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The people over at Condura—specifically Ton Concepcion—are currently planning for Condura Run 2010.  (Isn’t it great to know that they’re starting this early?) They want to hear your thoughts on these points:  (Go ahead and submit your answers as a comment below)

1.  When do you want Condura Run 2010 to be held?  JANUARY 17 or MARCH 7?

Update as of May 28…Other blogs may have announced Jan. 17 as final race date. Please disregard those announcements. According to Ton Concepcion, “the final confirmation whether the run will be on Jan 17 or March will depend on the survey being done by The Bull Runner…The final announcement on the final date will be made by The Bull Runner.”

2.  Your Wishlist for Condura Run

“If we were told that we could run only one marathon in our lifetime, Big Sur would have to be it.”

– Bart Yasso, Runner’s World

Last April 26, 2009, several Filipino runners made it to one of the most beautiful marathons in the world (as noted in Runner’s World): The Big Sur International Marathon (BSIM).  On its website, the course is described as “point to point, moderately difficult, with live entertainment on the course. Featuring rolling hills, Big Sur is the largest rural marathon in the world, winding through redwoods, paralleling ranches, and offering stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.”  I can smell the sea, already.

– Photo courtesy of Dr. Peter –

These friends have since returned to share their amazing stories about their marathons (and make us die of envy at the same time)…

Name: Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III
Age: 33
Years running: 3years
No. of marathons before BSIM: 5marathons : Pasig (2007) Milo(2007) New York (2007) HongKong(2008) Chicago(2008)
Finish time: 4:26

Name:Peter Mancao
Age: 49
Years running: 3 years
No. of marathons before BSIM: New York ’07 5:35; Hongkong’08 5:31;  Chicago’08 7:20 (it was hot!)
Finish time: 5:24

– Drs. Yong and Peter with their friend (Photo courtesy of Dr. Peter) –

Name:  Carolyn Que Pe Ching
Age:35
Years running: Since Dec. 2007
No. of marathons before BSIM: 0
Finish time: 4:36

Name: Natalie Ng
Age: 39
Years running: Since Jan. 2008
No. of marathons before BSIM: None.
Finish time: 4:58.19 (Target was 5 hours. Those pacers are a life saver!)

Name: Michele Siy-Yap
Age: 37
Years running: 9 mos
No. of marathons before BSIM: 1
Finish time: 4:19

Name: Babylyn M. Tiangco
Age: 38
Years running: hmmm, don’t know, would run to warm up for badminton or when there’s no quorum, is that counted? 
No. of marathons before BSIM: 0
Finish time: 5:14:20

Name: Dorothy L Santos
Age: 37
Years running: 1 year and 4 months
No. of marathons before BSIM: Big Sur’s my first!
Finish time: 4:34:22

Name: Don Santos
Age: 36
Years running: 1.5 years
No. of marathons before BSIM: 0
Finish time: 4:34:21

– Carolyn and husband/wife team Dorothy and Don. Photo courtesy of Dorothy –

Why did you choose Big Sur Marathon? 

DR. YONG: I wanted to experience the “Most Beautiful and Scenic” marathon in the world. My goal is to complete 33 marathons in my lifetime.

DR. PETER: I read Bart Yasso’s book and he highly recommends it.

CAROLYN: My cousin in law told me to check out the website. The beautiful scenery and their website sold me. Plus I’ve never been to Carmel, CA.  New place to see and explore!

NATALIE: A friend invited us. When I looked at the website, I just loved the scenery and how organized the event seemed to be. I wanted the whole experience to be special – for that kind of distance, there is no way you can not train and just wing it so I didn’t want it to just be any run. Take note though this is not one of the big events with huge cheering crowds. In fact it is a smallish crowd (4500 runners for the marathon vs say 45,000 in the NY Marathon) with a ‘no frills’ finish. It’s you and nature in all its glory. Exactly my type of run.

MICHELE: I chanced upon it by accident as I was invited by running mates Lyn Ching and Stella Que. They also signed me up and arranged all logistics involved. The first time I seriously looked into Big Sur Marathon, it was 2 months from the run.

BABYLYN: It was more of things falling into place for me.  Ige said I still had time to seriously train when I asked him in January.  Also, my family had a scheduled trip to the US around that time so didn’t have to worry bout paying for my own ticket. Hehehe.  Then I knew a lot of people who were gonna join.  Lastly, my cousin insisted that I do a marathon abroad because it’s easier to run when it’s cold.

DOROTHY: A friend, Carolyn, told me about it. It worked with our training schedule. Heard it was a beautiful and fun marathon so we went for it. When we found about Hurricane Point it was too late, we were already registered.

DON: I was training for the March 8 Philippine International Marathon (Pasig River) before it was cancelled. We looked for a marathon that was scheduled not far from that one so as not to waste the training. Big Sur Marathon’s schedule seemed to be perfect as we had already planned to be in the US at that time. But more compelling was my running buddy’s encouragement to join it in spite of the difficulty of the course, i.e., Dorothy forced me to join…

– Photo courtesy of Dr. Peter –

What was the highlight of your race?

DR. YONG: Starting at the 16th Km and ascending 160 meters over the next four kilometers, “Hurricane Point” presents the course’s greatest challenge, typically with winds blowing down towards the runners around 50 KPH. Upon reaching this point, we were greeted by Mr Martinez playing his grand piano.

The Big Sur Int’l Marathon officially advises all runners to “plan to add 30 minutes” to their normal marathon times

DR. PETER:  The view and for the first time i joined a pace group(5h30m)

CAROLYN: So many highlights!!  The cold, the travel, the long wait before the race, the 2:30am wake up call.  The fantastic entertainment along the stretch of 26.2 miles (my Garmin read 42.7km).  We had an all girls trip doing this. It was such an adventure with my sister, Natalie and good friend Michele.  Left our husbands and kids behind and just ran! The first 10km was the easiest, the last 10km was the hardest.  I noticed that the Americans ran with this care free and let’s go out there and just have fun kind of attitude which is great! “Hurricane Point” which was halfway through the marathon was great too and not to gruelling for those who love hills.  Yes, the hills even appeared to be conquered during the very last few km to the finish line.

NATALIE: Finishing! I didn’t realize I had committed to a ‘challenging’ and hilly marathon course till after I signed up! I never considered myself a serious runner and till the actual day didn’t know if I’d finish! I was very worried I wouldn’t make the cut off time and get swept by the bus! All the way to the US to be bussed back was not what I wanted!

MICHELE: It is surprising but crossing the finish was not the highlight of the marathon for me. The highlight was at the start when the atmosphere of excited runners felt very exhilirating. It was then that I knew for sure that IT IS REALLY HAPPENING.

BABYLYN: Finishing before the cut off time, enjoying the race and the view, (oh, and I wasn’t the last Filipino to cross the line…. heehee—my friend’s gonna kill me)

DOROTHY: Crossing the finish with Don at a good time.

DON: In no particular order:
– Barely conquering the nth and final hill in mile 25+ and crossing the finish line of my first marathon with Dorothy.
– BEER at the finish
– Running on Highway 1 and enjoying the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean
– ICE COLD BEER at the fiinish
– Great fans, support and organization
– FREE ICE COLD BEER at the finish

Would you recommend Big Sur Marathon to Pinoy runners?

DR. YONG: Of course, for Marathoners, this is one marathon they should experience at least once in their lifetime.

DR. PETER: YES! It’s only an overnite plane ride from Manila (viaSFO), very manageable field (5t runners), very good support (water, gatorade, fruit, GU), perfect weather and of course the spectacular view.

CAROLYN: Yes, it’s definitely a great marathon although because of the hills and slanted roads you may want to choose an easier first marathon course! For me the scenery and experience was so worth it.  Just practice on McKinley Hills 🙂

The organizers really did a fantastic job and you can tell they are really experienced at doing this year after year. Next year it’s April 25, 2010!! The best hotel is Carmel Mission Inn because it’s across the street from the Finish Line!  I’m looking forward to more runs in the U.S knee willing.

NATALIE: There are a few things to consider before joining Big Sur:
– Cost and time
– Jetlag
– You need to check into a hotel nearby before the marathon (highly recommend Carmel Mission Inn as it is reasonable and located right across the road from the finish line)
– Challenging course. The hills are a large large part of it with one of them stretching over 3.5km! A sadistic touch – last hill was on the 41st km!
– Short cut off time: if you don’t pass 22 miles in 5 hours you don’t continue; if you don’t finish in 6 hours you don’t get a medal.
HOWEVER once you’ve done it, you know that most other marathons will be easier and few if any will be as beautiful. For this alone it is so worth it.

MICHELE: I will highly recommend it because the scenery, the people and the weather was simply beautiful. It was cool throughout the run but not freezing and the course was also challenging. I think it makes for a memorable experience for any runner.

BABYLYN: Definitely! well organized race.  The breath taking view and awesome support: lots and lots of water/gatorade, cold fruits for energy (after a while you just wanna puke out gels), bands, mile marker, at each marker someone was shouting your pace and expected finish time so u try to push yourself harder, at one point, they give hugs!!! but i didn’t avail of that.

DOROTHY: Definitely. It may be tough but having trained a whole lot in Manila worked to our advantage. The spectacular views and well-organized race was well worth it.

DON: Yes.

More photos from the TNF 100 at Clark…

– Jay (Prometheus Cometh) running from Holiday Inn to the race venue. His way of warming up for his 20k trail run –

– Dindo (RunningDATcom), Ting, and Mesh (My Iron Shoes) accompany friend, Bards (Banana Running) to the race start. Bards was the only one who joined the TNF, the rest ran long on the roads. –

– Our running buddies, Jun & Mariel (Solemates) –

– Who cares if I looked like Olivia Newton John? Those long socks and tights protected me from scratches. And those shoes survived the mud, lahar, and river runs. –

– I wasn’t the only raging bull around. This mad cow blocked our path. –

– This young boy greeted me politely as we ran past him. –

– Taki (TechSpec) and wife Charmaine on the highway –

– with Team Go, Marga and the hubby. See that kid? This is his 2nd trail run! –

– Girl Power! with Mariel, Marga, and Charmaine –

– with Vince of Finishline. Congrats for another well-organized race! –

– Runners let their feet dry after a very wet run –

– Happy happy trail runners! –

– The trip wouldn’t have been complete if we hadn’t stopped by the Nike Factory along NLEX. Guess who we bump into there…Jun, Mariel, and Jay. Later on, I see Mesh and Ting too! Great runners think alike. –

TBR RACE REVIEW: TNF 100k

Overall rating (10 highest): 8

THUMBS UP:

• Unique and different race experience.
• Race started on time.
• Marshals along the route.  Even one to lend a hand in a difficult climb.
• Directional signs along the 10k trail.
• Adequate water at stations.
• Handsome singlets.

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME:

• Bottleneck at the trail start. 
• Lack of km markers along the route.

These days, it’s not about rolling out yet another predictable race, but offering runners a unique running experience.  The TNF 100 did just that and more for runners used to the city roads. 

A trail run is a completely different animal from a road race so the usual criteria for review does not apply.  It was also my first trail run experience so I don’t have a benchmark to compare it with.  Having said that, however, this race was more organized than other road races in the past as it provided water stations, signs, marshals and other basic requirements for a good race.  Add to the mix, the adrenaline rush that comes from running through rivers and trails and, for me, it was a near perfect run.  

For runners like me who are new to trail running and want to get their feet wet (literally!), the 10k was a good beginners trail run.  More experienced trail runners (or those who tried TNF last year) took the 20k which was much tougher than the 10k.  The 100k was more challenging for both organizers and runners alike due to the tornado and rains that wreaked havoc on the course the night before.  The organizers handled the matter professionally and almost cancelled the 10k/ 20k race to ensure runners’ safety.  Fortunately, the weather improved and a safe, successful race commenced. Overall, this was a great race.  Count me in for next year.

——————————————————-

[Better Safe than Hurt]

The evening before the race, as I lay on our comfortable beds in Holiday Inn, Clark, Pampanga, I received an SMS message from Jay informing me that the race might not push through.  The starting line, he said, looked like a disaster area and the 100km runners were asked to stop to ensure their safety. 100km runners waited at the assembly area for over 2 hours with lactic acid building up in their legs.  A lot of ultra runners decided to DNF.  

Upon hearing the news, the first thing that came to mind for a first-time trail runner like me was: Better safe than injured…or hurt.  No race is worth risking my life for.

Good thing though that, by dinner time, we got news that, after a thorough evaluation by TNF and Finish Line, the race would be pushing through.  That was great news.  But, honestly, I was scared to death.  At first I was fearful of twisting an ankle or breaking a limb.  Now, I had to worry about tornadoes and floods.  Great.

[Couples for Trail Runs]

– Awaiting race start –

– So nervous before the race –

We arrived at the assembly area to see hundreds of 10k and 20k runners at the starting line.  This was a relatively small race so the atmosphere was more relaxed.  20k runners were off at exactly 5:30 and, after 10 minutes, our 10k race started as well.

Hubby and I ran together with two other couples for most of the course: Solemates’ Jun and Mariel and Techspec’s Taki and Charmaine.  Walang iwanan, we said, as we planned for this to be a fun, enjoyable run.  In fact, we took our cameras along for the adventure.

We ran through less than a kilometer of concrete roads before hitting the trails.  This could’ve served as a warm up as we were chatting and laughing all the way until the roads ended.

[And the Trails Begin]

By the time we hit the start of the trails, the laughter died down as we all waited for our turn to slide down the narrow, slippery path leading to the lahar grounds.  What have I gotten myself into, I thought.

– Waiting for our turn to start the trails –

– Running on lahar –

When my feet touched the lahar, it was soft and easy ground to run on, almost like running on the beach.  We ran at an easy pace, in one straight line, occasionally brushing off the grass that would strike our faces.  It was so much easier than I thought…and so much more fun!  There were times when I viewed the landscape around me in complete awe of my surroundings.

– We just had to stop for a photo op –

When we reached the river (which was not the rolling rivers I expected but shallow water that, at the most, reached the ankles) we first tiptoed like ballerinas (even the men) in a futile attempt to keep our shoes from getting soaked.  After many more little river crossings—and with wet shoes and socks to boot—we weren’t as careful and enjoyed the experience.

[Mud and More Mud]

As we went deeper into the trails, the ground was less lahar and more slippery, sticky mud.  Often, we had to slow down to a walk to avoid slipping and sliding.  This is where I was thankful for my Rucky Chucky trail shoes.  The traction on that shoe was impeccable and my husband said the same about his TNF Voza.  There was one climb up through a narrow trail and another one down where I felt like we were trekking instead of racing but the trail shoes allowed me to climb with ease; I rarely felt the need to hang on to something.

– Lovin’ my first trail run –

From 2k to around 8k, we ran on the trail and majority of that course we were able to run through at an easy pace. I’m sure if it hadn’t rained, it would’ve been an even faster running route.

[Back on the Road]

By around 8.5k, we hit the highway and made our way back to the finish.  It was here that hubby and I ran alongside each other and enjoyed the great experience we shared.  We crossed the finish line at 1 hour 31 mins.  Very slow time, but with all the amazing pictures we got, it doesn’t really matter.

Coming soon: TNF 100 Part 2 (a lot more photos)

The TNF 100km solo and relay races kick off tomorrow at Clark, Pampanga followed by the 10k and 20k on May 24, Sunday.

Hubby and I registered for the 10k. Phew. I am equally nervous and excited about this race. It’ll be my first trail run and I don’t know what to expect. I don’t have a clue how my newly-recovered legs (yeah baby!) and foot will react to the new terrain either. So many uncertainties especially about gear…

TRAIL SHOES: CHECK
Fortunately for us, Jundel of TNF supplied the hubby and I with new TNF Trail Shoes just for the race. Pinoy Ultra Runners’ Neville Manaois recommended these two models: Rucky Chucky or Arnuva Boa 50. I chose the tough-looking Rucky Chucky, while hubby got another handsome model, Voza, since they didn’t have his size for Rucky Chucky. Both shoes should give us much needed support and extra traction to climb those trails.

– Fresh out of the box. My new Rucky Chucky –

– Side view –

As recommended by Jundel, we can just break in the shoes by walking around in them. Hubby and his new Voza’s left the house earlier today while Rucky Chucky and I will go on a pre-TNF racing event through the aisles of our grocery later this afternoon.

TIGHTS: CHECK
A couple of days ago, Vince of Finishline, TNF’s race organizer, informed me via text that he was at the race site. I quickly replied with the following questions: Is the course slippery? rocky? hilly? He answered: it is not slippery, not rocky, not hilly. I recommend you were tights. Great, I never thought asking those questions would leave me with even more concerns.  But, I hear ya, Vince, I’m packing some tights for the trip.

Now the question is: do I risk tearing my Skins/ Nikes/ Mizunos OR do I wear the cheap tights I bought from SM years ago? Hah!

LONG SLEEVES: PASS
I thought of wearing long-sleeves to protect my arms from possible scratches or mud. (You see, this woman is used to conquering the roads, not the mountains) But, I was told that it isn’t necessary unless you need protection from the harsh rays of the sun. I love my brown skin, plus some extra savings, so I believe I’m skipping this one.

LONG SOCKS: CHECK
I was told that trail runners wear longer socks to keep the soil (in our case, sand) from entering the shoes. My ankle socks are staying home and I’m taking my extra long thorlos with me.

Gear is set. Hotel is booked. But, I am a nervous wreck. I hope you are too…haha. Good luck to all those running TNF. As they all say, see you at the trails!

Thank you so much to Jundel Llagas of TNF and Neville Manaois of Pinoy Ultra Runners! Neville, I’ll see you at the spa after the race.