A Nature Marathon in Subic Bay

The date was 1.22.12. To some, this 1-2 permutation probably had some hidden meaning in numerology. To Chinese Zodiac or Shēngxiào (生肖) believers, it marked the last day of the Year of the Rabbit. To me, it was the day I would run my second marathon for 2012 already- the Subic International Marathon in Subic Bay.

I had registered for this event the very first day registration opened in Metro Manila. While I had been to Subic a few times before, I had gone there only to either attend meetings or commune with nature in this tourist-friendly city. I wanted to add another reason for coming- to run a marathon as close to nature as can be.

With the opening of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) four years ago, travelling to Subic by car from Manila, a 110-km distance, is as short as two hours away. But for a first-time visitor, a leisurely drive on the rolling and winding highway is suggested so as to enjoy the sights especially as one approaches the bay.

When I arrived in Subic the evening before the race, it was dark already. After a quick check in at a hotel situated right at the waterfront boulevard, I immediately went to Remy Field, the race starting point, to familiarize myself with how to get there the next day. I found the stage set but organizers had called it a day.

Scouting for a place to have a pre-race dinner was not that easy. Being a tourist destination and an export processing zone with a large expat presence, Subic has lots of restaurants and cuisine there is a wide variety. Many food joints also have live performers belting out music for the young ones and once young already.

I settled for a Pinoy-style restaurant facing the waterfront, with an impressive female trio performing. The joint was noted for its specialty- carbo rich pancit bihon with matching inihaw na liempo. I reasoned that while the food was not that healthy, I will be burning the calories gained the next day anyway.

Race time for the full marathon was 0430 on a Sunday. There were 10K, 21K, and 42K events. Some 300 runners lined up at the starting line for the 42K. Many came from Metro Manila and surrounding provinces of host Zambales province and Olongapo City. A platoon or two of military cadets even joined, no doubt battle-ready.

There would also be runners from overseas- Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, USA, among other countries. I caught up with Aileen from Singapore, a fellow 5-star ranked Marathon Maniac who I've ran with in the Singapore, Hong Kong, Chiangmai, and Milo marathons. She was on to her 50-something 42K/ultra already.

And when the gun was finally fired after a short course briefing and opening ceremony, just a few minutes after half past four, runners began to run the first few kilometers on a flat, sea-level course- beginning with the rubberized track oval of Remy Field to the Central Business District and to the Subic Freeport Zone.

Then the hill climbs began. Gently at first and then angled more steeply. There would be five major peaks of up to about 140 to 150+ meters to hurdle- at 15K, 17K, 24K, 25K, and 27K. Running mostly in the dark initially, from time to time, a race-provided, generator-powered mobile street lamp would illuminate the way.

As dawn broke, runners witnessed the natural beauty of the Forest Reserve of Subic Bay- a virgin lowland dipterocarp forest covering almost 10,000 hectares of which 3,000 are closed canopy. There, wild animals roam free, including cuddly monkeys. At the Zoobic Safari resort, one can explore the forest via a "Safari Jeepney".

I was happy to have my iPod at this point run out of battery. The chirping of an assortment of birds loudly announcing the conquest of the most tender of preys and the discordant sounds of unknown insects and animals welcoming yet another new day were to me a much more grand and profound musical symphony.

It was downhill to the 21K point near another popular beachfront resort with whale and sea lion shows everyday- the Ocean Adventure, the first water marine theme park in Southeast Asia. With the bay in the background, here I would pose playfully, not knowing that the next 21K would all be uphill for me, figuratively.

For aside from the initially uphill climb on the return back to Remy, my left ankle and calf would bother me the rest of the way. It would have been nicer at this point to have just turned left to Adventure Beach as directed or head on to the Subic Treetop Adventure resort for some trekking and tree walking activities.

But the race I had to finish for I do not give up that easily. It was at this point that I switched from an all-run strategy that allowed me to cover the first 21K  in 2 hours and 15 minutes, despite the photo-taking stops and the course being hilly, to a mostly-walk-and-sometimes-run strategy to lessen the shin pain felt already.

The regularly spaced hydration stations that served both water and Pocari Sweat electrolyte drink, with some stands even offering bananas and saltine crackers, were always a welcome sight on the way. I stopped at almost all of them and, thanks to the race personnel, avoided overheating on a very hot and humid day.

And at the second U-turn slot for the 42K, a few runners told me how pleased they were to have the only photographer of the race at this point in me. I obliged and took a few of their photos. Little did they know though that I had a brand new camera with me that I still did not know how to use correctly.

As the course was a loop, the next few kilometers would be downhill as it was uphill the other way. We would again pass by the forest that is home to 745 plant species. From the signs one surmised that animals also held sway. In fact, hiking the mountains of Zambales is a good way to explore nature's biological diversity.

One popular Subic activity is the Jungle Environment Survival Training (JEST) camp. Indigenous peoples called Aetas demonstrate techniques on building a fire, cooking rice and viands using twigs and bamboo, and making soap from gugu vines- 'simple living' rules passed on to American soldiers to survive Vietnam's jungles during the 1960s.

A few more kilometers of running and walking and I was back to the sea level altitude of Subic Bay. Near the Subic International Airport, that operates direct flights to Macau and Seoul and a few other local tourist-favorite cities, a fire truck sprayed cold water to runners wanting to cool off their very hot bodies.

The remaining run would be uneventful and would simply take us back to where we started earlier that day. Runners were well dispersed by this point, some hobbling with injuries. Thankfully, policemen assigned to keep the race course orderly continued to hold their ground even if the sun was becoming unbearably unfriendly.

The sight of blue waters with anchored yachts near the Subic harbor meant that I was down to my last few Ks. The deep and natural harbor that opens up to the South China Sea and the surrounding mountain ranges provide excellent shelter to ships moored in the bay. Thus, for 50 years, Subic was a port of call for the US Navy.

The last 100 meters of the marathon involved running half a lap on the rubberized track of Remy field. At this point, no other runners could be seen ahead or behind me. I felt quite pleased just to have survived this year's second marathon, just five weeks after getting the ankle injury at the Fubon Marathon in Taipei.

The reward, waiting at the finish arc, was more than enough to compensate for the hassles experienced that day- a 27th medal for running different marathons in different cities and countries. And as if this was not enough already, thanks to the race organizers eXtribe, I also got my first-ever dog tag emblazoned with a '42K'!

After  having experienced Subic in a vastly different way- close to nature on foot for most of 42K- I drove back to Manila the afternoon of the very same day. A heavy workload was waiting to be finished by Chinese New Year the very next day. No worries. Natural and a thing of beauty, the Subic marathon experience refreshed me immensely and would be remembered truly.

Never mind that it was a whirlwind affair with nature only!