Watch the first 2 minutes of the Youtube video where I first encountered this quote…

I am Crazy.

In my own way. But I am not alone. And I am not yet finished. I have just one wild and precious life and I will not waste it inside my comfort zone.

I am an ULTRA marathoner ie. a crazy, slow, runner who somehow finds enjoyment in running 50km and above. I am one of 991 active Filipino ultramarathoners as per an international ultramarathon register.

On this same ultramarathon register, 5 of my ultras were recorded. Yes, there is pride and ego in being registered there and I am grateful to Endurance Challenge Philippines Race Director Jon Alegre and Run Mania Race Director Pat Maranan for submitting the official results. But far beyond this, these records are great reminders of the life lessons that each race provided. Not just for me, but for the other borderline crazy people out there, still thinking about making that leap of faith.

2016, I ran my first marathon after only 103 days of training from zero. I thought that was a check on my bucket list and I can move on to other things.

Never in my wildest dreams that I would crave for more. The following year, 2017, I ventured into ultra marathons. My first 3 ultras were 50k street runs with Run Mania, and I didnt know better. But I finished all 3 races in around 9 hours. Slow? To many, it is. But for me, I call it the ultra pace. To achieve this, aside from carrying a headlight and a race backpack, I had a support vehicle at strategic points of the race route to give me that added sense of security.

Then I stumbled into the crazy races of ECP. There are run all you can within the time alloted. Its like a running buffet. The great thing about is the sense of control and security that you gain running around a controlled 2.4 km loop where you know the location of your car, the aid station, the rest rooms, the food. From 2018 to 2019, I ran 6 crazy races- 8 hrs, 12 hrs, 24 hrs and 32 hrs.

As part of my mental preparation for the upcoming race, i reviewed my Strava records and Freedom Runs Facebook page. I did it before, I can do it again!

While many have their bucket list, my running my 7th Crazy Race in a few hours definitely falls in the Bakit list. Why do it again some people ask. Why not?, I answer back, often just to myself as I wonder.

My last 32 hour crazy race was December 2019. I had my eldest son, Remi and youngest daughter, Kristine, crewing for me for that race and I booked ourselves a decent room in nearby White Knight hotel. I was aiming to beat my previous year record of 92.4 km in the same race but had to stop the attempt at 67km due to risk of blisters and chaffing. I also realized that such endeavors is really me and myself, and having to think of making my support crew patient and happy gave me unwelcome distractions from fulfillng my race objective.

There were no crazy races during the pandemic years of 2020 until Nov 2022. I registered for the Dec 2022 crazy race, only to back out due to a knee surgery that I needed for a torn meniscus.

In about 36 hours, the gun will start for my 7th Crazy Race. Each race is different. But all crazy…

N-ever Ready. Get Set. Just Go!

Z: Enjoy a deep inner dive while completing 100 km in 24 hours, safely, injury free.

Y: The inner conversations and discipline will be anchors and foundation for my ZYXW life and journey.

X: Dont stop too long. Dont settle for anything less. Dont listen to your ego.

W: Use slow jog, walk, racewalk. Review your learnings from the 6 past races. Just do it!

More running INSPIRATIONS

Why Run 100 miles? (This is a higher tier of ULTRA running: 100 miles or 160km) One of my favorite sources of running inspiration are Billy Yang films… This is his most popular Youtube video…

Billy writes: Why do we run 100 miles? It’s a question I get from friends and acquaintances quite often. And in the lower moments during these ultramarathon events if I’m honest, a question I direct inward too. Sure, on the surface you can cite self-improvement, challenging yourself, so on and so forth. But the longer I do this, the more I started to explore answers beyond the surface. How we relate to discomfort, uncertainty and pain. Do we have it too easy and thus, we’re drawn to the opposite end of the spectrum where we’re reduced to “survival” mode and drinking/eating/moving forward? Are we in our more natural state when this is what our world is reduced down to?

The opening quote is epic!

Some more race reminders and life lessons from my previous runs, posted in blogposts. ..