I Conquered Corregidor in 2:55

I conquered Corregidor last Sunday.  The 21K run took me all over the island that I no longer need another day tour to see it.  In fact, you get to see more of the island by running it for close to three hours. But then, the guided tour will give you a more detailed history of Corregidor and appreciate the island a lot more.

This is the second year of the Corregidor Challenge.  It was just a 16K event last year and this year, they offered the 21K.  It’s One for all, All for twenty-one.  Based on the learnings from last year, Corregidor International Half Marathon or CIHM has tremendously improved the way it was organized.  The event started on time, more cheering marshals and signages and adequate hydration supply.  But there was a 10K runner who almost joined us in the 21K route if she haven’t asked earlier.

What I like about this event is that the participants are treated both as a runner and as a tourist.  Once we docked at Corregidor, we were greeted and assisted by the organizers and staff to our respective rooms.  When we departed, they made sure everyone is informed properly of the departure time and the tramvia were all over the island to gather the runners.

Team Kamote at the carbo loading dinner.

The food being served during the buffet dinner and lunch in Corregidor always reminds me of high school cafeteria servings.  It’s all meat and sauce with very little garnish.  It’s not the one I would expect in a place for tourist.  But it’s not that bad.  The prices are very expensive though at the MacArthur’s Cafe.  It’s a small place near Lorcha Dock.  Tapsilog was 160Php.  Coke in can was 50Php.  Lechon Manok costs 450Php and Powerade was 60Php.

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Conquering Corregidor in 21 kilometer

Ideally, I shouldn’t be joining races outside Manila.  Quennie is on her 32 weeks and I should be as close to her as possible.  But I can’t resist the invitation run so I asked permission to join.  Knowing how I love joining races outside Manila, Quennie gave me the go signal to run.

With fellow blogger Bard and Dingdong at the starting line.

I woke up on Sunday morning with an upset stomach.  I had to go to the bathroom twice.  It must have been the sand that were blown to my plate during the buffet dinner when the sea breeze will blow very hard from the shore.  Good thing that the admin office at the Corregidor Inn have Imodium for sale.  I took a capsule 30 minutes before the race and I had a worry free run.

I love the view of the run in Corregidor.  My favorite was the trail overlooking Cavite and Laguna.  Other great views are the ruined barracks and the Malinta Tunnel.

My favorite view in the entire race showing the South China Sea.

My goal is to meet the 1:45 cut-off time in 10K and just finish the race.  I walk the killer hills.  I stop to take pictures.  It took me 1:15 to reach the 10K mark and another 1:40 to complete the race.  Those who finished even later are not slow runners.  They just took more pictures than I did.  Right?

My Garmin 405 say the route was only about 20K.  Running inside Malinta Tunnel twice will block off the GPS signal for about 500 meters.

This is a classic example of the “Picture Pace”.

Everybody doing the “Chicka Pace” at the uphill.

The steepest part of the race.  I walked backwards. It was faster that way.

This will be my last race for the year and I am happy to have a great running experience in Corregidor to cap the year.

Wearing the huge Corregidor International Half Marathon Medal.

This is how the size of the medal compare to my size 11 NB910 trail shoe that I wore during the run.  It’s big and heavy.

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