTMB in China in Feb 2020. How he decided to sign up for these races surely involved alcohol, Cervesa Negra to be specific.

Lazarus Cordova, born and raised in the Queen City of the South, an accomplished trail runner, mildly sadistic race director, and an awesome outdoorsman who never fails to remind us to always have fun and enjoy the thrill... although he has a different definition of thrill.     

CTR Dirtbag Of The Week (W1): Rowell Paner

Rowell Paner - Lutopan, Toledo City, Cebu

This Abu Dhabi-based bisdak recently completed one of the [adjective, adjective, adjective] trail races in the world, the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc - TDS! Tough race, but Ruh-well (Rowell) is tougher, four adjectives in fact - he's a bisdak, what do you expect? He qualified for TDS by completing Oman by UTMB - another super technical off-road ultra, which also turned out to be his favorite race so far. 

Although his impressive CV says otherwise, Rowell does not consider himself a veteran of the sport since he only started trail running in 2016, and his first trail race was, you guessed it, Pamutan Marathon. He was one of those who only wanted to try trail running but eventually dropped everything else and shifted the crosshairs to even bigger trail races. 

Asked about his training plan, he says he is not really as strava-religious as many of us but he makes sure he does quality road runs every other day and on weekends, he travels 3-4 hours to the nearest trails and spend quality vert and mileage out in the wild. And he consistently follows this routine even if he is not preparing for a race. (It is wise to take note of that part, but first you have to get out of bed and lace up!) We know he is a Lutopan, Toledo City native, that's already a pedigree as it is the home of many Cebuano ultra champs, but the work he puts in despite being a busy OFW is nothing short of amazing. 

His raceday nutrition plan is simple. He eats. A lot. His go-to food in the pack is actually anything GU-branded. Chews, gels, tabs, cookies. But he only grabs them in between stations, if at all... and he's not really a gel guy - he prefers bringing a ziplock bag and grab some food from the station than carrying a lot of these stuff. Big climb require big calories, he says. His weapons of choice are nothing fancy. He wears Saucony trail shoes and Salomon GTX Ultra. He goes for anything that actually works for him. It's not the pana, it's the injan!

Rowell is now setting his eyes on Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail (119K), part of the Ultra Trail World Tour series, which will take place on Oct 19-20, 2019 in Turkey, and Oman by UTMB in November 2019. 

 *Uploading video....

  

Welp... I guess I'm Back

Last race posted: about Pulag 100 2015. Since then I had been in hibernation - not from races, but from posting corny stuff here. ;P

Missed Timeline:

Dec 2015 (Last post) to present... major races I can recall. I missed some races in between but they're probably some "blah" races so, yeah, no biggie.


- Jul. 14, 2019 : MusPo Trail Run 2019 - Muddy 50K. Perstaym in Maramag and Valencia, Bukidnon. Love it!
- May 17, 2019 : Hardcore Hundred Miles 2019 - 100 Miles - Revenge is sweet. Finally slayed the the toughest KOTM dragon.
- Mar. 10, 2019 : Cordillera Mountain Ultra 2019 50K - Beautiful place! Blah race.
- Mar. 9, 2019 : Cordillera Mountain Ultra 2019 Vertical Kilometer - My first VK race and it wasn't pretty. Zone 5 all the way to the top!
- Feb. 2, 2019 : 7/11 Run 2019. Road Marathon. Better that CCM, but still blah.
- Jan. 12, 2019 : CCM 2019. Road (Half) Marathon. Blah
- Nov. 26, 2018 : CM50 2019 - Second serving of the famous Clark to Miyamit falls 50-mile race. Still one of the best  in the country.
- Oct. 7, 2018 : Mt. Talinis Mountain Marathon 2018 - Well, it was half road, half technical trail course. No comment.
- Apr. 21, 2018 : Mt. Sky and Vertical Race 2018 - DNF at Colan. Probably the scariest race I joined. A real firefight between the AFP and rebels right at at the race course! Race was cut short.
- Mar. 4, 2018 : Ultrahamster Run 2018 - Mt. Kolo edition
- Feb. 10 2018 : TAPP Trail Run 2018 - Dajon kamo! Very nice trails at TAPP
- Jan. 21, 2018 : Mount Ugo Marathon 2018 - 42K Trail race at Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. It was my wife's race actually and my second serving of the shortest race of the KOTM series.
- Dec. 30, 2017 : Mt. Mago Trail Run 2017 - 30K Semi-OAB Trail race with Mt. Mago as the turning point. You basically touched 3 territories in Cebu once you hit the Mago peak, Danao, Tuburan and Carmen.
- Oct. 19, 2017 : Salomon X-trail Run 2017 - Trail Half Mary, and I mean purely trail 21K! Held at Foressa Park.
- Oct. 7, 2017 : Cebu Fatass Trail Run 2017 - 50K.... DNF. My first Fatass DNF. I quit!
- Aug. 19, 2017 : Bogo to Cebu 100K Ultra - 100K Road Ultra. Blah.
- May 18, 2017 : Hardcore Hundred Miles 2017 - 100 Miles... DNF at 125K. My K300 dream crumbled.
- Mar. 31, 2017 : Four Lakes 100K - 2nd race of the KOTM 2017 series. I loved Talmoy!
- Feb. 19, 2017 : Mt. Ugo Marathon 2017 : 1st race of the KOTM 2017 series. Start of my K300 dream journey.
- Feb. 5, 2017 : Ultrahamster Run 2017 : My first RD gig. Fun.
- Jan. 8, 2017 : CCM 2017 - my nth CCM
- Dec. 11, 2016 : Baybay City Marathon 2016 - the first ever marathon in my home town! Fun!
- Oct. 15, 2016 : Cebu Fatass Trail Run 2016 - my 3rd Fatass race. Co-champion. Always fun!
- May 20, 2016 : Pulag 100K - my second serving of the dreaded P1 trail ultra... nailed it!
- Jan. 10, 2016 : CCM 2016 - another CCM.