the idea of doing this run endlessly swirled in my mind the moment i saw the poster invite on marga’s blog site. so, i started asking around and finally got hold of neville manaois of the pinoy ultra runners.after getting a briefing on what this would be,we finally shook hands and sealed the deal after the runningaid4 clinic at rox.
i soon contacted sir jovie,he of baldrunner’s fame, and confirmed his participation.true enough,he was joining.after exchanging a few text messages,all was set.sir jovie,assured me that we would even have security along the route up.astig!i thought this run was going to be a party! a real, long run before milo42.
i decided to do this run for a few reasons.one, i always wanted to go up pinatubo and see for myself what nature has made out of this once-dormant volcano. second, this was a unique run in the sense that it was not really a race but a charity run wherein guests like me would give a donation,in cash or in kind,for the intended charity of choice of neville’s group.this time it was kythe foundation’s christmas party for the children.i thought this would be fun and i wanted to test myself for an ultra.finally an ultra.
let the test begin……
i woke up 1230am after barely 2 hours of sleep and after 2 cups of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal,i fetched my two buddies,nico and george.we left manila at 2am. at 330am and after a brief stopover at capas caltex for another cup of coffee,we were off to the rendevous point at sta. juliana,capas,tarlac.we arrived before the assembly time of 4am and i saw marga all ready to hit the road herself.
i changed to my running gear,stretched,warmed up and horsed around.and waited for sir jovie’s arrival and neville’s as well.it was close to 5am,the agreed take off time.i tried my best to eat a peanut butter sandwich,an egg and nilagang saba and drank gatorade to fuel up even though i was not hungry at all.
me, ann, george and nico
soon after,i saw neville and sir jovie together with his trusty and able lieutenant, captain ferdie espejo.i had the honor of meeting major general samuel narcise ,commanding general of the philippine army light armor division and younger brother of sir jovie and my uppeclassman at the academy, colonel mayoralgo dela cruz,now chief of staff of PALAD.this army unit is based in capas along the road that leads to sta. juliana and is the army’s unit in charge of the army’s light armor units (tanks-thought they are not exacty light,are they?- among many other things).this part of capas looks like a mini general headquarters.i saw of course the army unit,airforce unit and a navy outpost along the road.that assured me of adequate security.
nico,george,sir jovie,mgen sammie narcise,me,col dela cruz
neville gathered the group of almost 30 and announced that we were just waiting for the final clearance from the tourism group and after a prayer we were finally off at 545am.as agreed, our group of sir jovie,capt espejo,myself,george and nico would run together.together with the rest, we walked towards the river for about a kilometer.soon enough the 1st river crossing,though shallow,beckoned.not wanting to wet our feet and shoes and for our ignorance of many other and deeper river crossings, we all scrambled to find spaces on the hood,on top and rear and sides of our 4×4 support vehicle courtesy of sir jovie.and we had to make sure we had a good grip on whatever we could hold on as the driver couldn’t slow down in the middle of the crossing.this was to be the first of many,many,many crossings.soon after ,we were back on our feet and started our run.with another crossing and no 4×4 in sight,it was time to look for portruding rocks and the shallowest part if only to minimize the wetness of our shoes and feet and socks.we were gingerly doing this like playing patintero skipping and jumping on rocks.little did we know this was to be the scenario especially near the summit.this would be repeated countless times.
sir jovie gave instructions for the support vehicle to stop every 5 kms. for us to eat our baons and rehydrate.and for some photo ops with ann,nico’s girlfriend who would surprised me later in the climb, doing the pics along the stops and way.
ask-kicking starts.at this point,the sun was starting to shine brightly and there was still trail to follow.it was lahar on the feet and greenery on both sides
the river bed was correctly described earlier by a friend who was here before.it was a wide,wide river bed spanning at least twice the width of edsa! or even more at some point.the lahar bed was a welcome change to run on having had no choices at bhs or metro manila roads.it was comforting and soft on the soles.along the way ,we met some aetas and greeted them.at one point,we got lost and asked for directions from an aeta boy who just kept pointing.he did not understand us.and so our instincts pointed us to the ground as we looked for the all-too-familiar running shoe sole prints and there were lots from the runners who went ahead.
soon after,the support vehicle was in sight and that meant a short break.
pitstop.bards,it was you in our hands,in our thoughts and lips as we merrily ate the bananas-banana power!
and run we did if only to avoid the rising sun.luckily,there was the part of the river bed that was shaded by two big lahar mountains that provided us the comfort and shade till baseline….baseline,point of no return.this is where the 4×4 stops and you are on your own.from here on,there would be no more trails but rocks and narrowing bed and steeper and bigger rocks and narrower routes and spectacular lahar walls as high as 20 storeys ala grand canyon! we had to eat and hydrate and put put our provisions on our back as there would be no more support at this point.we would be on our own.and there was no cellphone signal nor handheld radioes.we had to make sure we had enough water at the least.we reached baseline shortly before 9am and after almost 19k in my garmin50 and almost 3 hours of running.and by 9am,we went off on our own……..we were told by the recon team that it took them 3 hours the day before to reach the summit from here.
along the route to baseline-still ash kicking!
baseline.getting ready for the final assault.
we armed ourselves with our hydration bags and summit food making sure we had enough or we would be eating green grass and leaves and insects along the way.at this point,ann would not hear of staying behind and so she joined us going up-in RUBBER SLIPPERS and would later tell us that it was meant for trailing! duh. the innocence of youth- hahaha. i was proven wrong-she made it back to the baseline from the crater with her slippers intact and unscathed,almost 15 kms. 2 way.all up,up and up.rocks,bigger rocks,narrower bed and gorges.and tiptoeing,jumping,skipping and this time no more gingerly steps on water.what the 4×4 could not do, our feet did! we got our feet wet.literally and figuratively!
we chanced upon the 1st army unit courtesy of PALAD manning the route for us after 2 kilometers.and as we were nearing the crater,we met some of the ultra runners coming down.we asked how far more and the answers were 30 minutes then 3 minutes then finally malapit na.along the route at this point,the bed narrowed down from twice edsa to just human size width almost.but the views got better and better each time,lush vegetation and lahar walls and volcanic rocks greeted us and our feet.and the bed we noticed, became drier till it was dry near the summit.i enjoyed the stillness and silence of the run at this point.all i could hear was the pounding of our rubbers,our breathing,the chirping of the birds,the rustling of the leaves,the cool wind blowing in our faces and the cold water drenching our feet.it was hidden paradise.it was silence in its purest form.it was energizing for me at least.i made the correct decision of leaving my ipod.
balancing101.after doing this repeatedly,i think we can apply for the tight-rope walk act at the circus.
stairway to heaven.the gate that opens to paradise.the last climb.
after 2 hours and 7k of trekking and almost 11am,the crater beckoned.we were in our target.i excitedly climbed the stairs and i was left speechless of what i saw.what i have only seen in media, this time, it was for real.there lay the beauty of pinatubo in all its calmness.to think that 17 years ago,this was hell for many.at the summit and on the way up,we met a sizeable number of visitors,mostly ladies in fact and foreigners too enjoying the sight.and another army unit waiting for us at the summit together with colonel dela cruz who did the shorter skyway route towards the korean spa(yes,the koreans are up here too making business i was told).we made a 125-step stair trip down the crater to wet our feet with crater sulfur water-supposedly with medicinal and curative effects.the crater wall was like a scene out of waterworld where the guys would finally saw dry land.and like a mountain top with snow caps in las vegas’ red rock canyon.
paradise found.at the crater lake.
still smiling after 27k and 5 hours on our feet.
The Washing of the Feet
hanging in the balance.stone markers like these abound along the way after baseline.they serve as guides to the route for trekkers to follow up the crater.boy scout way iwas told.i was absent during boy scout lessons on this.
much as we wanted to lie on the crater “shore”,we could not as the surface was too rocky and even painful to step on.we dipped our weary feet and immersed ourselves into the water.surprisingly,it was not warm as i expected of volcano water.nonetheless,i scrubbed away at every inch of my body to gain whatever claimed curative effects sulfur water had.only time will tell if i made the right decision.and it was cold when got out of the water.we shared together more bananas,skyflakes,biscuits,apples,water,eggs,gatorade,jellyace and chocolates.wow,cloud 9 choco.we were literally in cloud nine.we kidded sir jovie that finally we had him all by ourselves away from his swarming fans in manila so we took all the opportunity to have pictures with him and shared some funny and serious boys talk.capt espejo happily unloaded his food for us all.served him well as it would make his load going down lighter and oiur tummies happier.soon after,the lovebirds,nico and ann arrived and we stayed till 12pm at the top.we took time to savor the views, wash off sand from our shoes and socks and i changed tops myself.and applied more sunblock lotion.the sky was starting to darken and i told them that the rains were likely coming.the wind was turning cooler at noontime.till it was time to leave again.another hard 125-step stair climb up and we found ourselves taking another look at the crater and said our goodbyes.i saw marga and jeremy just arriving at the summit together.soon enough,sir jovie and capt espejo were both dashing like the dickens down the route and out of my sight.what took us 2 hours to trekked up earlier, took us only 1 hour 15 minutes this time back to the baseline again.it was easier to look for rocks to step on this time and the downhill though unnoticeable, made the run down relatively faster.it was baseline all over again and late lunch at 130pm.i had a taste of sir jovie’s menu of ampalaya with tofu-WOW! his once a week must have food i learned.and arroz caldo.and water and gatorade.we had 20 kms to cover on our way back.but i would have none of this.i did not think of what i had done so far nor what lay ahead.i was just savoring the good times.at 145pm we decided to do the last segment back to sta. juliana.this time the route was kinda easier as there was the 4×4 trail to follow once again.we were on our own as the 4×4was left behind to wait for the lovebirds.then the winds started to blow hard that lahar sand hit my face and eyes i had to wear sunglasses.then there a slight welcome drizzle.i later learned that it rained at the summit as nico was “unloading” between rocks and flowing water cooling his fat ass and as the lovebirds were trekking down.
i was doing well,with aching and swelling soles from all the rock pounding.i estimated 2 hours of continuous running to the finish.we threw caution into the wind,we were headed for home and there was no stopping us.i was in the groove so to speak.we were running on time but 2 kms to the finish and ahead of sir jovie and capt espejo,george and i took a wrong turn and found ourselves lost.for 30 minutes and with no water except for a water spray,we wandered along tall cogon grasses which hindered our view as to where we would be going,we took the wrong turn.true,there was somebody to asked directions from,but the guy and his carabao were at least 2 kms. away and we did not want to expend our remaining energy. i gathered my wits and tried to established our location and re-oriented ourselves.luckily,we chose a path and met a jeepney and asked for directions.we were on the correct path once again.from a distance,we saw sir jovie and capt espejo and our 4×4 support vehicle about to cross the 1st river crossing where earlier in the day,we dreaded to get our feet wet.we crossed the river with no regard to the water nor apprehensions of getting ourseves wet.this was the last river crossing anyway.finish line was calling.
at 4pm and almost 10 hours and 55k on our feet and countless stories and new tales to share,we were finally back the starting point,we made it! the other ultra runners cheered as other runners arrived in batches and they were having red horse too.i think that is their secret to ultra running longevity -horse power! i was thirsty and gulped my gatorade waiting for me. after saying my goodbyes and thank you’s to sir jovie and capt espejo,i removed my rubbers,lay on my back bare on the concrete ground, i lifted my feet up the car bumper to let blood come back up.my feet were sore and soles were kinda swollen from all the rock pounding, my newly-bought nb trails were dirty and wet so were my 2 pairs of socks.but i was happy that all the ash kickers were all back safe.
nagmumuni-muni.....at the finish.
after saying my goodbye to neville and the group, i drove back my truck to the road back home.my running buddies quickly fell into sleep and it was like listening to a choir concert with their snoring.so loud it got that george woke up telling us he woke to the sound of his snore.ann was in denial,but i heard it crystal clear baby,you were snoring like hell!
we stopped at jollibee caltex nlex and i thought i was seeing double but it was for real.everybody had doubles-double chickenjoys,double burger steaks,double drinks,double rice and double hunger.we shared more stories on the table and along the way back amidst some more snores.my eyes were drooping and sleeeeeepy.
after dropping the guys off,i was home at 9pm,called my masseuse but she was absent.took a shower and hit the bed.in no time,i was asleep.so soundly i guess that i miss my unicef run today.my first missed run.
- the morning after.my personal “arsenal and armory”-i brought 4 liters of water,2 liters of gatorade,16 nilagang saba,a power gel,3 skyflakes and 6 boiled eggs.i came home with a bruised left knee,wet socks and banged-up new nb’s.
this run would not have been possible if not for neville manaois for accomodating me and my friends,nico and george.thanks bro.
to sir jovie,thank you for you generosity and the company.and for the happy tales along the way.i would love to do any run with you again sir.
to capt ferdie espejo for sharing food and water and gatorade with us all.i understand now why you are such a dependable ally of sir jovie.mabuhay ka!
to george and nico and ann,thank you. ann,you did well doing 14k of rock,river and climbing in your trail rubber sandals and getting a red nose ala rudolph.get well from your fever.
to mgen sammie narcise and col dela cruz and PALAD personnel, thank you for the support and security detail along the way and at the summit. i miss my combat boots and backpack.let’s GO ARMY!
to my garmin footpod for staying alive inspite all the cold water running through you.my nb’s for staying sturdy inspite all the pounding and the grinding.and to my feet,no blisters and dead toe nails this time! sulfur water is good!thank you.
and to the good Lord,thank you for the protection, for keeping me in the company of good people and running friends and the wonder that is Pinatubo.
sir jovie,capt espejo,george,nico and ann- we sure did some serious ash-kicking yesterday!
i am looking forward to the next ultra run from manila to batangas next year.
in the meantime,i have the milo42 to look forward to next sunday.
after my first ultra and pinatubo55, maybe i want to do just this....
and so, i have once again not only walked the talk this time but i have also hopped,skipped and jumped pinatubo with my ash-kicking friends.
The Pinatubo55 Ash Kickers
good times.
