Slovakian runner rules trail ultramarathon tilt

Slovakian Jan Nyeki conquered not just the treacherous trails but the scorching heat of the sun to emerge champion in the 2015 Cebu 50 Trail Ultramarathon yesterday.

The race that started and ended at the barangay hall of Taptap, a mountain barangay in Cebu City, drew around a hundred  long-distance runners with Nyeki finishing the three-lap, 54-kilometer trail run in eight hours, 28 minutes and 20 seconds.

Mountain climber and adventure blogger Cheryl Bihag ruled the distaff side with a time of 10 hours, 54 minutes and five seconds.

Nyeki bested veteran and multi-titled ultra marathoner Bayani Alvarez, who settled for second in the 54k category at 10:12.05. Renie Pableo completed the top three at 11:14.18.

The race had three categories: the three-lap, two-lap and single lap divisions.

Nyeki finished the first of the three-lap 54k run at 2:14.40. He finished the second lap at 2:54.00 but he slowed down in the third lap which he finished in 3:19.39.

Bihag, on the other hand, finished the first lap with a time of 3:23.11 and needed 3:38:18 and 3:52.34 in the second and third laps, respectively.

Trailing Bihag was Jade Abellana, who finished the race in 12:15.30.

In the male 30-39 event, Irish Stuart Rooney emerged victorious with 12:17.42, while Romulo Rosell topped the male 40-49 division at 12:03.45.

“The running event was not just about how grueling the race was but there were a lot of things that happened during the race which made it very memorable,” said organizer Blue Tradio. “There was a runner who celebrated his birthday, there were a lot of foreign runners, there was also a couple who proposed and a lot more. It was successful and was a very fun running event.”

In the two-lap category or the 36k distance, Edilberto Batiancila reached the finish line first at 7:23.27 and was followed by Tito Pierre Capangpangan, who registered 8:03.20.

Meanwhile, Desiderio Engbino topped the 18k or the single lap race with a time of 2:38:05, beating Idyll Tenebroso, who finished second at 3:37.09 and Giovanni Paulo Monzon, who wound up in the third spot at 3:55.04.

In the female division, Maria Misiona won over Noryjane Cruz after she finished the race at 4:20.43 with the latter clocking in 7:07.01.   In the male 30-39 years old, Jesson Morata finished first at 7:07.30, while Noli Broñoso came up second at 7:46.03.