Finale of Cebu ultramarathon trilogy gets underway today in Tabuelan

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Ultra Runners Club's Ultramarathon Trilogy in Cebu fires off its final leg at 6:00 tonight with 204 brave men and women joining in the battle from Tabuelan north of Cebu to The Family Park in Brgy. Talamban, this city.

Out of the 204 confirmed entries, 58, including Andy Tonacao and Virgie Parejenog, are eyeing to complete the trilogy.

The first leg was staged on June 30 last year in Pinamungajan, while the penultimate leg was held in Alcoy last November 17.

It's going to be a very exciting finale even if it still covers the same 100-kilometer distance as the participants will negotiate a different route with the Trans-Central Highway a make or break spot.

First leg top finisher Jieter Bada returns to action after missing the second leg, while Tonacao guns for back-to-back victories.

In the distaff side, the early favorites include Parajenog and second leg winner Rhodora Oporto.

All eyes are also on Fong Sang Lai, an entry who is registered under Team Malaysia, on how he would fare in this grueling race of stamina, endurance and mental toughness.

Overall, a total of 40 running clubs are represented in the final leg including from Bohol, Davao, and Tacloban.

A cut-off time of 20 hours will be enforced by the organizers.

Aside from bringing one's own hydration pack, headlamps, blinkers and a cellphone, organizers are also encouraging participants to bring rain coats as a rainy weekend is expected.

During the race proper, runners must make their presence known at all time stations located along the route. Like the previous editions, secret marshalls will be deployed to make sure no one will cheat. (FREEMAN)