Men's Health All Terrain

I have been in a running hiatus for like 2 months already. I knew I needed to get back on my feet soon, and I would be more motivated to do so if I join a really great race. So, I’m returning to the sport by joining the Men’s Health All-Terrain Race on May 16. It will be Men’s Health 5th anniversary, and they will celebrating it with an all-new trail in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna on May 16, at 5am.

Nuvali is an eco village being developed by Ayala Lands, and they have opened their territory for this exciting event. In this vast and naturally rich site, runners and bikers will get to experience running and riding on pavements, dirt roads and grass lands.

I wouldn’t be as enthusiastic as now if I wasn’t there to see a sneak preview of how the terrain will look like. Men’s Health was gracious enough to arrange a 6K trial run for us and the test run was fantastic.

The terrain in Nuvali comprises of 3 types as I mentioned earlier. Pavements, grass and dirt. Majority of the trail will be dirt. What this means is depending on the weather, the dirt could be wet and slippery, or it could be thick and uneven. For those who might be interested in running using an ordinary running shoe might find this doable, if the weather conditions are right. Also, runners and bikers should be prepared for a really hot weather since the trail is an open area. That means, you wouldn’t have the luxury of trees to cover you.

Participants may choose to run the 6-kilometer, 10-kilometer or 16-kilometer trail course, or ride their bikes on the 20-kilometer or the 40 kilometer route. But for those up for the challenge, there is also the option to do both the 10-kilometer trail run and the 20 kilometer bike ride.

Here are the registration details from Men’s Health:
Registration is now ongoing at Aktiv Sports and Lifestyle Centers in Trinoma and Festival Super Mall, ROX in Bonifacio High Street and at the Summit Media Office at the 7th Floor of Robinsons Cybergate Tower 3, Pioneer St., Mandaluyong, City. Deadline of registration is on May 7, 2010.

Oh btw, more prizes will be given out. There will be Top 5 prizes for each category.

See you guys there.

Men's Health All Terrain Race 2009

If your up for another trail running experience, we have one who's race date is closer than you think.

This is the Men's Health All Terrain! This is organized by Coach Rio and Vince Mendoza of Finish Line, so expect a great racing event. :)

TNF 100 Experience - Conquering the trails

It was a weekend experience for our family to spend time at Clark Pampanga. It's all because of one single event called The North Face 100. The race was to be a memorable experience for my wife as much as for me for two reasons. First it was her first 10 kilometer run, and it was her first trail event.

We arrived at the venue around 4:45 am. We saw runner and blogger friends Jerry and Marga. We had our race bib checked and stayed in the car for a short nap after. After being powered up by the short nap we went to the starting line and saw some friends: Jaymie, her husband and Jun.

The first set of runners were the 21K runners. After 10minutes it was our turn. The first 1km of the race was pure road. As we reached the area where we are to go down the sacobia bridge there was a bit of traffic due to the narrow path leading down the bridge. The next set of trail until kilometer 5 was a sandy trail. Some parts of the trail have ankle high flowing water that we needed to pass by. It was at kilometer five were it was inevitable that our shoes and socks were to get wet. After 5 kilometer, we need to hike a little bit up the mountain and run the muddy trail until we reach back the sacobia bridge heading to the finish line. It was an amazing experience for me and my wife. As for how the race was organized it was organized pretty well even if the there were unforseen circumstances that happened the day before the race. Such as the heavy rain that poured and destroyed the water stations. But as far as me and my wife's experience is concerned, there seemed to be ample suply of water and Gatorade.

After the race was also a treat thanks to Ben's PhotoVendo that took very nice pictures of us after the race. There were also lots of supply of gatorade and energy bars.

Now I can't wait for the next TNF100. Where would it be next?

The Northface 100 Trail Run Nasugbu Batangas

I've wanted to try trail running for the longest time. It is the perfect combination of nature and running. Yes I love running, and I also enjoy hiking. So the best part about the TNF100 is I get to do nature tripping and running all together.

We arrived at Evercrest Nasugbu Batangas which was the venue of the race event around 3am. I was with 4 people in the trip. I was with Edward, Greg, Atty Arnie and Reva.

We were too early so we had to nap for an hour before we started getting our race numbers. Apparently, there were some mixed-up with me and Reva's race numbers. We were expecting to be included in the 20K race but we eventually found out we were registered for the 10K. We had to ask the race organizers to switch back our race category to 20K. To cut the long story short, we still got to run the 20K.

So the race started with an uphill route. Then the road vanished the next thing you know we were running in mud. At first you would notice how the runners would try to avoid the mud. But when our shoes got so soaked with mud during the run, no one already minded the dirt.

I was to assist Reva for the whole 20K. I helped her carry her belt bag containing sports drink, chocolates, make up kit and lipstick (hehe I was kidding about the makeup kit and lipstick). The race was extremely different from the other races that I've joined, making this run my 2nd favorite race (next to my first marathon at pasig). The terrain was so muddy and slippery. There were plenty of uphill (especially the last part of the 10K loop where it was like 3KM all uphill). We also had to cope with the situation when it rained when we were at the 5KM mark. Somewhere at 7KM there was a steep descent and so we needed to slowly go down in order to avoid injuries. The bad news is if we are to steeply go down, then you expect a steep incline. Surely there was a steep incline and we were no longer running but climbing. Then the last 3K for the first loop was all incline perhaps around 30 degrees incline. After reaching the turn around it was time to do the grueling loop once again. This time it was harder since the mud became muddier and more slippery. It was maybe because of the rain. I was keeping an eye of our back if there are other women following us, but it looks like all is clear. It looks like Reva is way in front of other women runners. Slowly we reached the finish line very happy with what we just experienced. And oh, btw Reva garnered the 3rd women overall position. Congratulations to Reva. Congratulations also to all the finishers especially those who finished the 100KM solo. 20KM of trail is hard enough. Imagine running 100KM of mud trail. These guys are absolutely awesome!

The next part was also great. We bonded and ate Bulalo at Tagaytay. :)

The North Face 100

Are you strong enough to take the challenge? I hope ill be. This is the North Face challenge. There is the 100KM course relay and a 20K and 10K run. If your tired of flat surfaces then this is for you where you will experience rolling terrains. I might join the 20K. If you are up to the challenge of running 50K then you can take the 100KM relay challenge. The 100KM relay will be a two person race where each person will run 50K.

The registration is now open at ROX.

For more info and to get the registration forms, visit