The CIHM (Corregidor International Half Marathon) was the year-end race that almost never was. My friends and I had decided to run right after we'd run in Camsur in September. It was quite expensive, at P2,500 for early registration, but we figured the overall package -- roundtrip ferry transfers, an official backpack and drifit shirt, a humongous medallion (shown to us during orientation), buffet lunch, and the chance to visit the last bastion of freedom during second World War would be worth it. However, due to budget and/or time constraints (it was held during the weekend right before Christmas), quite a few people backed out. About a month before the run, there were in fact rumors of the event getting canceled, though they were quickly dispelled by the organizers themselves.
The CIHM marked many firsts. It was my first trail run (even if trail comprised only about 20 - 30% of the race). It was my first trip to "The Rock." CIHM was also the first race I'd ever joined with a cut-off: we were supposed to have crossed the 10k mark at 10:45 AM, after which all runners would be "netted." This gave us an hour and fifteen minutes to finish the first ten kilometers. This was easily attainable, but rumor had even the most hardcore of runners cursed Corregidor's hills, so I was thinking my two prior half marathons might not have prepared me enough for what lay ahead.
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| Corregidor's Eternal Flame, said to symbolize eternal freedom. |
I didn't get that much sleep the night prior to the run, and for the first time I almost missed a run. My friend Mich and I were both knocked out and thankfully our friend Ron woke us up with a phone call. We panicked and were up and out of the house in fifteen minutes to meet up with Ron and another friend James. Panic number two came at the port when we realized realized we hadn't been given ferry tickets, but that was quickly resolved since we had our bib numbers anyway. The ferry trip wasn't all that smooth. It was raining slightly when we left the port, so I'm glad the Bonamine I'd taken eventually knocked me out.
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| The Ferry by Star Cruises. I hate my seasickness. |
Overcast weather greeted us in Bataan, which we were happy about since it meant it wouldn't be as hot as we'd feared an 8 AM guntime would be. When we got off the ship, I could finally feel the slight excitement while the fear faded a bit once I started seeing familiar faces. And while waiting for the starting gun to fire, I couldn't help but feel that despite all the hill training I still hadn't prepared enough for this race.
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| Welcome to Corregidor! |
I didn't really have much of a choice, however, and once the gun had sounded I could feel myself getting dragged to the end of the pack while hating myself for failing to warm up for the nth time, especially since after a few meters, the first of Corregidor's hills greeted us.
The first four or five kilometers were quite fuzzy to me. I remember being greeted by inclines almost immediately and passing Malinta Tunnel, which served as a bombproof shelter during the World War and as the headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth government under President Manuel L. Quezon. Malinta Tunnel featured replicas of various prominent figures in Philippine history. It was dark in the tunnel, which made it difficult to run too fast, but it was worth the experience.
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| As you can see, it was dark. |
I do remember passing through trees and seeing a few ruins along the way, but I could only glance at them as there was no time to stop. There were old weapons, batteries, and a lot of u-turns, but I was kind of expecting the latter since they'd mentioned we'd have to collect seven different-colored strings along the way.
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| Turnaround point. |
I should also mention that the hills seemed endless, and that I had that familiar "why on earth am I torturing myself this way again" thought echoing through my mind again. At the same time I felt quite thankful for all the hill training I'd done in the months leading up to the race. I forced these thoughts to melt into my fast and perky music playlist, hoping the tunes would make the torture easier. I stopped at almost every hydration station (there were more than enough stations, I must say) and treated myself to water and bananas along the way to ease the boredom.
After the fifth kilometer or so, I suddenly felt myself getting inexplicably lighter and I was off. It also helped that there was a soft breeze while the view cleared up and runners were treated to a majestic view of the ocean. And I was treated to my first taste of trail running, across barren fields and tall grasses. It felt good not feeling the impact of concrete or asphalt against my feet (and more importantly, my knees). I actually turned off my music a couple of times and I still didn't get bored. I also encountered my friend Alain, who was also my pacemate during the Adidas King of the Road (my first half-marathon). After a bit more running, I saw the 10k marker. I had no idea what time it was, but I couldn't help but let out a soft "Yes!" upon seeing that the bright orange net (yes, there was a literal net) was still folded up and hanging from the tree on the side. I could take it as easy as I wanted and I would still get that pretty 21k medallion!
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| Trail running with Alain :) |
I also noticed that runners seemed to disperse after the 10k mark. Perhaps most of them started taking it easy knowing they'd beat the time limit. There were still hills, hills, and more hills, but in any case nature continued to provide a feast to the eyes, with trees providing ample shade even as the sun's rays continued to shine brighter. And after a few more kilometers, we had the rare opportunity to marvel at the famous Mile-Long Barracks. I also encountered my friends James and Ron, so we had a blast with taking photos again.
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| Smile for the camera! With Ron (L) and James (R). |
We ran many more kilometers of running road and trail, but I didn't feel the distance as much anymore. And considering it was already quite late, the heat was perfectly bearable, and there was in fact a slight breeze. We passed Malinta Tunnel again, and having been exposed to copious amounts of sunlight, it became more difficult for us to navigate through the tunnel since it felt darker than before.
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| KM 18. |
As we passed through more trail and road, I knew I still hadn't seen the worst, and guessed that it was coming, since I'd heard many horror stories about it. And finally, there it was: Corregidor's famous killer hill that boasted a sixty-degree slope, the hill which had humbled even the most hardcore of runners and athletes. I'd think to say that I'd topple over if I stood on the hill without controlling my weight would be no exaggeration. I didn't see a single person run the hill; in fact I passed someone else walking along the way and we could only exchange sheepish grins.
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| Killer hill...run me and you die! (This picture doesn't give it justice.) |
After that I was home free. I actually had enough stamina in me to the sprint to the finish line, but I was embarrassed since I was the only runner around at that time and all eyes were on me so I picked up my pace just slightly instead, and graciously accepted the medallion and a free visor upon crossing the finish (which, by the way, was HEAVY). I'd clocked in at 2:39:30, and I have to say I was feeling an extraordinary runner's high.
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| Roses for the ladies! |
After meeting up with the rest of my friends, we took a few snapshots and then dressed up then headed to claim our other reward, a lunch buffet that was part of the race package. There wasn't anything special about the food, but it tasted extraordinarily good. I had to go back for a second serving to satisfy my craving.
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| Photowall/camwhoring with Mich! |
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| Ravenous! |
We still had a few hours before the ferry back to Manila so we sprawled on the benches and tables to rest our legs and eyes a bit, and we finally got bored we decided to take the guided tour of Corregidor in order to better appreciate the monuments and sights we'd encountered. The passengers of our bus seemed exhausted though, each time the tour guide asked us to get down for photo opportunities we barely budged and there seemed to be a mutual understanding among the members of our group that we were just plain tired. After a bit more of waiting we were finally called to board our ferry. I got knocked out almost immediately after boarding, and when I woke up we were almost in Manila. We were starved by then and treated ourselves to a hefty dinner at Teriyaki Boy before heading home.
That said, I give you a rating of the race:
HYDRATION: 8/10
Water was overflowing, yes, but I passed a few stations where you had to wait. Bananas, cut up into manageable portions, were overflowing as well, and there was a honey station. I kind of regret getting a honey packet, though, for a while I couldn't find a place to throw away the packet, and unlike most races I couldn't just throw the plastic away; I felt I'd be desecrating the place. There were also sports drinks, albeit a bit diluted.
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| Gatorade, albeit a bit diluted. |
ROUTE: 10/10
This race takes definitely gets the best route of the year award in my book. This was probably the only race of the year during which I had to turn off my music several times in order to better appreciate the sights. Although this race began at 9AM, an hour that would normally scorch, the heat was perfectly bearable and there was in fact a cool breeze.
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| Nature at its best! |
ORGANIZATION: 7/10
The actual organization was almost flawless. The organizers were easy to reach in case of questions, the runners' orientation and race kit distribution went smoothly, and this was the first race I'd encountered where the results were released the AFTERNOON of the race (via SMS, e-mail, and their official site). The hydration was sufficient and the trails were obviously cleared for the runners. The only problem was coordination with Sun Cruises. The wait for the ferry trip was unnecessarily long (marketing ploy?), they couldn't find our names on the passenger manifest (though this was resolved within a couple of minutes), and the ferry left Manila late.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 9/10
A race backpack, a very pretty medallion, a drifit shirt, RFID timing device, roundtrip transfers, no smog (the good and bad "scents of nature" were all we could smell), island closed off to outsiders. Plus, we discovered a day tour of the island alone would already cost P2,000. P2,500 is steep, yes, but we could very clearly see where the money went, although they might considering doing away with some of the freebies to lower the price and encourage more runners to participate next time. (And yes, I still prefer singlets to shirts.)
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| Our MEDALLION + the seven strings. |
OVERALL RACE EXPERIENCE: 10/10
The Corregidor International Half-Marathon was the perfect race to cap off 2010. More than the best route award, I'd say the CIHM deserves the prize for the year's best race overall. It was a challenging race (who could forget that dark tunnel and the killer hills?), it was fun (it helped that I was in good company; let's just forget the panic of not waking up in the morning), and it served as a trip that encouraged historical/cultural appreciation (since, as I mentioned, it was my first time in Corregidor). Despite the bad 21k time, I expect the CIHM be remembered as one of those unforgettable races which remind me why I love running.
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| So shall we return? I sure hope so! |
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