Beating world-class runners

The final year of the PAL Manila International Marathon was held on January 19, 1997. Philippine Airlines ceased to bankroll the marathon which lasted for fifteen years due to the financial crisis. The legendary Nike Running Club has dominated the marathon, winning 12 team championships. In an attempt to end Nike’s reign, race director Rudy Biscocho announced that we will be challenged by an All-European team composed of Russians, Italians and Poles and world-class runners at that (a runner that has a best personal record of 2 hours, 20 minutes is considered world class). The Europeans were bannered by Russians Feder Ryjob and Alexei Jelonkine, Italian Guiseppe Veletti and Dariusz Dobrowski of Poland and coached by veteran Carlo Masuco of Italy.  Our team was still strong but are now getting older.  Back-to-back defending champion Rey Antoque has a hamstring injury, 1992 Barcelona Olympian Herman Suizo , 1988 Seoul Olympian Hector Begeo and Atlanta Olympian Rey Vence, were all in their mid-30’s but I still  have one more ace under my sleeve, Allan Ballester. 

Game Plan

I gathered the team and plotted our game plan.  Since Antoque was injured I instructed him to be a “rabbit” so he could burn the Europeans with a blistering pace in the first 10 kilometers before stopping. I also told Vence, Suizo and Begeo to be in the second pack but within striking distance of the foreigners. During the presscon, I did not expose Ballester thus the opposition did not recognize him. During the race, Ballester did not wear our team uniform but a faded singlet and tattered shorts. The team followed my instructions with Antoque burning the opposition in the first five kilometers. The Europeans didn’t recognize Ballester so that when they overtook him, they thought he was just a jogger that they over-lapped. It was too late when they knew Ballester was in the lead. By this time, Ballester was about 70 meters upfront.  Jelonkine  and Ryjob tried to catch Ballester to no avail.  Ballester who was then 22 years old, breasted the tape in 2:24:16 while Jelonkine settled  for second in 2:25:13 Roy Vence came in third in 2:26:48 with  Ryjob  and Veletti clocking 2:276:33 and 2:30:36 for fourth  and fifth places respectively. Begeo was the next Filipino to arrive to grab sixth place at 2:31:33, but it counted a lot.  Rules of the team championship calls for the best three aggregate clocking.  So when the smoke cleared, our team won by a hairline six seconds. Coach Masuco saluted me at the finish line for winning against a world-class team from Europe saying, the battle plan was a brilliant move. 

Hasta La Vista Tito Dodong

A sad news from Bacolod city greeted me last Wednesday, saying  that Tito Dodong Bascon has lost his battle with cancer. The last time I was in Bacolod, I visited Tito Dodong who was in a wheelchair and bit frail. The Bascons are a close family friends and business partners in our food business. My brother Joey, who is now based in Los Angeles, and Tito Nene, brother of Tito Dodong, are partners in the Ilonggo specialty restaurant, Island Grill Express. Tito Dodong a Cebuano, got the ire of Cebu fans when his team the Negros Slashers defeated the Cebu Gems to win the Southern Conference crown of the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA). Tito Dodong also supported long distance runner Eric Panique, who is from Himamaylan, Tita Mencit’s ( Tito Dodong’s wife), hometown. Panique won the Milo Marathon Manila Elimination a few years back. Tito Dodong once told me “Raf, you and Bidoy (Aldeguer) are Negros’ loss but Cebu’s gain”.  I answered back “Tito Dong you’re Cebu’s loss but Negros gain”. My deepest condolences to Tom and Tinto, Tito Nene, Tita Marilou, Nino and Hedy. Hasta La vista Tito Dodong, Rest in Peace.