Tabac, Abahan conquer Mt. Pulag challenges, obstacles

MANILA, Philippines — Seasoned bets Elias Tabac and Sandi Menchi Abahan stamped their class and ruled the 21K elite competitions in the Asian qualifying leg of the Altitude Obstacle World Series at the Mt. Pulag National Park over the weekend.

Tabac clocked 2:23:03 while Abahan submitted a time of 3:09:32 in their triumphs that earned them slots to the finals in Mt. Toubkal in Morocco in August.

Mt. Pulag, opened again for outdoor tourism activities with the easing of pandemic restrictions, served as the battleground for this regional qualifier sanctioned by the World Obstacle Federation.

Nearly a hundred obstacle course athletes including POSF national team members, elite runners, several PMA cadets and officers, obstacle race enthusiasts, and para-athletes joined the Mt. Pulag event, starting in Sitio Babalak.

They had to conquer several obstacles including monkey bars, wall climb, and balance beams around the hills of Sitio Babalak followed by a race against time to the peak of Mt. Pulag – Luzon’s second highest peak.

Finishing second place in the elite races were PMA cadet Jake Matiw and national team member Silami Apolistar-Gutang. National developmental team members Andrico Mahilum and Ruffa Sorongon completed the podium finishers.

For the shorter distance, national athlete Mervin Guarte, Sherwin Managil and Jeffrey Reginio finished 1-2-3. On the distaff side, another national team member Tess Nocyao and the national coach Christabel Martes battled for the championship with the former emerging winner by a few minutes. Melissa Campos took third place.

The second day of the event was marked by the gathering of the Philippine Trail Running Association (Philtra) members supported by the POSF and the Philippine Sports Commission.