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. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE IMAGE. (SUN.STAR FOTO/ALEX BADAYOS)

Nap ran his first 100K last January 15 in Hong Kong, where he found himself defying and conquering steep hills, cold weather and inadequate clothing. He wrapped himself in a disposable thermal blanket that he taped on his body and legs, making him look like a running embotido. After murmuring all sorts of prayers, he finished the course in 22:36 hours.

“Ultimate run”

Three months later, on April 30, he ran his second 100K in The North Face Philippine 100K Ultramarathon in Camarines Sur. The course covered rivers, hills, insects and unlit dirt roads, all of which he overcame in 19:25 hours. He ranked 20th among the 76 finishers.

His first ever ultra marathon, in Singapore last year, covered 84K. To run the 222K La Ultra in the Himalayas or the 192K Polar Arctic Ultramarathon would be the “ultimate run” for Nap.

Nap is an accountant, a real estate broker and a teacher. He runs in tights and often shirtless. He has wings tattoed on his back, and he skydives.

He had the wings tattooed on his shoulders and arms in 2009 just before he ran the Great Wall Marathon in China that year.

“These wings have earned me friends among runners. In international races, the runners remember me because of my wings,” he says over luncheon buffet in a Chinese restaurant. Nap is quite an eater.

Except for the wings and an earring, Nap runs in little else if he’s not running in cold weather. No cap for his shaved head, no shades, no GPS watch, no Phiten bands, no hydration belt or camel bag unless required by the race organizers. He has trained his body to endure the whipping of the elements.

Dragging tires

At the Cebu City Marathon in January this year, he dragged two tires that he lassoed to his bare torso while running 42K. He beheld everyone. He finished in 6:30 hours, a time he did not mind at all. This was his resistance training for the Vibram Hong Kong 100K.

It is the HK 100K that he is egging Joel on to run with him next year. If you’ve finished this killer course, you can throw away all the medals of your marathons because this is the only one that will matter, Nap jokes to Joel.

JOEL GARGANERA. The barangay councilor of Tinago, Cebu City thrives on challenges and always finds a motivation to run. He runs back-to-back marathons, a 42K this weekend abroad then another 42K a weekend or two later in the country. His best time yet was 4:26 at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in February this year. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE. (SUN.STAR PHOTO/ALEX BADAYOS)

“Ayaw sab (Let’s not),” Joel replies in a voice full of fondness for his 14 marathon medals he had earned in 28 months. He has sworn off running another 100K after the Sundown Ultramarathon and says he will focus on running 42Ks faster. Then Nap tells him about the HK 100K.

As he listens to Nap tell animatedly about the challenges in the HK 100K, Joel feels excitement tingling in his whole being, similar to what he felt when he registered for the Sundown Ultramarathon.

Joel thrives on challenges and always finds a motivation to run. It’s to his benefit that his wife and three children run too. They are his personal compass and he feels lost when he is away from them.

But he knows where he is going upon crossing the starting line of a race route: to the finish line.

The barangay councilor of Tinago, Cebu City runs in cushioned shoes, compression socks, shorts, singlet, visor, shades, a GPS watch and Phiten bands.

Joel’s humor

He has no wings and he doesn’t skydive. What he has is a pocketful of laughs and he stirs people with his humor.

After running around Plaza Independencia during the pictorial, Joel and Nap take off their shirts. The attention is on the winged Nap. Joel airs a grievance: “You should have told me ahead about the pictorial. I would have gotten myself a tattoo on my back this morning. Would a Mickey Mouse sticker do?”

Joel runs back-to-back marathons, a 42K this weekend abroad then another 42K a weekend or two later in the country. His best time yet was 4:26 at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in February this year.

Nap and Joel are a contrast in their training methods. Neither employs a coach. They rely on their previous races to guide them on what to do in their next. Both have been running for three years.

To prepare for a 100K, Nap runs 5K a day in 25 minutes for 12 days. He doesn’t stress his legs. The longest distance he ran for last month’s Sundown Ultramarathon was 16K in the Kapamilya Run.

To prepare for the 100K, Joel ran between 20K and 30K a day at least twice a week for four weeks. He swam, managed his food, and abstained from drinking except after the Phuket marathon held two weeks before the Sundown Ultramarathon. He and his running buddies observe a post-marathon bacchanalian ritual.

Nap is aware of Joel’s running credentials. Seeing Joel at the starting line of the Sundown Ultramarathon shook his equilibrium. Nap didn’t expect to see another Cebuano runner in the race.

What he had planned as “an easy run” of 14 to 15 hours turned into a competitive, painful run of 12:34 hours. He didn’t want Joel to finish ahead of him or overtake him at any point of the course.

Nap admires Joel for what he has accomplished. He says: For a recreational runner and a 100K newbie, Joel’s time was impressive. When he crossed the finish line, he didn’t look at all like he just ran 100K.

The Joel Garganera beams at the compliment.

AT THE PLAZA. Joel and Nap run around Plaza Independencia. Both finished the 100K Sundown Ultramarathon in Singapore last June 25-26, five hours ahead of the cut-off time of 18 hours. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (SUN.STAR FOTO/ALEX BADAYOS)

“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.”

“Must run 65K in 9 hours in a training run. No soda and iced tea until race day. No ice cream, halo-halo, chocolate except Gelatissimo sherbet. Bike 2x a week for at least 25K/ride. Reach the half mark of 50K like you just started the race.”

The first page of Joel's training pledge for the Singapore Sundown Ultramarathon. Click on image to enlarge.

Joel signed his training pledge a week after registering for the Singapore Sundown Ultramarathon. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

Garganera signed the pledge on May 10 at 10:17 a.m. His son, Federico, signed as witness without bothering to read it. It was a week after he signed up for the Singapore Sundown Ultramarathon upon the dare of his friend Brandy Llenos.

Garganera said Llenos called him up to ask how he did during the 65K ultramarathon last May 1 two days after the event. When the former Tinago barangay captain said he wasn’t satisfied with his time, Llenos asked him, “unya mudagan ka 100K?”

“Sige! (Sure),” Garganera said. The next day, registration closed. Garganera said he thought it was a message. Later in the afternoon, registration opened. He said that was another message.

And with that, Garganera, who has now run 17 combined official marathons and ultra-marathons, got serious in his training.

Secret

He told no one of the plan. For a long time, only So and Llenos knew of it. Garganera said that had he failed to finish the run, at least only a few would know. No pressure, he said.

On May 6, So and Garganera talked to hardcore ultra-runner Bro. Carlo Bacalla, a fellow member of the Ungo Runners, about preparing for a 100-kilometer run. Bacalla thought Garganera was preparing for the Cebu Century Run in November from Bogo to Capitol.

“Bro. Carlo thought it was the Bogo 102k Joel was preparing for and found it queer that Joel and I should be asking him for tips that early. Bro. Carlo would say 102k, Joel would say 100k. Bro. Carlo would say the cutoff time was 18 hours, Joel would say, ‘what if 16h ang cutoff (the cutoff time for Singapore)?’ Bro. Carlo would say there’s more than enough time to train, Joel would say, ‘what about kung a month lang or one and a half?” So said.

Bro. Carlo would only know he was running the Singapore ultra-marathon on Facebook, when a concerned Aliko, one of Joel’s daughters, announced on Facebook Garganera’s run on the day of the ultra-marathon.

Strong finish

Garganera said he met most of his pledges and weighed 146 lbs days before the run. So logged his runs on a spreadsheet and would show the pledge to Garganera every time he would stray from his training. “Gi-sion ko na lang ni? (should I tear this up)” So would ask.

Garganera credited his training for his great run, finishing 100 kilometers in 13 hours and one minute and placing 43rd of 321 in the men’s open. The disciplined he learned in following his training schedule helped him in the run despite suffering a bad fall when he slipped a week before the event while going down the steps of his house after a heavy rain.

Garganera said he stuck to his race day plan of doing two kilometers in 15 minutes and then walking. He admitted to starting to follow this plan only after six kilometers because he was too embarrassed to be walking earlier.

Garganera said his experiences preparing for and running Singapore taught him to respect the race distance and prepare well for it. It was “a humbling experience,” he said.

CEBUANO ULTRA-MARATHONERS Napoleon dela Torre (left) and Joel Garganera completed the 100-kilomter Singapore Sundown Ultramarathon. Dela Torre finished the run in 12:34:24 while Garganera crossed the finish line in 13:01:45.

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

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.

But for that to happen, you have to embrace failures and learn to use them as a springboard to success. You have to learn to fail successfully. How?

1.) Accept that you failed. That is the first step on the road to success.

The person who does not acknowledge failing will never succeed. Do not wipe out your failure by redefining success or lowering the benchmark because you’ll only be fooling yourself. Do not be obstinate in refusing to see your failings or doctoring data and results to make it appear that you are succeeding, you’ll just be a sad portrait of a loser.

2.) Find out why you failed. First, blame yourself. It’s easy to blame others, it’s harder (and yet infinitely much more fruitful) to blame yourself. Ask yourself, “what did I do wrong? What should I have done?”

If you fail to complete a 10K run, a 21K event or a full marathon, take time to find out why you failed. Did you lack training? Were you over-trained? Did you start too fast? Did you not eat enough or did you eat too much? Learn from your mistake.

Apart from running, web technology is my other burning passion. I experiment with a lot of programs and scripts and take pleasure in learning new things, even from encountering error after error after error. In one amusing incident that still makes me chuckle years after, I crashed my phone while making it run a web server.

I try to learn from each error I encounter, each mistake I make. I have an entire section in my personal wiki to log “errors and solutions.” By learning from each error I encounter or commit, I become a better Web worker.

That’s also the case in running, as in all sports. That’s also the case in life. We get better by learning from mistakes.

Failure, said Henry Ford, is nothing but an “opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.”

3.) Resolve to do better. Falling down isn’t as important as getting up. After finding out why you failed, plot a different course.

Someone once described insanity as “doing the same thing and expecting a different result.” Do not repeat the things that led to your failure.

If you DNFed (runner parlance for did not finish) because you lacked training, this time, be serious in your workouts leading to the race.

4.) Work hard; train hard. Mileage isn’t something you can buy. You can’t buy-one-take-one-kilometer. There are no shortcuts or habal-habal rides in running, you have to run the distance and the only way to do that is to put in the required training.

HONG KONG MARATHON. Cebuanos set personal records in last Sunday’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Leading the charge was serial marathoner Joel Garganera who finished the route in 4:26:54. Ultra-runner and journalist Haide Acuña exacted her HK revenge by finishing in 5:04, a long run for her 160-kilometer event next Sunday. Kenneth Toledo, meanwhile, finally broke 4 hours with a scorching 3:56:55.

Others who finished the full were Gifford John Perral, Jeppy Lumongsod and Ungo Runners Dindz Bartolabac, Troy Suico Pao and Victor Chan.

Meanwhile, speedster Arnold Go of Team Boyek blazed through the route in 3:57. Other Team Boyek members who completed the full marathon included top man Boyek Galang, Erickson Ong, Benedict Hong, Fr. Siongo Tan, Michael Enriquez and Rudy Galagar.

Mary Grace delos Santos bannered Cebu with a 3rd place finish in the 21K.

Those who completed the 21K included Waterfront top man Hembler Mendoza, Linaflor Chan, Gerard Tan, Sidney Carcel and Joanne Castillo.

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.

Padilla ran-walked to the finish line expecting to see it abandoned and planning to just scream in relief and have his photo taken at the 0KM marker. Instead, he found fellow runners waiting for him, runners who pleaded with the organizers to keep the finish line tarpaulin and to give him a finisher’s plate.

What the cheat did insulted Jonel Mendoza, the hardcore runner who publishes Frontrunner magazine and who took the risk of organizing an ultra-marathon in Cebu. What the cheat did insulted marathon man Raffy Uytiepo, who was the race organizer. What the cheat did insulted Joel Juarez, who looked frightfully in pain when he collapsed in a heat stroke but still managed to finish after a short rest.

What the cheat did puts into question all his previous races, including marathons here and abroad. If he could cheat in one, he could cheat in all.

Challenge

I still haven’t given Jonel the cheat’s name, opting to give him a few more days to redeem himself. To the ultra-cheat, please do the right thing:

1. Call up Jonel Mendoza to apologize. He may not understand you and would likely tell you “lugi ka, nagbayad ka ng 50K pero kulang yung tinakbo mo (it’s your loss. You paid for 50K and yet you ran a shorter distance)” but pray he would forgive you.

2. Return your plate and T-shirt. You do not deserve it. Leave it at the backdoor guard of Sun.Star Cebu and I’ll have it sent to Jonel.

3. Do not sign up for future ultra-running events. If you sign up for the May 1 ultramarathon in Cebu, I will propose to Jonel that we increase registration by P20 (we will name the fee after you) to pay for a race marshal to follow you the entire route. I will ask that the race marshal be made to wear a neon orange shirt to make sure he is easily visible.

If you feel smug thinking that you fooled the entire running community, you are only fooling yourself.

What good are speed and endurance if you do not have integrity? What good are your marathon medals? “It is character,” said Stephen Covey, “that communicates more eloquently.”

JERRY ALMOST BEATS ATAN. Among those who ran the Quezon City International Marathon last Sunday were Joel Garganera, Ian Baguio, Allan Delantar and Atan, Jeson and Jerry Guardo. Serial marathoner Garganera completed the 42K as recovery run for the grueling Cebu ultra-marathon. An animated Garganera described how Jerry was on the verge of beating Atan and was already formulating a Facebook status update when a late surge by the former congressional candidate left him eating Atan’s dust.

Alvirg Busa finished the race in a blistering 3:20. Cebu’s running queen, Mary Grace delos Santos, on the other hand, decided to save her strength for this Sunday’s Milo National Finals.

JOY POLLOSO FINISHES FIRST MARATHON. In Singapore, Ayala Center Cebu division head Joy Polloso, a hardcore Ungo Runner, finished her first full marathon “barefoot.” She ran 42 kilometers in Vivo Barefoot, a shoe line that mimics barefoot running. Joy is running yet another full marathon on Jan. 9, the 2011 Cebu City Marathon.

Among those who also finished the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon were Kenneth Toledo and Ungo Runner Jorge “Dindz” Bartolabac, who ran his first full marathon in 4 hours and 57 minutes.

Garganera pointed out that not only are Cebu City streets not friendly to runners, they are also generally not safe for children. Look, we don’t even have sidewalks, he gesticulated while running sideways.

KAPAMILYA RUNNERS ON THE ROAD. Close to 2,000 runners joined last Sunday’s 10th dyAB KApamilya Run. Above, the runners occupy one lane of Gorordo Ave. near the UP Cebu College. (PHOTO BY TEDDY ESPINUEVA)

At the end of the run, he proposed a novel idea to get more people off their couches and running on the street: close Osmeña Blvd. for a few hours every Sunday and limit it to walkers, joggers, runners and bikers.

Garganera had wanted to pursue it as part of his political agenda in his failed City Council bid.

During the post-run breakfast in last Sunday’s Kapamilya Run, Garganera raised the idea again and got the support of ultra-runner Bro. Carlo Bacalla. But Garganera was preaching to the converted. What is needed is for the converted to start preaching to those in power.

It’s unlikely to happen, what with the implications on traffic and commerce in an area with two malls, three hospitals and at least two churches.

But City Hall would do well to try it. What’s a few hours of inconvenience on a slow Sunday morning to the potential health benefits you can give your constituents? The more people you get walking, jogging, running and biking, the more of your constituents start adopting a healthy lifestyle.

KAPAMILYA RUN

I took a shower on V. Rama Ave. in last Sunday’s 10th dyAB Kapamilya Run. The race, which was organized by the RunCheck team of Kenneth Casquejo and Annie Neric, paid car wash boys on V. Rama Ave. to train their water sprayers on runners.

It was a novel touch and a very welcome respite from the early morning heat.

Most runners I talked to loved that part of the race. The 10th Kapamilya Run was, by all accounts, a well-organized and successful run. It got the basics right: ample water supply and exact race distance. It scored points with runners on the V. Rama water spray. If there was anything that could be improved, it would be the segregation of runners at the starting line.

ACTIVEPHOTOS.PH. A new group of mainly Cebu-based photographers now takes photographs of runners for a fee during fun runs. To be photographed by members of Activephotos.ph, you need to register with the group and wear a special ribbon that will alert its photographers that you have commissioned their service. Above, Activephotos.ph lensman Teddy Espinueva takes a photo of me near UP Cebu College. (PHOTO BY TEDDY ESPINUEVA)

Last Sunday was also the first outing of Activephotos.ph, a group of photographers who take photos of athletic events like running and sell these to the participants.

Among the key members of the group are Casquejo, award-winning blogger and photographer Estan Cabigas, and running and photography love team Teddy and Belle Espinueva. I’ve seen several of their shots and they look great.

To get photographed by the Activephotos.ph team, you just need to sign up in races that they have been commissioned. You will then get a ribbon to wear, which alerts members of the team to take photos of you.

But it’s a double-edged sword, this idea of commissioning someone to take photos of you while on the run. Chances are you’d look ugly running—out of breath and grimacing.

Only Donna Cruz-Larrazabal looks pretty crossing the finish line.

Guardo, who ran against incoming Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas Osmena in the last elections, finished his 10-kilometer race in an hour in yesterday morning’s Looney Tunes Active Fun Run at the Northwing in SM City Cebu.

ON THE RUN. Businessman and sportsman Jonathan “Atan” Guardo (center) sprints the last few meters with Tinago Barangay Councilor Joel Garganera, a close friend, ally and fellow runner. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (PHOTO BY MAX LIMPAG)

After the bruising elections with his bitter political rival, Guardo has been doing 15-kilometer to 20-kilometer runs as part of his preparation for two full marathons scheduled just one week apart—the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon on June 27 in Malaysia and the Milo Marathon in Manila on July 4.

Tomorrow, the businessman and sportsman is running to Danao.

Guardo was detained overnight Thursday after being arrested by an NBI 7 team who served an arrest warrant issued against him by a Manila court hearing the malversation of public funds case filed against him by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

PSC filed the case against Guardo accusing him of failing to liquidate the P10 million given to the Cebu Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Cebusoc) for Cebu’s hosting of some events in the 2005 SEA Games.

Guardo stressed that the money was properly accounted for and liquidated but the Commission on Audit and PSC refused to accept his group’s report because the agencies wanted him to show infrastructure-related expenses.

He said they were told to spend on infrastructure but the money came in September 2005 for the games that were to be held in December. He said there was no way to complete any infrastructure so short a time. And besides, he said, P10 million was too small for an infrastructure project.

Guardo said the money was spent on food, transportation, hotel bills and other expenses of 1,000 athletes from various countries.

Guardo said he is confident he will be cleared of the case.

Garganera, who is running for a City Council seat in the Cebu City north district, was discussing with a few runners who joined one of the Friday Night Runs about how the city’s streets are unfriendly to pedestrians and hostile to joggers. He wants to change that.

ON THE ROAD. Former Tinago barangay captain Joel Garganera, a serial marathoner, campaigns on the road for a Cebu City Council seat in the north district. CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE. (PHOTO PUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION FROM SUN.STAR CEBU)

“Children need sidewalks so that they can be safe in walking to school. Our streets are not child-friendly,” he said.

Better streets and sidewalks that keep children safe will also benefit runners, Garganera said.

The former Tinago barangay captain is an avid runner. He has run six marathons in just a year.

“I run, I swim, I bike, I play basketball. I read the sports section of the newspaper first. I got my children into sports at an early age. I encourage my friends to join me in my running and biking. I’ve seen and lived the benefits of sports that’s why I’ve put sports development high in my legislative agenda,” he told Sun.Star Cebu in a recent interview.

Garganera’s passion for running is matched by his enthusiasm in governance. He was, at 21 years old, the youngest barangay captain to be elected in Cebu City.

In the interview, Garganera said he would prioritize running because “it’s a sport that doesn’t discriminate against age, gender, class and education. All you need is a good pair of running shoes.”

“But while running, I realized that good running shoes are not enough. Runners also need to run on good and safe roads and sidewalks. This is where government has been inadequate in,” he said.

“One legislative agenda that I will pursue is to create a commission or a regulatory body that will look after the welfare of runners in Cebu City and make the roads and sidewalks friendlier to everyone,” Garganera said.

“If our roads are not safe for runners who are mindful of where they land their foot, how much more for young school kids who walk to school?” Garganera said.

On the hottest day of the year, Ponce felt cold.

Ponce was already feeling weak on her way to the Cansaga Bay Bridge. On the bridge, she was puking and retching. She ran-walked until Super Metro on United Nations Ave., where she had to stop because she felt faint. She asked for help from several police personnel stationed along the route to get a ride to the finish line at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).

MANDAUE CITY RUN. Lack of water, absence of marshals and a shorter-than-announced route made the Mayor Jonas Cortes Run last Sunday the worst fun run of the year. (PHOTO BY RAMIE IGANA)

They just looked at her.

Ponce trudged on until the Total gasoline station where a police officer let her ride one of the motorcycles and brought her near an ambulance at the CICC. She asked people at the finish line, who were having breakfast, to let her sniff some ammonia to revive her.

They just took turns watching over Ponce while one started fanning her with a folded bond paper. Talk about origami as emergency medical procedure.

“That was an experience I don’t want to repeat, I tell you, Max,” Ponce told me yesterday.

It is a sentiment shared by almost all the runners I talked to.

Hottest day of the year

In Mandaue City, it was hot enough to cook instant pancit canton under the sun during the 3rd Mayor Jonas Cortes Run. PAG-ASA said that with temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius, last Sunday was the hottest day of the year.

And yet water station after water station yielded the same disappointing sight—three empty water containers, no cups and attendants who just looked straight through you.

They didn’t give a damn that you were nearing dehydration.

On A.C. Cortes Ave., I punched the side mirror of a jeepney that cut me off, intentionally grazing me. The driver was apparently angered by the traffic gridlock he just passed and saw me as a target. I hope I broke that mirror.

I quickly ran after that flash of anger, conscious that I was at a sub-2 hours pace and wondering whether runners at my pace would stop to help if the driver went after me. Runner Kenneth Toledo, who has a black belt in taekwondo, was too far ahead, going after a personal record, to be of help.

Organizers of the Mandaue Mini Death March left runners last Sunday at the mercy not only of the intense heat but also of abusive drivers. Runner Karen D. Quiñanola-Gonzales said in the CebuRunning Facebook fan page that she was run into a gutter.

Despite all these, I was on pace to finish at least a minute faster than the 1 hour and 58 minutes I recorded in The Great Lapu-Lapu Run 21K and was prepared to give everything in a final burst to the finish line.

To my horror and intense disappointment, my GPS watch indicated I was still a kilometer short when the finish line came into sight. I finished in 1 hour and 54 minutes, 600 meters short of 21K.

After the torture of the heat, lack of water and abusive drivers, the 3rd Mayor Jonas Cortes Run robbed me a personal record.

Shortcut

If you’ve read about how top runners improved on their 21K times in the race, there’s your explanation. The route was short. What’s worse, the top runners did not complete the route because the lead pack marshal got lost and did not pass the actual turning point under the Mandaue Mactan Bridge. The first runner to actually complete the route, Elvin Rey Flores, ended in 10th place.

Even eventual winner Simon Losiaboi expressed astonishment at his time, 1 hour and 9 seconds, and muttered that the route wasn’t exactly 21K, one of the top 10 male finishers told me.

There were runners who did not complete the course last Sunday, either intentionally or inadvertently—because of the lack of route markers and turning point directions. One marshal was said to have encouraged runners to take a short cut because they ran out of turning point ribbons anyway.

While there were some who did take shortcuts intentionally, most didn’t. Susan Militante echoed the sentiments of most runners when she said, “Dili gyud ko. Ngano gud? Ako rang ilaron akong kaugalingon? (I would never do that. I’ll just be fooling myself)”

It was the worst race ever, runners in the CebuRunning community said.

The heat was too much for Joe France Cañizares and with no water to help him cool down, he took off his shirt on Cansaga Bay Bridge. Aeda Mae Siao suffered cramps, partly because of the lack of hydration, in what would have been a great run for her. Aeda had to buy four bottles of water in one of the gasoline stations.

After finishing my run, I went back the route to look for Marlen, who was also running 21K. At the corner near the Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School, I saw two police officers or interns just sitting in the shade, not bothering to direct cars away from the runners.

At the intersection near the University of the Visayas, I chanced upon a man in his 50s, who looked to be in charge, telling the marshal at the intersection to leave.

Struggling

The younger marshal insisted that he stayed but the old man raised his voice to tell him to leave.

I told the two that they should continue managing traffic in the intersection because many 21K runners were still on the road. That cut their conversation.

But as I started to run the route again, the old man said with contempt, “kay mudagan diay siya balik.”

Along the way, I found runners who were obviously struggling because of the heat and lack of water. I gave some of them water that I bought from one of the stores in the area.

After finding Marlen, I paced her in the last kilometer or so. She finished in 2 hours and 24 minutes, on pace to improve on her Cebu City Marathon time. Another potential personal record voided by the short distance. Not only that, I had to point out to the staff manning the finish line that she should be listed in women’s category. The staff member seemed to just stick the names on the tally sheet without bothering to check.

The organizer of the run was the Mandaue Runners Club. But I doubt whether real runners manned the streets in Mandaue City last Sunday. It seemed they wanted the race to be over with as soon as the winners were known. It seemed they wanted everyone to stop running and just get off the street as soon as the last podium finisher crossed the finish line.

The last finishers of the 21K race all looked so relieved as they headed to the finish line. One of the motorcycle marshals told one of the finishers, “congrats, you’re last.” But he wasn’t. A few minutes later, two more runners arrived. You could just imagine the hell they had to go through.

Standard

Last Sunday’s race is the best argument in favor of calls to standardize road races. Joel Garganera, serial marathoner and candidate for the Cebu City Council in the North District, said that if he wins next week, he would, among his major legislative agenda, call for the creation of a commission to look after the welfare of runners in Cebu City.

Garganera, who was among those who organized the well-run Running MAD 2 in Barangay Lahug, said there was a need to take organizers into account for the runners’ safety in road races.

But apart from improving the holding of road races, Garganera said he would work to make the city’s roads friendlier to pedestrians and runners.

It would be great if that happens—that Cebu City’s roads become friendlier to runners. But Mandaue City? I won’t run in a race there again. Not soon, anyway.

There’s another race scheduled in the city on May 16. The race, named Rundaue, has a different set of organizers and will have 10K as longest route. It will still pass through the scenic Cansaga Bay Bridge.

I hope the organizers will save Mandaue City’s name by doing it right this time.

At that time, reporters Justin Vestil, Linette Ramos and Rene Martel have finished writing their stories and are now in running attire. Graphic artist Kent Ynot and Ariel Catubig of the Sun.Star Network Exchange are also ready to go.

WE OWN THE NIGHT. Ungo runners in front of the Sun.Star Cebu office before running to the It Park in Lahug, Cebu City. CLICK TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE.

Outside the newsroom, men in tights sit on the steps of the stairs talking to one another. Dr. Raymund “Reel Runner” Bontol accompanies a large group of runners, among them Jefferey Chua and Ralph Noval, from the Cebu Velez General Hospital, and gives tips on running. Aeda Mae Siao, meanwhile, accompanies a friend who is on her first night run.

Higher up the stairs, Eric Agaton of Nike Banilad Town Center leads a group of three men all wearing Nike running shoes.

In the newsroom, Teddy Espinueva and his wife Belle and cousin Bikik Besavilla stand waiting, the reflective patches stitched to their clothes and caps shimmering.

Cebu City Council candidate Joel Garganera, meanwhile, cracks jokes with So and The Freeman community editor Divine Ngujo near the central newsroom library.

On Fridays, you’d have gynecologists Eleanor Casquejo, Humility Igaña and Vilma Pesa fidgeting, waiting for the run to start while praying none of their patients suddenly go into labor.

Joe France Cañizares and Cadjing Pelicano of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel tower above everyone else while mingling with the runners. Rounding up the group are veteran runner and now race organizer Kenneth Casquejo, Ramie Igaña, Charles Su and 17-year-old student Anthony Gabriel Tuldanes.

A few minutes after 10 p.m., the group goes down to the Don Pedro Cui St. exit of the Sun.Star Cebu office and hams it up for the night’s designated photographer, usually Sun.Star Cebu chief of photographers Alex Badayos. Last week, we had Philippine Blog Awards winner Estan Cabigas, a newbie runner himself.

At the word “go,” the runners group themselves according to their running paces. Bontol, Igaña and Abby Ponce are typically in the lead pack. My wife, Marlen, would be in the middle and I’d typically run with her. But I usually sneak in a speed training by serving as running marshal, going from lead pack to the middle pack to the runners who choose to enjoy the scenery and go at a leisurely pace.

FRIDAY NIGHT ROAD PARTY. Runners gather at the Sun.Star Cebu office on P. del Rosario St. for the weekly Friday night run to the IT Park in Lahug. CLICK TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE.

Like most people, we look forward to party on a Friday night, only ours is on the road.

Instead of laser lights setting the mood, we’d have the monotonous blinking of bicycle lights clipped to our waistbands. Instead of tequila, we down coffee.

We run in the rain.

We call ourselves ungo runners after that Bisaya word and its double meaning—the noun for that creature of superstition that comes out in the dark and the adjective to mean addict. We are running addicts who run at night.

The group started with just Marlen and me on our Friday night road dates. We later invited newsroom colleagues. The group later grew larger.

This Friday, we’ll take to the streets again.

See you on the road.