VALENCIA, NEGROS ORIENTAL — Sixty-eight endurance runners from Negros Occidental, Cebu, Zamboanga, Samar, and Negros Oriental competed last week in the ‘Chada Valencia’ 50-Kilometer Ultramarathon.
The challenging out-back route started at 8p.m. of Dec. 10 at Forest Camp, traversed downward towards Palinpinon, via Lake Balantian in Malaunay, all the way up to the turning point at Sitio Malabago in barangay Dobdob, the last barangay of the mountain town of Valencia.
The runners ran the course with terrain ranging from cemented roads to muddy soil and rocky ground, with an elevation of 1,240 meters above sea level.
The temperature that evening reached 18°C. Local ultra runner Joyce Solomon said it was her first time to run an ultra wearing a windbreaker.
With a cutoff time of 15 hours (or 11 a.m. of Sunday, Dec. 11), the race officially ended as soon as the last two runners from Cebu and Dauin crossed the finish line after a race time of 13 hours-30 minutes.
Of the total number of registrants, 67 runners completed the V50 RaceUltramarathon course within 13 gruelling hours; one DNF (Did Not Finish).
The results for Overall Men:
Champion: Virgilio Undaloc Jr. (Samar) at 5:42:41
1st runner up: Rodney Cris Ortega (Cebu City) 6:08:38
2nd runner up: Joseph Heyres (Bacolod) 6:23:02
Overall Women:
Champion: Ma. Christine Colmenares (Cebu) 7:42:54
1st runner up: Michelle Wong (Bacolod) 8:20:43
2nd runner up: Rizalyn Lauron (Cebu) 8:27:37
The V59 Ultramarathon was hosted by Forest Camp and the municipal government of Valencia headed by Mayor Junjun Teves.
Support were provided by the Valencia Rural Health Unit, the Oriental Negros Sports Emergency Responders (ONeSER), the Philippine National Police-Valencia, and the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. Team PutoSik and the MetroDumaguete Running Club provided technical assistance. The Communication support was managed by the Negros Oriental Radio Amateurs of District 7 (NORAD), the Parish Emergency Response Unit of Valencia (PERUV), Recon Communication Active Response Team (CART)-7, and the Aid Station marshals from Trihedron Gamma Phi-Valencia chapter, and the barangays of Dobdob and Malaunay.
The very first Valencia 50K Ultramarathon was started eight years ago in 2014 by Race Director Paultom Paras. (Buddy Vicuña, V50 race director)
