Running Panglao Island: The Bohol Marathonmortgage life insurance

This 40th marathon medal has got to be one-of-a-kind. For engraved on it is the image of the Philippine tarsier, Carlito syrichta, that, at less than 6 in height, is one the the world's smallest primates. An endangered species, the Philippine tarsier is endemic to southern part of the country, notably the islands of Mindanao, Samar, Leyte, and, yes, its sanctuary of Bohol.

And the lengths I had to go just to be able to answer Phidippides' call for the 40th time. An hour's flight from Manila to Cebu, a quick taxi ride to the city's inter-island harbor, a two-hour fast ferry boat ride to Bohol's provincial capital city of Tagbilaran, a tricycle ride to the race packet claim area, and a half-hour ride to the beach resort island of Panglao.

For the marathon would start and finish at the upscale Bohol Beach Club in Panglao, famous for its white sands, pristine waters, and world class facilities. At one point in the past, I had attended a conference held right at this resort. Never had I imagined that I would be coming back some day for a vastly different reason- to run Bohol's first-ever marathon.

Arriving the afternoon before the event, I had the luxury of exploring the white sands of the Dumaluan Beach fronting the Bohol Beach Club, one of the many beaches the province of Bohol is blessed with. In the island of Panglao alone, there are many beaches frequented by local and foreign tourists- the Alona Beach, Momo Beach, and Doljo Beach.

Early Saturday evening at the Bohol Beach Club grounds was held the event's press conference. Officers of the Bohol Runners Club, the race organizers, briefed the media and runners who were around on how they envisioned this inaugural event to someday attain international status. Sponsors and local officials strongly endorsed this goal and aspiration.

The press con would be followed by a 'live cooking' pasta party, with live music provided- all for 300 PhP (less than 8 USD). Runners, sponsors, and organizers feasted on both the food and the music provided by an acoustic band. Here I met KH Ng from Hongkong who the next day would run a sub-4 for his 98th marathon! We had a few running friends in common.

For those who needed peace and quiet, there were a couple of options nearby- a seaside restaurant at the Dumaluan Beach Resort, with mellow music provided by a pair of excellent singer/ musicians, or a barbecue/grill stand on the open-air beachfront. I visited both but not for long. Like most runners staying on the beach, I called it an early night.

At 330 AM Sunday morning, the more than 200 42K runners began arriving at the Bohol Beach Club grounds for the 430 AM gun start. Those staying in the city, which was some 18 kilometers away, were provided free bus rides to the resort by the organizers. There were to be two other events later that day- a 21K and a 5K, with about 200 participants each.

Before the starting gun could be fired, however, runners had to be warmed, even fired, up by the performance of a group of young lady dancers who gamely sashayed and swayed to the tune of Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe'. So warmed up the runners became, in fact, that a few even called for an encore, almost forgetting they were yet to run a marathon!

But after a short delay and a brief fireworks display, the 200 42K runners, some coming from distant countries such as Denmark, Hongkong, Singapore, Korea, Kenya and the USA had to go their own ways. They would begin the arduous run around Panglao island, with an uphill climb on a rough road before exiting the Bohol Beach Club's gates.

Then it would be on to one of the provincial roads that circumnavigates the island. We would run mostly on two-lane highways, mostly vehicle-free probably due to race traffic management but also because this is usually the case in the all-too-familiar provincial setting, especially on an early Sunday morning.

The roads for the most part would be flat and the ambiance very typical of those found in Philippine rural areas- banana and coconut trees dotting the road sides, an animal or two crossing the road, and a beguiling silence broken only by the chirping of birds feeding on hapless worms, the barking of a dog, and the occasional crowing of a rooster.

While 95% or more of the roads would be paved, there would be stretches where roads would be under repair or flooded and thus navigable only by walking. I am sure this would have affected many a runner's finish time goals. At one of these stretches I took a photo of a travelling band on a truck cheering us on. I would see them again near the finish line.

Perhaps one of the most scenic portions was the crossing of one the two bridges that connects Panglao island with the capital city of Tagbilaran. At the end of the bridge we had to make a U-turn. Just before traversing this bridge, a travelling 'water station on a van' gave me a bottle of cold isotonic drink that I very much appreciated!

And surely the most challenging portion of the race route would be the killer uphill climb near Dauis town. I am sure the steep angle took many a runners' breath away but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience! After all, this is where men are separated from the boys! From this point on, while I would overtake several runners, I can't remember anybody overtaking me.

And while there would be no distance markers (definitely something the organizers should provide next time for the benefit of runners without GPS watches), the support from the local crew was sufficient, otherwise. There would be race marshals at the key intersections, directing traffic and runners alike. There would even be not one but two race shirts as event mementos!

Police personnel would also provide added traffic enforcement as well as security in this island that is very tourist-friendly. Aside from the Philippine tarsier and the aforementioned beaches, there is much to see in the province of Bohol- the Chocolate Hills and the centuries-old Catholic churches, just to name a few of the tourist attractions.

Local firefighters joined the fun as well. They would hose down willing runners with cold water from firetrucks to keep them from overheating on an increasingly warm day. The weather forecast had predicted a 70% chance of rain. As usual, none came and by noon, the temperature had reached the mid-30s laced with an intense humidity!

There would be no cheering squads at any point along the route. But young children would provide equally cheerful smiles while welcoming the runners silently along the roadsides. Their parents and other adults, on the other hand, watched silently from the windows of their houses or, as is wont in rural areas, on bamboo benches along the sidewalk.

The water and hydration stations would be predictable and aplenty- set up at every two kilometers. Some would also offer varying types of isotonic drinks, others served bananas and chocolates, and a few offered local delicacies. I kindly declined all food offerings and would take only the bagful waiting for me at the finish line.

And there were roving ambulances for the injured. Some stations also had ice cold-sponges and water for those in need of freshening and/or tidying up for the photo op at the finish line. I would ask for an ice sponge at one such station to cool off sensitive body parts. As I turned around to run, a camera snapped- officially immortalizing a macho but fake bulge :)!

The sun would become unbearably hot as I ran the final kilometers of the race. For the most part, I was now running solo, with a runner or two visible in the distance, both in front and behind me. Seeing the gate of the Bohol Beach Club this time in the full light of day, after almost five hours of running, meant I was just about to complete a run around an island!

The final few meters provided perhaps the only full shade along the 42K route. Not that it mattered anymore. I was again on to something this time and just had to capture the moment even if it meant losing a couple of minutes or so from my race time. I stopped, took a photo, and even had a photo taken by a friend from Manila who had raced ahead of me.

For I was finishing a second sub-5 marathon for this year after Kagay-an just three weeks before, and only two weeks after completing a grueling first 60K in faraway and scenic Aurora province. Out of 200 runners, almost a quarter would finish ahead of me led by race winner Mendel Lopez (2:46:44). More than three quarters, however, I would leave behind.

With the 40th marathon/ ultra medal secured, it was time to record the event for posterity- among others, with friend Joshua E from Davao, and Marathon Maniacs asylum-mates Danielle L., who flew all the way from Korea, and Bohol Maniac Dr. Abe Lim, also a race sponsor and the first Filipino to run all 50 US states, who that day completed his 188th 42K!

Running business done, all that was left to do was to go to the beach to draw a line in the sand and frolic in the cold sea waters. Later that day, I would ride a van back to Tagbilaran, board a ferry to Cebu, take a taxi to Mactan airport, miss my flight to Manila by a whisker, and end up buying a one-way ticket that was more expensive than my original round trip booking :(