BACKGROUND
This is my 3rd ultra for 2009 and a grand slam at that. First was Bataan Death March 102K (BDM102) on April 05. Second was TNF100K on May 23-24. All 100K races.
I took some risks joining Botak 100K since I fried my right leg during TNF and was unsure if I would be fully recovered before Botak which was a little more than a month after TNF. Two days before the race, my son got sick and had to be brought to the hospital. Stressful and despite the lack of needed rest, I decided to push through with it. I do not know about you but I have so far noticed in my 4 ultras that something always unnecessary and stressful (not necessarily bad) happens before the race. It is weird. Anyway, this race was dedicated to my son and told myself I would not go home without a finisher's medal. There were also the pre-race jitters as usual. I think it comes with the territory.
MY GOAL
My goal for Botak was simple - finish it under sub-13 hours to qualify for Comrades in 2010. I am not sure if my time (13:15 something) during Bataan 102 will suffice even though the distance of BDM102 is more than 100k - barely by 2 kilometers though. My other goal was even simpler - finish it within the cut-off time of 18 hours.
THE RACE
This is my 3rd ultra for 2009 and a grand slam at that. First was Bataan Death March 102K (BDM102) on April 05. Second was TNF100K on May 23-24. All 100K races.
I took some risks joining Botak 100K since I fried my right leg during TNF and was unsure if I would be fully recovered before Botak which was a little more than a month after TNF. Two days before the race, my son got sick and had to be brought to the hospital. Stressful and despite the lack of needed rest, I decided to push through with it. I do not know about you but I have so far noticed in my 4 ultras that something always unnecessary and stressful (not necessarily bad) happens before the race. It is weird. Anyway, this race was dedicated to my son and told myself I would not go home without a finisher's medal. There were also the pre-race jitters as usual. I think it comes with the territory.
MY GOAL
My goal for Botak was simple - finish it under sub-13 hours to qualify for Comrades in 2010. I am not sure if my time (13:15 something) during Bataan 102 will suffice even though the distance of BDM102 is more than 100k - barely by 2 kilometers though. My other goal was even simpler - finish it within the cut-off time of 18 hours.
THE RACE
By 1AM of Sunday, both 100K solo and 50KM runners, novice and veteran alike, started their journey into the difficult but fulfilling world of ultra -where any and every thing could go wrong. The journey took us in UP, Quezon City and Marikina. Running along Commonwealth was no joke as anyone could be run over by a speeding bus, truck or any PUV. Grime, dirt and stench in the market area were enough to make you puke, i.e., if you are squeamish. To think, it was around 1AM and there were so many vehicles still plying the route all the way to SM Fairview and back. All the runners must have inhaled their lifetime supplies of smog and other pollutants. (My tonsils were sore after the race). There were also the usual drunk people along the route taunting us to drink and saying mumbo-jumbo incoherent stuff. (Photo courtesy of Run4change)
QUEZON CITY (QC) AREA
Initially, I was suprised to see a QC patrol motorbike running along with me. But several kilometers into the run, I realized this was anti-cheating measure against runners who could easily hail a cab or jeepney to ferry them close to the turn-around point in SM under the cover of darkness. He was also quick to man busy intersections which in one occasion, a cab driver nearly hit me head on. Whew! Having a companion was always good but we hardly talked because I was busy running myself to death. I must have run the 1st 50K in under 5 hours and 20 minutes. A good prospect but I knew a negative split in this race would be nearly impossible because the sun would be up anytime soon. Heat slows any runner and there is scientific basis for this. But this is another matter altogether.
MARIKINA AREA
Initially, I was suprised to see a QC patrol motorbike running along with me. But several kilometers into the run, I realized this was anti-cheating measure against runners who could easily hail a cab or jeepney to ferry them close to the turn-around point in SM under the cover of darkness. He was also quick to man busy intersections which in one occasion, a cab driver nearly hit me head on. Whew! Having a companion was always good but we hardly talked because I was busy running myself to death. I must have run the 1st 50K in under 5 hours and 20 minutes. A good prospect but I knew a negative split in this race would be nearly impossible because the sun would be up anytime soon. Heat slows any runner and there is scientific basis for this. But this is another matter altogether.
MARIKINA AREA
By the time most runners reached Marikina for the 2nd loop, they were greeted now by the scorching heat of the sun. Bles (one of my original crew together with Shower) went out of the support vehicle and said she needed her long run. So she paced me for 10K or so. She is a strong runner with a full marathon in Singapore under her belt. I prayed for the rain to come down just like it did a few days ago. There was none this time. Well, it did rain briefly 1-2 hours after I finished. So, it did me no good. The image in my mind showed runners enjoying the brief respite. Rain during an ultra is both good and bad. Good because it cools you down and bad since it a recipe for mud and blisters. (To 2nd loop with Bless in the ubiquitous Singapore Marathon shirt. Photo courtesy of Neville of PUR)
LOST RUNNER
We were surprised to meet a runner who seemed to be ahead of us. At this point, I knew I was 10th place overall, 6th male but we had not noticed this guy overtaking us. After a little inquiry for a little less than a minute, we realized he got lost and had incomplete bracelets. We decided to move on. Every second counted.
HEADED BACK TO UP
Everything was going fine until I got lost for 5-7 minutes on the way back. I did not see any marshall to tell me I should turn left instead of going straight. This was after Jollibee Marikina. Anyway. it always pays to ask...always. This was exactly what I did.
During ultra especially on trail, if you have this nagging feeling of being lost, chances are you are. The prudent thing to do is first, STOP (I mean what is the point of wasting your energy and time running and not getting near the finish line?), check your map or ask people and then retrace your steps or act accordingly.
THE CHASE WAS ON!
I knew I was 10th overall and 6th male when I spotted a struggling runner ahead. I knew he was hurting and from the way he looked, it must have been cramps. He was massaging his right calf. Strange, muscle cramp never got to me during my 4 ultra races (knock on wood) except in a small race during the Singapore marathon for having nothing to eat during the last 6-8K or so. Albert (another crew), suddenly got fired up again after having paced me for more than 30K now, deboarded the vehicle. He decided to pace me again so we could overtake the runner and put a gap between us. It was a success.
It was only in Balara area did I feel the inexplicable feeling of joy and release. I always say that the finish line is only the icing on the cake. It is the space or distance between the start and finish lines that gets to you. It always does.
When I entered UP, another runner up ahead by only a few meters. So near and yet still so far to the finish line. I decide to close the gap and gave a chase. His crew on a motorbike saw me and the runner started running again. While at it, I looked behind me from time to time just to make sure the runner I overtook a few minutes back was not gaining any ground. I made a mistake of sprinting not realizing that it was still a few hundred meters to the finish line. There was not enough energy to maintain the chase. What I did not want to happen was to crash and lose the lead to the runner at the back. Instead, I let go like a predator realizing the utter futility of chasing a prey. As the results would have it, the gap was only a little over 2 minutes: http://run4change.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/results_paatibyan100km.jpg (My name is misspelled).
LAST MINUTE GOAL

The time is perfect to qualify for Comrades Marathon (90K) in 2010 which I have been planning since 2008. Qualifying time is sub 13 hours for 100k or sub 5 hours for a full marathon. This was also a PR for me for 100k road race by slicing almost 1 1/2 hours off from my time in BDM102. In my book, this is a grand slam. (Photo from Neville. Crossing the finish line and the picture says all it all.)
OBSERVATIONS

MY GRATITUDE GOES TO:
Botak guys, Ian and Mr. Guarin. Neville of PUR for the registration, shirt, etc. and for being smart and innovative enough to give each runner a patrol guide during the treacherous run along the Commonwealth Ave.
Albert, Shower, Bles of Team Clark and Ric (driver). Albert paced me for more than 30K under the sun. Very strong as he is also an ultrarunner. Amazing he volunteered to crew and pace me even without adequate training. He just came in from Korea for 2 weeks. Shower and Bles were my crew during BDM102. Both marathoners and above all, tried and tested. They have learned to put up with the real meaning of C.R.E.W. - "cranky runners, endless waiting". Ric or "Brod Pete" drove us safely in and out of the city unscathed. Thank you to Team Clark who gave their support whether via prayer or wishes. To Clark Development Corporation (CDC) for the vehicle.
PUR Ligaya, Fritzie, Don (with Trina), Al, Gilbert, Willy, Jose, Josaw, Kiko and Simon. Thank you also to other PUR members who wished us well. It was nice to see and be with you guys on this journey. We all knew we had to pace, run, walk and finish the race on our own. Again, special thanks to Josaw and Simon for the slices of orange. I realized you had to cross the River bridge just to give us some. I appreciated the effort and I am sure the other runners as well.
Boss Red and wife Rinna both of Team Clark for waiting and serving ice-cold beer at the finish line. Refreshing.
Finally, Rick Gaston of http://365ultra.blogspot.com/ for his usual invaluable advise and the Listers for their ancient wisdom on ultra marathoning.
To my fellow ultrarunners, congratulations. We'll see each other soon...
congratulations atty jon. a very timely and truthful account, now that the long distance running bug is spreading like the pandemic flu. finally we got to read your stories.
ReplyDeletebilly_sj
atty jon, congratulations on your BOTAK 100 finish with an impressive time. you are truly a consistent ultra runner. good luck on your comrades ultramarathon participation in may 2010. the 2nd BDM 102 in march 2010 will serve as your long run for the said event.
ReplyDeleteuy he has a blog na :) congratulations on your superb finish. comrades na ito! (guesting ng team clark sa run radio ha! hehe :D)
ReplyDeleteI salute you Atty. Jon for a very strong finish. At the starting line, i asked you what's your time target, you said ,'13 hours.' And yet you did it in just 11 hours, 5th overall!
ReplyDeleteFirst time to visit your site (coz I don't know it yet before). I'll be your regular follower from now on) Add kta sa blogroll ko.
God bless.
Nice recap!. Congrats for the grandslam and goodluck on your training for comrades!
ReplyDelete-Ralph
Not only was it at night but you know some of those drivers have been drinking. Crazy to be running in the streets. You guys are all brave. Hey so how about caffeine to keep you from getting sleepy? Works for some of us. Caffeine either in energy gel form, drinks like RedBull or Starbucks Fraps or pills.
ReplyDeleteWay to finish under 12 and qualifying easily for Comrades. I hope you get some good rest before your next planned adventure. You already told me what it is but since you made no mention of it on your post I won't say anything. Welcome to blogging.
Hey Billy Dude, this is a good kind of bug.
ReplyDeleteSir Jovie, thanks. What new, if any, do we expect during 2nd BDM102? I undertand you're planning to hold mutiple events next year.
Marga, good luck on your radio show. Just let us know.
Hey Ronnie, it is almost 12 hours. You did well too, you know.
Ralph, congratulations too! You're getting stronger now.
Rick, I have tried Mountain Dew to perk me up and thought the culprit could be a mix of exhaustion, low fuel, etc. Or maybe I should not be suprised at all as this could be a natural occurence during ultras.
Congrats on a race well run and on finally starting your own blog :)
ReplyDeletecongratulations, sir! it was my dream to complete a grandslam too, but tnf100 was too much for me. good luck on your comrades bid!
ReplyDelete