Gold rush

During Team Cebu City's guest appearance at the Scoop Forum, the longest- running sports talk show in Cebu City, we promised to bring home no less than 10 medals.  We were in the show hosted by Bobby “Knight” Inoferio at the Baseline Restaurant and aired over CCTN Channel  47.  We were poised to leave for Manila the following day for the NCR Masters Athletics Invitational Championship which unfolded at the Philsports (ultra) in Pasig City.  The trackfest was for athletes 35 years and above and had former Olympians, Asian Games and SEA Games veterans, relieving the glory days.  When Manny Ibay president of the The National Masters and Seniors  Athletics Associations of the Philippines (NMSAAP) invited us, we barely had  3 weeks to form a team and train. However my experience as  former national  coach and athlete myself proved useful as I hastily handpicked my runners.  Our team was composed of marathon and ultramarathoners (therefore a disadvantage in the sprints,) besides being first timers.  If you're a long distance runner, it's really a minus factor as you are using the slow-twitch muscles.  I scouted the opposition and found out that we could fare better in the older age groups like the 60-64 bracket.  Of course  the field was intimidating as there were the likes of Elma Muros Posadas, Sea Games medalists  John Lozada, Renato Unso, Perla Balauitan, Julio Bayaban, Emerson Obiena, Sonny Ducay and Atlanta Olympian, Roy Vence who joined the Cebu Team, being my former ward in the Nike Running Club, the winningest team in the country's marathon history with 12 consecutive crowns in the PAL Manila Marathon.  Roy drew first blood in the first event ruling the 5,000 meters (40-45).  This was followed by Tessie  Escaninas hauling the gold in the 1,500 meters (55-59) while also coming in first in the 10,000m, 400 and 800m.  Her husband Nemie (60-64) accounted for 7 medals, grabbing the gold in the 400m, 800m,1,500m, 4x100m relay,4x400m relay and annexing 2 silvers in 5,000m and and 10,000 m runs.  Runnr's Raffy Osumo had the toughest age group (50-54) but  pocketed the gold in the 200m and 400m and a silver in the 800m.  He could have gotten another gold in the 100m had he not lend his spike shoes  to a fellow Ilonggo from Bacolod. Al Geyrozaga (60-64) who got lost upon arrival in Manila, won the gold in 10,000m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay and took a silver in 200m and a bronze in 400m.  Our team were beefed by Manila-based Zardo Juaneza (60-64) and Fredo Villarta (60-64).  Juaneza, a former Gintong Alay  trainee won gold in 200m, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay while salvaging the silver in the 400.  Villarta, a former national pool athlete, ruled the 5000m walk.  But the biggest hit in the games was 77 year-old Rening Ylaya who ran out of opponents in his bracket.  Rening won the gold in 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m,4x1000m and 4x400m relays.  Despite injuries I sustained a week before the games, I managed  to win the silver in the 800m and 1,500m.  All told, we won 26 gold, 8 silver and 1 bronze medals to emerged champion.  We could have added more medals but some of our teammates failed to make it to Manila including Dr. Abe Manlawe, Ireneo Illut and Ruth Banzon. 

Bumpy road

Did you know that we had a series of misfortunes and a bumby road leading to the title?  A day before our scheduled departure, Dr. Abe Manlawe was diagnosed with a heart condition and was advised to lie low from running for  a least 3 months and refrain from joining the team to Manila.  He was supposed to accompany Rening who is naive on airport procedures having flown only once in 1957. Dr. Abe Manlawe brought him to the airport at 9:00 pm for his 3am flight.  Upon arriving in Manila he was totally at a loss as he has also failing eyesight and hearing difficulty.  Luckily Nemie  and Tess Escasinas  found him sitting in one nook of the airport when they arrived at 5:00 a.m. On the other hand, I was in a bath tub of our hotel trying out the hot water when I slipped with the  back of my head hitting the edge of the tub.  I was lucky the tub was made of fiber glass but nevertheless, I saw stars and could barely get up.  But my years of training  greatly helped as I checked on my  injury “wala man nidugo or ni bukol ang akong ulo”.  I also did not inform my team that I was a doubtful starter as the morale  might be affected.  It was Raffy Osumo who knew what happened when he saw me getting ice from the fridge.  I remember my doctor who said if you will vomit after 24 hours then you have a clot in the brain.  Luckily this did not happen and I went on to win the silver in the 800m  and 1500m.  God has really a mission for me. And I thanked him for that.

Ultras

The  Puerto Princessa Palawan 50k Ultramarathon will be staged on April 13 with two champions already registered.  Odiza Abellana, 2013 All Women Ultramarathon and 2011 Coast to Coast 65k Ultramarathon kingpin Aivan Villalion, are all set to the strut their wares.  On the other hand, registration to the 3rd edition of the Coast to Coast 65k Ultramarathon is still ongoing at Runnr Ayala. Lastly, the Visayas leg of the 1st Masters Athletics Invitational championship will be staged on June 29-30 at the Cebu City Sports Center.