Tag Archives: Joel Garganera

The ultrarunners

Posted on by
Reply

(This article was published in the Sun.Star Weekend magazine last Saturday, July 16. The article and photos are reprinted here with permission.)

In Cebu’s running community, Joel Garganera and Napoleon de la Torre Jr. are iconic. Joel has completed 14 marathons, and three ultra marathons, which entail distances of at least 50 kilometers; Nap is into trail ultra marathons.

Both finished the 100K Sundown Ultramarathon in Singapore last June 25-26, five hours ahead of the cut-off time of 18 hours.

Nap ran the course with an injured heel in 12:34 hours and ranked 35th among 321 finishers in the Men’s Open category, placing him in the top 11 percent. This was his third 100K ultra marathon and the “easiest.”

Joel completed it in 13:01 hours, ranked 43rd, and belonged to the top 13 percent. This was his first 100K, an ultra marathon that he enjoyed for the splendid reasons of not suffering from cramps and blisters and of feeling “good” all throughout the race.

NAPOLEON DE LA TORRE. Nap ran the Cebu City Marathon 42K category dragging two tires to prepare for his ultra-marathon. He had the wings tattooed on his shoulders and arms in 2009 just before he ran the Great Wall Marathon in China that year. (SUN.STAR FOTO/ALEX BADAYOS)

NAPOLEON DE LA TORRE. Nap ran the Cebu City Marathon 42K category dragging two tires to prepare for his ultra-marathon. He had the wings tattooed on his shoulders and arms in 2009 just before he ran the Great Wall Marathon in China that year. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE IMAGE. (SUN.STAR FOTO/ALEX BADAYOS)

Continue reading →

Joel Garganera: There is no substitute for preparation

Posted on by
1

WRITTEN on three acid-free pages of a Moleskine cahier, a small, elegant notebook, was Joel Garganera’s six-week training pledge for the 100-kilometer Singapore Sundown Ultramarathon.

“No more peanuts/nuts until June 25,” starts the pledge written by Michelle So starting on page 5 of her notebook. The pledge was Garganera’s idea; So, a close friend he occasionally paces during runs, wanted it in writing.

“No buffet on my own until June 25. Red meat twice a week. Starting May 11, will run 100K/week. No alcohol except on Pablo John’s birthday and on June 12 after the Phuket marathon. Reduce weight to at least 147 lbs. on race day.”

Continue reading →

3 Cebuanos finish Phuket International Marathon

Posted on by
Reply

Over 5,000 runners from 45 countries joined the Laguna Phuket International Marathon in Thailand last June 12. The event was won by last-minute registrant Russian Vsevelod Khudyakov in 02:33:51.

Among those who finished the full marathon are (below, from left) Cebuanos Ramsey Quijano, Brandy Llenos and Joel Garganera.

How to fail successfully

Posted on by
Reply

JOHN Pages gave a beautiful speech on success in last Saturday’s Sportswriters Association of Cebu awarding. He talked about failure.

Pages, one of Cebu’s best sports writers, told awardees and their relatives present during the 29th SAC-SMB Cebu Sports Awards that failure leads to success.

He shared with those present a gem of a quote by sports legend Michael Jordan, who said, “I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot…and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life…And that is why I succeed.”

In running, as in real life, failure is but part of a cycle that leads to success. It’s easier and faster to see the connection in sports, where training and preparation bear almost immediate fruit.

Continue reading →

Above all else, integrity

Posted on by
13

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.

Continue reading →