Vicente Caurez, oldest Mayon Trail Run participant at 73
Three and a half hours into the race, Vicente Caurez of Los Baños, Laguna, the oldest participant in the Mayon Trail Run at 73 years old was already feeling the heat of the sun beating down on him, cooled himself with water that he rubbed on his face, neck and arms as he passed much younger participants, many of which were already exhausted and walking. “It was punishing. Nakakapagod (tiresome) but I just have to keep on running,” he said. He just came from the turning point at the top of the lava front at Bonga Gulley.
The Mayon Trail Run, now on its third year, is billed as the Philippines’s toughest 21K trail race was held last Sunday, 24 October with about 250 registered participants. There was also a 5K fun run. The route started at Peñaranda Park, wound its way to Estanza, an uphill climb where runners start to hit the trail before going down the road again and run to Ligñon Hill, one of the toughest route to beat. They have to pass and crawl inside the Japanese Tunnel, go up the Kapit Tuko trail, a brief but very steep climb over a ladder. From there, it’s all downhill crossing the Yawa River. Yawa, by the way, is Bicolano for devil before following Bonga Gulley.
Kenyan Philip Ronoh clinched the top spot at 1 hour 37 minutes
At the trailhead, they have to climb up the lava front, one of the spectacular and quite surreal landscapes of big volcanic rocks that go all the way up the crater of Mt. Mayon. From there, they head back to Ligñon Hill via the same river route for the finish line. However, before they get to the top, runners have to negotiate the last 900 meters through the humbling Wisdom Trail, a very steep incline where many runners were known to curse and give up.
Philip Ronoh, the 24 year old Kenyan who clinched first place overall, clocking at an astonishing 1 hour and 37 minutes, liked the race very much. It was his first time to join the Mayon Trail Run, his fifth trail race which includes the Mt. Kinabalu International Climbathon in Malaysia. “The terrain is quite good and, importantly, varied: roads, steep trails, river, gulley track, boulders…, a nice race to train, build muscles and develop endurance for longer races and at the same time have fun with wonderful sceneries.
John Nino Monte, 16 years old, had his first trail run at the MTR
“Napakaganda. Mahirap pero kayang kaya,” (Very beautiful. Difficult but manageable), says John Niño Monte, a 16 year old student at Ateneo de Naga University who is from Iriga City, Camarines Sur and a member of the Team BKOOL Runners composed of young road hitters. It was his third 21K and his first trail race.
“Expect the unexpected. “Di mo alam kung ano ang mangyayari” (You don’t know what will happen), he added. For this budding marathoner, he plans to do the 42K next year, seeing Team Bald Runner and some elite racers was enough motivation for him to go the extra mile.
Merlita Arias-Dunkin came for her 3rd MTR
For Merlita Arias-Dunkin, 36 years old, the holder of the Philippine record at the Mt. Kinabalu International Climbathon and champion in various trail races in the country including the two Mayon Trail Runs, wasn’t so lucky. “Di lang jud ni para ako ron” (This is just not for me this time), she says in Cebuano, looking back as she finished 5th place in the women’s division clocking at 2 hours 26 minutes.
A week ago, she was champion in the Columbia Trail Masters Duathlon and said that she was still recovering from the punishing mountain biking part of that race. But she enthuses: “I really like it here. Not only the very hospitable and very accommodating people, not only for the very challenging trails, but more importantly, it is because of beautiful Mt. Mayon. I will definitely come back next year.”
The Mayon Trail Run is organized by the Junior Chamber International – Legazpi Chapter with Yves Yu as race director.
I'm Estan Cabigas, a freelance photographer blogger and traveler. I just started to seriously run last 2 March 2010 and for the past few months, I've improved greatly in my running as well as lost pounds in the process. I'm gunning for a full marathon by 2011. I shoot races as well.
My flagellant image is Editor's Choice in the National Geographic Magazine May 2010 issue.
