Blogger’s Note:
There is an old saying that “Lightning never
strikes the same place twice.” This saying was on my mind on the night of
August 16 as I texted Race Director Rodell Mendoza informing him that the
Bicolano Penguin would again be unable to run the QUMAR 70Km ultra. It happened in 2013 (due to
an injury) and it is happening in 2014
(due to a sick family member). Bullshit
that old saying. It is a myth. I felt bad doing a DNR (did not run) on an
ultra marathon close to a history afficionado’s heart as it celebrates the
greatness of one of our country’s beloved presidents.Good thing my fellow 83neans Bob Castilla and
Ernie Badong, together with newfound running friend Mark Hernandez, decided to
push thru, intent on representing Row5Runnin (when you put on the shirt, you
become the shirt). In this adventure,
they were ably supported by Naomi and
Orly. Here is a brief yet sweet account by Mark.
Blogger’s Note:
This is an article by my Ateneo de Naga HS
Batch 1983 batchmate and friend, Bitoy, who has worked abroad in a handful of Southeast Asian
countries, most notably Singapore and Vietnam. The two of us were rowmates (by
virtue of our diminutive stature) and
classmates (by virtue of our family names) in our section LG-4 in our first
year in high school. Back then, the
intrams name of our section was “Desiderata” and reading thru this article of
Bitoy, one cannot help but think that he is living the spirit of the timeless poem by Max Ehrmann. He continues to
go after for things that he desires in his own silent yet efficient way (he is
an engineer after all). He may not be
loud but his actions speak louder.
With his survival of the 2nd Bedok Reservoir Ultramarathon last August 16, Bitoy is the very first 83nean to
have conquered an ultra abroad.
Mention the word ‘Paradigm” and
one conjures up the idea of a “paradigm shift” which, as defined by Oxford, means a fundamental change in approach.
Since 2012, I have harboured the
desire to run an ultra marathon each in the Visayas and Mindanao.
“THE ESSENTIAL SHEEHAN” is
turning out to be a treasure trove of running concepts and running experiences. On page 113, I discovered an intriguing idea. The idea of a third wind.
