Ultra trail adventure opens in October

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2016/10/09/ultra-trail-adventure-opens-october-502516
• Monday, October 10, 2016

By Abigail Viguella

ORGANIZERS are expecting at least 450 outdoor adventure enthusiasts to visit Cagayan de Oro City as the country’s 4th ultimate trail-run adventure will open this month.

The Ultra Trail Mapawa 2016 will have better and more exciting race features than that of the past three years, promised the event organizers.

"This year, we made sure that the Ultra Trail Run will be so much different than last year. In fact, from it being only 40 kilometers last year, we decided to put it at 50 kilometers so that it will be more challenging for the participants," said Dax Ang of Davao Adventurex.

The trail run will feature this city’s natural treasure, the Mapawa Nature Park at Malasag, Barangay Cugman, this city. This event is one of the biggest and most anticipated outdoor events. The Ultra Trail Mapawa has even become one of the Asia Trail Master official events.

The Asia Trail Master is a yearly series of trail running events across Asia featuring an annual championship ranking and lifetime achievement awards for its hall of famers. Aside from Kagay-anons and participants coming from different parts of the country, the organizers are also expecting runners from countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

The trail run will comprise of three categories, namely: the 50-kilometer Ultra Trail Run, the 15-kilometer Night Trail Run and the 5-kilometer Fun Trail Run. It is open for all outdoor adventure enthusiasts and will be held on October 29 to 30.

The 5-kilometer Fun Run will have its gun start at 6 A.M. on October 30. The organizers view this category as a possible team-building or outdoor family activity for its participants. Children can join the race as long as they have at least one adult companion. There is no cut-off time for the participants to finish the race and one aid station which will give hydration and other necessities will be available at three kilometers.

The 15-kilometer Night Trail Run is a first in Northern Mindanao and the organizers are very optimistic about its success at Mapawa Nature Park.

The race will start at 5 p.m. or at sunset on October 29 and is estimated to last at most four hours for normal trailers. There are three aid stations for this race. Participants are advised to practice extreme caution and preparation. They are encouraged to bring gears that can aid trailing in the dark such as blinkers, headlamps, and whistles.

"We can actually see that most prospective participants are very excited for the 15 Km Night Trail Run. Aside from it being the only night trail run in the region, indeed, participating in an organized race at night is very new and fun," added Ang.

The third category, the 50-kilometer Ultra Trail will have its gear check at 2 a.m. and will start at 3 a.m. on October 30 and will last for up to 15 hours. The Ultra Trail however, will have cut-offs for each of its five aid stations.

"For example, in the first 10 kilometers, only the top 50 participants will only be allowed to continue and the succeeding runners will be asked to stop. This is to make it easy for both the organizers and the participants to finish the race because fifty kilometers is really hard to finish, said Ang.

“By cutting off participants, organizers will know those who are really capable to finish the race and it will also not be a burden for the organizers to wait for all the runners to finish," Ang said.

Ang added that the 2000-hectare Mapawa Nature Park offers so many obstacles in the race from high points to rivers, close canopies, plain roads and trails, and parts with too much vegetation. Aside from it being one of the supreme outdoor activities, Ultra Trail Mapawa also aims to bring its participants closer to the environment and its preservation.

Before the race events start, organizers will check their imposed mandatory gears and medical check-ups to the participants.

Runners should have at least one liter of hydration, blinkers, headlamps with extra batteries, trail food, whistle, wind proof jackets, headwares such as caps or bandanas, and mobile phones with full charge and load. The organizers will also require medical certificates along with the registration forms in the sign-up areas.

Ang also stressed that if participants are discovered to have faked their health conditions, are under the influence of alcohol during the race, or if they try to tamper with the directional signage for the runners, they will be forced to stop.

Registration fees are P1, 500 for the 50-kilometer Ultra Trail, P800 for the 15-kilometer Night Trail Run and P600 for the 5-kilometer Fun Run/Hike with 150 slots for each category.

"We are inviting Kagay-anons to experience the Ultra Trail on October 29 and 30. We are very excited about this event and we hope that we can share this world-class outdoor experience to Filipinos," Dax Ang added.