These were three distances for me to choose from (21K, 42K, 50K) for me to join the race to Siaton. My DARS team mates were coaxing me to register for the 50K because I have been running for almost two years now. But I still didn’t think I was ready enough. Besides, I’ve really only ran three 21Ks so far. I haven’t been able to deal with the after-8am heat. So I registered for the 42K event. I was thinking, if gunstart is at 1 am, then maybe I have about seven hours to reach Siaton before 8 am.
So last April 28 at 12:30 am, my 42K journey to Siaton began at Km. 8 in Bacong.
I was just praying for an injury-free run. It was pitch-dark; the blinkers I had on were merely like fireflies. Good thing, my ever-reliable secretary Carla at Grandeur Travel & Tours helped me light up my way as she was driving her motorcycle.
Everything was fine until I reached Km. 30 where the real challenge started: the dreaded two to four-km. hills of Bondo, Siaton.
Then voila! My knight in shining armor/moral support/photographer/my husband John-John showed up, complete with water, buko juice, energy drink, etc. And he drove along as I ran the route until the finish line.
Strangely that even until Km. 45 (where I had been running 37 kilometers), I still did not feel the tiredness and pain in my body that I was earlier warned about! I was even spared of the expected luto (blisters) and pilas (chafe) on my feet.
By then, it was almost sunrise. The Siaton scenery of river, ricefields in a valley, sea on the east, mountain range on the west, thick forests , etc.was just amazingly beautiful. I started taking photos of every mojon (kilometer marker) that I passed by — if only to entertain myself.
Upon reaching Km. 48, my support crew-husband coaxed me it was just two kilometers more. I could actually almost read FINISH hanging on a streamer.
Then the agony started. My legs started to get numb. But I didn’t want to stop to rest because I knew (from experience) that if I did so, I could hardly start running again. Even my pus-on started to bother me.
I could by that time more clearly see the FINISH, but the more and bigger steps I thought I was struggling to make, the farther the streamer FINISH seemed to be. It seemed funny but I was almost crying, “Lord, help me, nagka atras ang finish line!”
Then I heard the voice of emcee Joy Quiamco announcing my bib number and my name, and it was just the sweetest feeling ever. I was elated, thinking that if I could already hear the spectators’ cheers, I must be almost at the finish line! And indeed, I finished my first full marathon after running for a good six hours-54 minutes.
(Pictures are found in http://dumaguetemetropost.com/ONe-Ultra-K-Marathon-i30-385.htm)
