Ultramarathon draws 180 entries

CEBU, Philippines - Everything is already in place for the country’s first all-Women 50K Ultramarathon this Saturday night starting at the Ayala Center Cebu grounds and ending at the Carancho Beach Resort in Mactan Island.

Action gets underway at 10 pm on March 10 and is expected to end at 8 am the following day.

The organizers decided to hold the event at night mainly because most of the participants are beginners. They may not be able to withstand the heat of the sun if it will be staged during daytime.

As disclosed by the primovers of the event in a press conference yesterday at Laguna Garden Cafe in Ayala, a total of 180 runners coming from Cebu, Manila, Davao, Dumaguete, Bohol and Bicol region will take part in the lung-busting race.

Some Singaporean and Japanese nationals have also signed up for the event organized by at least 22 running groups in Cebu led by the Cebu Ultra Runners Club and the Ungo Runners Club.

The youngest registered runner is 16 years old, while the 57-year-old Sheila Colmenares is the oldest.

“Hopefully all the participants will be able to finish the race. More to it, we are challenging them to finish before the cut-off time [of 10 hours],” said Joel Garganera, one of the organizers.

A crown and a scepter await the top finisher, while all the finishers will get a specially-designed medal. - THE FREEMAN