Phl wins Team Country Prize, Asian Winner in 2013 Subaru Palm Challenge Finals

Singapore— Sleepless nights, hunger pangs, aching joints and rain checks for the bathroom—these are yet only a few elements of the seemingly wild, annual Subaru Palm Challenge. Now running on its 12th year, the 2013 grand final was again held at the  Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza in Singapore, right in front of Takashimaya Mall, in the last weekend of October. A total of 400 participants battled it out (310 from Singapore and 90 from other Asian countries) in an epic endurance challenge that required contestants to keep their palms fastened onto a parked Subaru vehicle for the longest possible time. And this is no game for big babies—the endurance challenge lasted for over three days, non-stop.

Of course there are humanitarian breaks—a modest five minutes to do anything and everything—every 6 hours. Other than that, it is a hardcore standoff which is perhaps more mind over matter than anything else. There is no roof or tent for the participants to find refuge under. The venue is simply an open space with 10 Subaru vehicles parked adjacent to each other. Each vehicle is assigned 40 contestants around it; and the designated hand position of each participant is determined by the corresponding hand sticker on the car (over which they must permanently rest their palms for the duration of the game) which are marked with numbers, and to which contestants are randomly assigned.

But what could possibly motivate a slew of people to subject themselves to such a grueling physical trial, you ask? Why, the promise of winning a brand new Subaru Impreza or Subaru Forester, of course! Because the last person standing gets to take home the car (an Impreza 2.0i 6-speed manual worth P1,158,00 or a choice between that or a Forester 2.0i Premium for a Singaporean winner), and every last survivor of each competing country also wins cash prizes (SGD $1,000 each). On top of that, there is also an ‘Asian Winner’ title—awarding SGD$5,000 to the last non-Singaporean contestant standing; and a ‘Country Team Winner’ title—awarding SGD$10,000 to the country team whose members have the longest, combined total standing time. There were also special prizes given away every 12 hours—a first in the Subaru Palm Challenge, to celebrate its 12th successful year of running the competition – which included: lifestyle vouchers, an Osim uAngel cushion, a GPS, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.0, an in-car video camera, and a 16GB iPod Touch.

This year, the grand winner was 43-year-old Singaporean real estate agent Yusman Wright, who registered a total standing time of 75 hours and 1 minute. He beat 7-time repeat-contestant Sunawr Ali, also from Singapore, who took the title of 1st runner-up. Singapore has since been the undefeated country, but to get a better perspective, you must realize that their sheer volume of participants alone increases their chances of winning tremendously. Nevertheless, this year has been the closest the Philippines has ever come to winning—with 31-year-old Filipino Alex Neblasca fighting his way to 3rd place!

There is no official prize for the 3rd placer, but Neblasca does consequently win the Asian Winner and Country Winner titles, thereby earning him a total of SGD$6,000 in cash prizes. On top of that, the 10 Filipinos who participated (including Neblasca) also get to evenly split the cash prize of SGD$10,000 for being the Country Team Winner—cumulatively registering a total of 518 hours and 41 minutes, standing time for Team Philippines.

“The contestants this year demonstrated great determination,” remarked Tan Chong International Limited Executive Director, Glenn Tan. “I’m also amazed at how the two local contestants pulled through the final hours of the Challenge as they went head-to-head. Yusman’s great persistence to hold on paid off and I congratulate him for winning the Challenge after his fifth attempt,” he added.

This MediaCorp Subaru Challenge proved to be one of the most dramatic in the competition’s 12-year history, as three contestants dropped out after fainting in the arena, and several others exhibited hallucinations from sleep deprivation—including a Filipino who relayed how he slowly witnessed his hand turn into a juicy piece of fried chicken.

Medics were on standby for the entire duration of the challenge, but there were no reported serious injuries sustained by any of the participants.

“I feel very lucky for all the support I have received from the audience,” shared last-Filipino-standing Alex Neblasca. “The positive encouragement from everyone motivated me to push on. And together with my training and dieting, my body has been conditioned to last for over 70 hours. I am delighted that I beat my personal record of 64 hours and I hope to win the Challenge next year!” he exclaimed.

This year’s Philippine contingent, which includes participants from Cebu, Davao and Pampanga (provincial legs) for the first time, is one of the most—if not the most—tightly knit in the history of our Philippine delegations. After finally being disqualified from the game on his 64th hour, Alex was merrily received by his Filipino teammates who showered him with words of praise for his amazing feat. They excitedly escorted him to the recovery area and like real brothers, requested if they could massage the relieving ointment into his legs, and cater to his first-aid needs themselves.