Posts Tagged with: "Ultra Running"

Last August 29, Pinoy Ultra Runners Dr. Peter Rivera, Joselyn Saw, and Simon Sandoval joined The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) – Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS).

– Can you spot the Philippine flag? –

– Doc Peter and Simon during the send-off – 

The website www.trailrunningsoul.com describes the UTMB-TDS this way:

Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie: approx. 105km and 6700m + altitude change. Start Saturday 29th august at 5:00am from the centre of Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France.

Cross-country race following the paths of the Grande Randonnée of Mont-Blanc country and Beaufortain. Mountain event, including many high altitude passages (>2500m), in climate conditions which could be very tough (night, wind, cold, rain or snow), necessitating some very good training, suitable equipment and a real capacity for personal autonomy.

– UTMB runners –

– Knife Ridge to Aiguille Croche –

– Dr. Peter Rivera –

The three brave ultra runners gave it their best, but it was Simon Sandoval that finished the race unscathed.  I heard without even a blister!  (I’ll try to get Simon for a TBR Interview just to confirm)

I’ll allow Doc Peter to share with you his own account of the race (as typing out the race name was already exhausting for me!)  Click here to read all about it.

More photos here.

Congratulations to the Doc Peter, Josaw, and Simon!  The view from up there was amazing!

* Photos courtesy of Dr. Peter Rivera.  Thanks to Neville Manaois for sharing.

WHAT: RUNNING AID 4

WHERE: R.O.X., BONIFACIO HIGH STREET

WHEN: APRIL 29, 2009, WEDNESDAY, 7 P.M.

HOW MUCH: FREE

The 4th Running Aid will be structured into modules.  First speaker will be Dr. Paolo Punsalan, orthopedic doctor and Pinoy Ultra Runner, who will discuss the basics of running.  He will also talk about how to train and structuring your program.  Second speaker will be the Pinoy Ultra Runner’s fitness instructor tandem, Al and Joie Ligaya Viado, to cover  core training for runners.  They will focus on different exercise routines to strengthen runners. This will also involve warm up,  cool down, core and gym exercise.

See you there!

While many of us will use next week to train (or taper?) for the upcoming Condura Half Marathon, the Pinoy Ultra Runners will have a long run next Saturday, March 14. How long? Uhm, just the distance from Manila to Tagaytay.

The beneficiary of this run is the Brain Foundation which aims to help neurosurgical indigent patients. If you wish to help, email pinoyultrarunners@yahoo.com or visit their websites:

Pinoy Ultra Runners site

ROX site

Welcome back to the Pinoy Ultra Runners and their guests who ran 55km up Mt. Pinatubo and down again for a good cause: Kythe kids’ Christmas Party.

Read Part 1 of the story here.  Neville, we shall wait with bated breath for the 2nd installment. 

* Photo courtesy of Pinoy Ultra Runners

Over 60 participants (with males a minority, of course) showed up for the 1st Running Aid for Women held at ROX last night.  Speakers were Beth Siojo, long time runner and Pinoy Ultra Runner founding member, and myself, newbie runner and self-confessed running addict.

– preparing for the presentation with Neville and Margaloo –

Beth discussed ultramarathons for women, which is where her passion lies as evident in her beaming smile during her entire talk. She gave practical tips on running on the road and trails, discussed running gear, and inspired women to take up running even beyond 50km as she has done over the years.

– Beth inspires future ultramarathoners –

Beth and I are very different: she’s been running since highschool, I only started in 2006; she runs up mountains while I’m allergic to them; and she loves ultramarathons while my ultimate dream would be to run a sub-4-hour marathon (and, knock on wood, run fast marathons annually after that) rather than to run 100km.  

It was because of the contrast that I thought it was such a clever idea for the Pinoy Ultra Runners to have featured us on the same stage. I saw  running from the eyes of a veteran runner and I realized that, despite the differences, we shared one major bond: our passion for running. 

And, when I looked at the audience, it was pretty much the same thing.  We had various levels of experience in running, but that was insignificant.  One was not better than the other for running faster, longer, or better.  What mattered was that we all loved running or, at the very least, wanted to fall in love with it.

I won’t tell you how my talk went; let the participants be the judge of that.  But, what I can say is that I had a great time talking about one of my greatest passions to an audience that was so eager to listen (I don’t get that too often at home…kidding!)

– That’s me dropping beans into reluctant volunteer Car’s shoes –

To Pinoy Ultra Runners: congratulations once again for a successful event.  Looking forward to the next one.

– with my favorite reader, CougCat, soon after he finished his homework. Thanks for both the virtual and real cookie! –

– Dinner at Pancake House after the talk. The place was filled with runners! –

More pics to follow in the next post.  I gotta leave now for the Nike Training Clinic at Ultra…