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Being paired with foreigners sharing the same passion for adventure brought out the competitive nature in John Valiente, one of five Filipino thrill seekers who joined the Marlboro Adventure Team odyssey recently in Moab, Utah.

"Hindi pwedeng naiiwan-iwan ka at nagpapahinga habang ’yung mga German at ibang foreigners deretso sa lakad. Pilipino ako. Kung ano ’yung kaya nila, kaya ko rin," said Valiente, a businessman from Nueva Ecija who regularly takes trips around Metro Manila and nearby provinces aboard his 1000cc motorcycle.

The moment the Filipino adventure seekers reached Moab, Valiente and Symonette Lim, a computer programmer, were paired with other foreign participants while the rest – Wesley Chiongbian, Paqui Gonzales and Reggie Casallos – were dispersed to other teams.

That was one of the innovations MAT organizers implemented to give adventure seekers from all over the world a new dimension in a non-competitive event while discovering and exploring the place widely known as the adventure capital of the world.

Valiente, Lim, Wesley, Gonzales and Casallos stood out among some 33,000 Filipinos who vied for slots in the Philippines squad to the Moab odyssey and were rewarded with the adventure of a lifetime courtesy of Philip Morris which shouldered all their expenses.

Philip Morris Phils. Manufacturing Inc. Managing Director Chris Nelson and Marlboro Brand Manager Eric Carandang said a new set of MAT thrill seekers will be formed this year to savor the experience and challenge that Lim and her teammates went through.

Having been an extreme sports enthusiast for years, Valiente initially thought it would somehow be an easy ride but quickly learned his previous adventures paled in comparison to the grueling activities on the treacherous terrains of Moab during the 10-day odyssey.

"Kung saan-saan na ako nakarating. Nalibot ko na ang Pilipinas ng naka-motor. Pero iba ’yung MAT. Nagulat ako sa activities lalo na ’yung trekking, ang haba," said Valiente, adding he can still feel the rush of riding a 4x4 jeep that ran over 90 miles per hour in the desert sand.

He felt bad when he was not give the chance to try riding motorbikes on the dangerous trails in the mountains of Moab, but other adventure activities such as rock climbing, rafting and trekking hundreds of miles more than made up for his need for speed.

Conquering his fear of heights was also something he wasn’t expecting to accomplish, and Valiente said he actually enjoyed climbing a steep rock formation hundreds of feet high.

"Ako lang yata ang umulit pag-akyat. Kaya ko naman pala. Buti nga rin pinayagan ako ng guide," he said.

Like the rest of his teammates, Valiente said the fear and fatigue that accompanied the activities under the baking-hot desert sun-aside from the icky feeling after several days without a shower-almost disappeared every time they took a breather to appreciate the picturesque and magnificent views of Moab and the surrounding National Parks reaching elevations of 6,000 feet.