SOMEONE cheated during the 1st Cebu Ultramarathon last Nov. 27. He rode a habal-habal (motorcycle for hire) twice and an SUV once for long stretches of the route.
He finished within the cutoff time and upon reaching Capitol, made a show of being tired. Like he actually ran 50 kilometers.
I first learned of it when I overheard the runner’s teammates talk among themselves about how the person rode a habal-habal.
I have since confirmed it with a source I trust, who also got confirmation from several people. I have also gotten reports from other people who saw a runner ride a vehicle in the route.
FINISH LINE AT THE CAPITOL. Frontrunner staff members prepare the finish line of the 1st Cebu Ultramarathon at the Capitol in Cebu City. (PHOTO BY JAMES GO)
I cannot understand a person who would cheat in a road race, much more an ultra-marathon. It’s not as if we get a prize for finishing it. All we got at the finish line in Capitol was a commemorative plate, T-shirt and a food pack. The run—the entire 50 kilometers—itself was the reward.
Insulting running community
What the cheat did insulted the running community. He actually finished earlier than Brian Padilla, an Ungo Runner who was on the verge of giving up but decided to continue because he left his emergency money with one of the support vehicles.
