Western States Endurance Run

Another Filipino conquers Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run.

Forty year-old Simon Sandoval of Makati City finished the Western States 100 in 27 hours 09 minutes, posting the fastest course record for a Philippine-based runner to have entered this prestigious international trail ultramarathon.

Last year, lawyer and ultramarathon race organizer Jonnifer Lacanlale of Clark, Pampanga made history as the first ever Philippine-based runner to have run the Western States 100. In 2012, Lacanlale finished the race in 29 hours 50 minutes 33 seconds even after suffering from two sprained ankles and altitude-induced blindness.

The Western States 100 or WS100, is one of the oldest and certainly one of the most challenging ultra trail events in the world. All within the cut-off time of 30 hours, runners must traverse the Western States Trail starting at Squaw Valley, California, and ending in Auburn, California, a total of 160 kilometers. The trail ascends from the Squaw Valley floor (elevation 6,200 feet) to Emigrant Pass (elevation 8,750 feet), a climb of 2,550 vertical feet in the first 4½ miles. From the pass, following the original trails used by the gold and silver miners of the 1850’s, runners travel west, climbing another 15,540 feet and descending 22,970 feet before reaching Auburn. Most of the trail is so remote and rugged it is accessible only to hikers, horses and helicopters.

Runners gain entry into the WS 1– by lottery, but first one must meet the qualifying standard in a qualifying run during the qualifying period. There is an official list of WS-100 qualifying ultramarathon races across the globe, including one in the Philippines – the Four Lakes 100 in Kayap, Nueva Vizcaya organized by Frontrunner Magazine.

Bataan Death March 2014

Registration for the 2014 edition of the BDM 102 KM and BDM 160 KM has just started. This gives enough time for those interested to train properly and prepare for race logistics.

Runners who want to do BDM 102 must have run a full marathon with finish time duly published and verifiable on the internet, while BDM 160 entrants must have run and finished previous editions of the BDM 102 within the cut-off time of 18 hours.

The BDM race schedules are as follows:

January 25-26, 2014 — 2014 Bataan Death March 160K Ultra Marathon Race (BDM 160)

March 1-2, 2014 — 2014 Bataan Death March 102K Ultra Marathon Race (BDM 102)

The number of participants are limited to 100 runners for the BDM 160 and 250 for the BDM 102. Unlike in previous editions where runners must signify their intention to run in writing and wait for the invitation letter from the race director, MGEN Jovenal Narcise a.k.a. Baldrunner, this year, runners must register on a first come first serve basis by paying the registration fee, even without the invitation letter. The name of the runner will appear on the list of Registered Runners on the (2014 BDM 102 or 2014 BDM 160) pages of https://www.baldrunner.com, which will be updated on a daily basis.

The registration fee for BDM 102 is pegged at P3,500, while BDM 160 costs P6,000. Registration will be closed as soon as the quota for each race is reached.

Since the registration fees are quite steep and they are non-transferable and non-refundable, be sure to train in earnest. Once you’ve registered, there’s no turning back.

If you do decide to run this race, a readback of blogs and accounts from those who already ran previous editions of BDM 102 and 160 will help you in mapping out your own training schedule and race strategy.

Reconnaissance runs or “Test Runs” have been scheduled on the following dates:

January 18, 2014—-1st “Test Run” for BDM 102/Night Run (from BDM Km 00-50)

February 9, 2014—-2nd “Test Run” for BDM 102/Day Run (from BDM Km 50-102)

December 21, 2013— “Test Run” for BDM 160/Night Run (from BDM 102-160)