Bicolano Penguin: BAGUIO MARATHON 2025: My 53rd Marathon and then some...

"It takes a village..."

The phrase "It takes a village" is said to be based on an African proverb. The phrase captures a simple reality in life - We cannot live our life alone. One way or the other, one's accomplishments, however minor or major, are often the result of support from many. It takes the work of many to get things done. In the words of the Australian journalist Henry Melville - "Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results."

The Bicolano Penguin (BP) was mumbling the phrase "It takes a village" as the BP trudged under the blazing noontime sun thru the last remaining meters of a 42,195-meter long distance event that started in the early morning hours (4am) of March 9. Each step was painful for me but purposive. The purpose of each step was for the BP to cross the finish line of the 2025 Baguio Marathon within the cut off finish time of 9 hours.

With the grace of God and with the invaluable help of a couple of indefatigable sweepers, the BP survived the full marathon with a time of 8 hours & 37 minutes. The 333rd runner out of 333 finishers. The last runner but more importantly, finishing within the cut off finish time of 9 hours.

With this finish, BP received a special trophy from the generous race director Stephen Lopez Felices Bahaghari . The special award is "Last Man Standing." Depending on one's point of view, this could be a source of fame or a source of notoriety. Nevertheless, the BP graciously and shamelessly received the trophy. One should count one's blessings anyway we can.

The BP receiveing the "Last Man Standing" Trophy from Race Director Stephen Bahaghari

The blessings for the BP in this long distance running odyssey ( 15 years and counting) are both beautiful and bountiful. The 2025 Baguio Marathon is the 53rd long distance running event (42kms and above) that the BP has conquered and/or survived. In the process, the BP has had the good fortune of visiting and running a marathon or ultra in 29 provinces, as of the latest count.

29 provinces that the BP has successfully ran a full marathon and ultra: Ilocos Norte, Ifugao, Benguet, Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Northern Samar, Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Misamis Occidental, Davao del Sur, & South Cotabato.

In all these more than 2,695 kilometers of running (and counting), one realization for the BP is that success would not have been possible without the help of fellow runners. This sports of running is paradoxical. Running is an individual sport but at its heart, it's actually a community sports. This is true in the provinces in the Philippines from up north in Ilocos Norte to down south in South Cotabto. This is true all over the world, from Australia to Zimbabwe. Take a look at a Linkedin post of Tara Kapur, an award-winning marketer (Netflix & Duolingo) from India who happens to be an avid runner (over 30 half marathons, 3 full marys and 3 ultras, and that was in 2021):

"Running is an individual sport, but there's an entire support system that helps ypu succeed. There's your coach or mentor wo guides you, your running buddies who join you on ll those training runs, your physiotherapist who gets out all the aches and pains, and of course, your friends and family rooting you on and willing you to succeed. At the end of the day, you will run the rce on your own merit, but it would be impossible to get there without an army around you."

An army around a runner. Indeed, the BP have had plenty experience of this support army. Take my latest full mary - the 2025 Baguio Marathon. Being in the Cordillera mountains, this is a challenging course, particularly for lowlanders like the BP. It featured an out-and-back route, starting at Camp John Hay in Baguio down via Philex Road to the town of Tuba then U-turn and back up to Camp John Hay via the same road. The elevation gain is about 800 meters on thin mountain air. The first half, mostly downhill, of the 42 kms was relatively a breeze for me. But the 2nd half of the 42 kms was a different story. The BP had to use trekking poles to labor up back from the town of Tuba to Baguio. Even the trekking poles were not enough for me. That is where the pair of volunteer sweepers came in at the time I needed them most. They are Edeliza Demot (a public school teacher in La Trinidad) and Ave Cayat (a staff of the Benguet provincial LGU).

BP's pace and elevation profile at the 2025 Bagui Marathon. Productive in the downhill, struggling in the uphill.

1st half of the Baguio Marathon for the BP and Mangyan Runner was all smile.

Suffering at the uphill part of the Baguio Marathon

Like a Guardian Angel, sweeper Edeliza kept watch and gave company to the BP.

BP's official time. 333rd out of 333 runners

The BP enjoying the stage with sweepers Ave and Edeliza together with the Race Director Stephen.

BP resting among the pine trees of Camp John Hay with the finisher medal and special award.

The BP with Ateneo de Naga high school classmate Bob and La Consolacion grade school classmate Ruvill enjoying post-race lunch at the local eatery outside Camp John Hay.

At the 23 km mark, while I was sputtering like an old Volkswagen running out of gas, these pair came to the rescue and guided me up the uphill terrain. They kept me company on that lonely uphill road for more than 5 hours untill I finished the 42 kms. That is dedication on the part of Edeliza and Ave. Without the two, most likely, I would not have crossed the finish line within the 9-hr cut off time. Without the two, the BP would not have been able to survive the 53rd marathon.

Prior to the 2025 Baguio Marathon, Edeliza and Ave are strangers to me. But they have proven to be modern day Good Samaritans in helping me in my running struggles on the road back to Baguio. Their helpful spirit captures the essence of running as a community sport.

In all my 15 years of running long distance events, I have felt a deep sense of community among runners. There is the willingness to help each other. There is the desire to help each other succeed. There is the comradery of shared experience. In all candor, I have enjoyed running marathons and ultras as long as I have because of the running community.