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July 16, 2019

ULO NG APO MARATHON: Basag na Tuhod


"Basag na tuhod!"

A fellow runner blurted out to me as we crossed paths along the rolling hills into the  Iram resettlement area. With a lithe built and long legs,  he looked like a veteran runner that eats long distance runs for breakfast, but the use of these words and the exasperated tone of his voice belied the image.  The marathon course had defeated him and only a sliver of his pride was keeping him from quitting the race.     At that point in the backroads of Iram settlement area, we still had roughly 10 kilometers to  go before we finished the full 42 kms .  He then added - "Parang Ultra ito. Hindi marathon." Such was the rigorous affair that is the Ulo ng Apo Marathon.  It inspired dread and respect among majority of its marathon participants. Save for a sprinkling of elite runners, many did find the route very challenging.





How could it not?  A look at the elevation profile produced by my Garmin after the run could vividly give you a flavor.   Elevation gain is a total of 2,884 feet.  It is like running up and down  a 500-ft hill four times.     

"Buti ka nga kuya, ngayon lang. Ako , sa umpisa pa lang ng takbo sa SM Olongapo, basag na tuhod ko." - Actually, I could have retorted this answer to the runner in Iram. For indeed, at the starting line of the marathon, my right knee was not a 100%.  Far from it.  It was  bandaged with kinesiology tape, the only relief I could give it.  Six  weeks before July 14, I slipped after taking a shower and injured my right knee.  A visit to a doctor specialist and a couple of physical therapy sessions have not yet mended the knee. I still could not run consistently for a kilometer without the pain in the right knee acting up. Because of this, there were lingering doubts as to whether I should proceed with the Ulo ng Apo Marathon.

But come the weekend of the race, I decided to push thru with running the marathon. The stubborn and stupid runner  in me cobbled up a couple of reasons. First, the registration fee is paid for already. No refund in races. Second, this is an opportunity to bag my 18th province in my quixotic quest to run a marathon or ultra in all provinces in the Philippines.  After getting my 17th province (Tarlac) in May with the TP50, the province of Zambales, where the city of Olongapo is located, was next.

The Ulo ng Apo Marathon had a cutoff time of 8 hours for the 42kms.  Calculating the numbers figured that as long as I don't go slower than 11 mins per kilometer, I should have a comfy 18 minutes to spare before I get cut off from the official list of marathon finishers.  Just doing brisk walking will not be enough.  I need to do it with a combination of 40% jog and 60% walk per kilometer.

That was my strategy but the strategy was  for a flat course. I did not know at the start of the Ulo ng Apo Marathon that this is a marathon with a handful of uphells. Lesson learned for me here. Always know the battlefield before the battle.  Given such a sour development, one has to adopt in the heat of battle.

Good thing, the organizers of this event, an outfit called JRUN Events, deployed pacers for several target time(s).  A pacer helps you to finish a race in a specific time and the pacer's job is to set and maintain a space.  And in my Ulo ng Apo Marathon experience, the pacers did more than that. With their bright yellow balloons, the pacers served as beacon(s) of hope. As long as I am able to run  ahead of the pacer with the sweeper target time and run within shouting distance of the sweeper with the 7:30 target time, there was hope that I will be able to finish the full marathon before the 8-hr cut off time.



Using the pacers as my beacons - that was the revised strategy. And execution happened liked clockwork. The first 5 kilometers of the race, I was with the sweeper pacer. But beyond it, I  had the 7:30 target time sweeper within my sight all the time.    With less than 9 kilometers to go, I still had 2 hours to finish the 42-km course.  With the confidence knowing that the strategy was working, I received an adrenaline boost that had me and my trusty Altra Paradigm overtaking the 7:30 target time pacer. Pretty soon, with 5 kms to go, I was in step with the sweeper with the 6:30 target time. But soon, she accelerated her run knowing that she was actually behind her target pace.  I could not keep up with her and prudence dictated that I refrain from going after her so as not to risk further injury. I decided to coast along the last 4 kms.


Crossing the finish line in front of SM Olongapo Downtown, I saw my fellow row5runner Ernie welcome me with a big smile.  I checked on my Garmin and the time read 7 hours  3 minutes &  41 seconds. With that time confirmation,  my face had a big smile too.



 









Photo credits:    JRUN Events           

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