NEVER STOP EXPLORING
Ultras are not for the faint of heart, and definitely not the TNF100 Philippines. Han, Adrian and Wendi took the ultimate test of endurance among Philippines’s top ultrarunners in the Nuvali-Tagaytay-Batangas challenge.
From left to right, Ken Co, the Regional Brand Manager of TNF, Lew Kin Fei from TNF Malaysia, Wendi Sia (22k), Wong Hu Chung, TNF100 Philippines Champion from Hong Kong, Tiang Boon Han (100k) and Adrian Jeyakumar (50k) were with us throughout this TNF100 journey in the Philippines.
Tiang Boon Han, 39 – 100K
The longest distance that I’ve run on trail was 50k. This was my first 100k attempt at trail. I found the route too tough. Not having enough rest the day before, as we were traveling the whole day from KL to Manila to the venue, took a toll on me. The 100k route turned into more jungle terrains after about 15km into the race.
By the 3rd station, a lot of runners took a DNF already. Most worried about the route being dangerous and the given time would not be enough. At one point, there was a vertical climb, but there was nothing to hold on to. It was very, very hot.
There’s also the dry river with big rocks in it. Imagine if it rained, it could be really, really dangerous.
I’ve already heard from my friends that TNF100 Philippines was absolutely tough. It was a tough call, but for me, if you can’t go on, just stop. As a first-timer, too, a lot of things didn’t make sense.
I would train for it and maybe challenge the 50k first next year. I want to explore. I want to try. TNF Philippines really dares one to an incredibly tough challenge.
It’s all about challenging yourself. Don’t fear to fail. Gain experience and do better next time.
Adrian Jeyakumar, 43 – 50K: 10:17:26
This was my first international race overseas, also my first 50k, although I’ve done a 100k before.
Flying in on the day before the race was tough. The long up and down drive from Tagaytay Highlands caused me stomach upset the night before the race. We didn’t have enough time to rest for the race, on top of skipping breakfast the following morning.
Aside from the misses on information dissemination such as during the race briefing, they should post complete pre-race information on their website. Other than that, the marshals were all excellent and so as the people I’ve met along the course.
In my mind when I woke up, just go out and do it. The worst case would be a DNF. I was all good right up to 20km. After that, the hills came in, really bad hills, all the way up to Tagaytay Highlands. At that point, I asked myself, what did I get myself into? But I met up with some other runners and we’re all like: let’s just go baby steps up to Tagaytay Highlands checkpoint. From there, let’s see what happens.
The race camaraderie was simply brilliant. I was racing alone. I didn’t know a single person. Now, after finishing the race, I can easily name ten people I met on the trail.
There was basically about 2km of river running. That was really bad as there was no clear trail to get into. Oh, the hills were absolutely steep. In fact, it’s mostly hills. But the views, they were spectacular. I stopped to take a couple of pictures!
I met a couple of villagers who were just cheering us on, too! Kids were coming outside and giving us high fives as we went on.
We had great food on the trail. We had bananacue on the trail. A lifesaver! George, a Filipino runner, introduced me to it. It’s fried banana, dipped in liquid brown sugar. It was only 20php (less than RM2) and it comes with water.
TNF100 Philippines is tough.
It was a big sigh of relief to see the base tent as I was coming down the main road. One guy said, Yes, that’s the finish line over there! That’s it, I let go.
Wendi Sia, 23 – 22K: 3:35:14
I usually run on the road and I can easily recognize the ones in KL. Here, you don’t know where you’re going. I like that element of surprise. You turn here, you see a wooden bridge; turn there, and a cow passes by you.
This 22km route is good for first-time trail runners, as it’s generally flat. The uphill was not much of a hike and it’s less than 200 meters.
The villagers were friendly, throwing us their morning greetings. Some would even talk to me in Tagalog.
When I hit 12km, that’s when my toes started to feel numb, but my thighs and calves were still okay. It would be totally different if it were raining; there’s a high chance of slipping.
I was expecting more hills. It would be both fun and challenging, especially in that heat. It was hot, but I didn’t sweat as much. Not as much as I would in Malaysia.
I would do it again next year. I might just try the 50k.
