Sleepless in Maasin

CEBU, Philippines - I’m always looking forward to my next trip to Maasin City in Southern Leyte. Last weekend I was off to a hectic activity that included trail   and road runs. It’s always a pleasure running in pollution - free Maasin City where you get to run along the coastal road. Actually, we were in Maasin City to pay real estate tax for my wife’s property in Ichon, Macrohon (7 kilometers from the city). Ichon, a sleepy town is home to Mike Hanopol, Mr. Jeproks himself while Silago town boasts of Regine Velasquez. Mike is a relative of my wife Sally, who says everybody in Ichon are related, from   congressmen to tricycle drivers. Some of the sporting greats who hail from Maasin are El Presidente Mon Fernandez, Olympian Jake Rojas and former tennis star Ringo Navarette. It was also perfect timing as that Friday of our arrival, the image of the Sto. Niño from Cebu visited Maasin City en route to Limasawa Island where a big celebration was to happen the following day to mark the 491st anniversary of the first mass. My previous commitment however prevented me to join some Cebu mediamen who accompanied the “Niño” in a Philippine Navy boat. I met one of the newest ultramarathoners Vilma Andales of ABS-CBN and cameraman Joel Belocura who were in Maasin too.

Trail Run

 The afternoon after our arrival, I tried a few loops in Maasin City’s first memorial park, The Assumption Garden owned by the Escaño family. The park is perched on a hill thus, allowing me to do some uphill run. The following day, I ran the 8-kilometer stretch from Ichon to Maasin City. Then last Palm Sunday, I tackled the 8-kilometer Hanginan Shrine where you   run on trail before climbing 400 steps to a small chapel named San Francisco Javier. It was a survey of sorts for my proposed trail run in the near future.   I’ll soon be talking with my good friends, City Tourism officer Willie Justimbaste and Provincial Tourism top honcho Nedgar Garvez. There are still too many places to see in Southern Leyte and this includes, The Agas-Agas Bridge in Sogod, Catbawan Waterfalls in Pintuyan, The Cambaro Caves in Macrohon (over 100 caves) and several virgin beaches, an escape from the nightmarish Boracay and Calapan. Too little time, too many places to see.

Perfect training grounds

After experiencing the terrain of Southern Leyte, we are convinced the place is a perfect training ground for swimming, biking and running. I’m planning to invite one-legged triathlete Rudy Fernandez to train there before we join the relay event of the Cobra Ironman 70.3. My wife’s ancestral house is near the beach thus, we get fresh supply of tuna and tangigue almost always. We also get   unlimited supply of buko juice and bananas where we just pick at the back of the house.

Notes:    

Registration to the Coast to Coast 65K Ultramarathon is set on April 29 is now in full blast at RUNNR Ayala Center. Congratulations to my “tokayo” Raffy Osumo for placing second in the 50-54 age category of the National Age Group Triathlon held at PlantationBay last Sunday. By the way, my new number is 0917364-4828.