Pinoy Conquered The Seattle Quadzilla 2016
The Seattle Quadzilla is an event not for the faint of hearts and legs. It is consists of 4 marathon events in 4 consecutive days: The Wattle Waddle (on easy trail near Maple Valley), The Wishbone Run (trails in Gig Harbor), The Ghost of the Seattle (Nice, flat, certified course at Seward Park) and finally the The Seattle Marathon (not so flat, but well-attended).
From the The Seattle Quadzilla facebook page:
Many consider themselves accomplished runners if they complete one marathon in their lifetime. Others might do one a year, and the majority of highly-competitive athletes do one in the Spring and one in the Fall. But some people can’t be satisfied. For these foolish Maniacs we bring the Seattle Quadzilla: Four marathons in four days!
A marathoner friend, Jael Wenceslao, is one of the runners crazy enough to do this! Here’s Jael’s learnings after he ran 4 marathons in 4 straight days:
1 – You can’t accomplish something incredible by yourself.
Be humble enough to get help. God knows I wouldn’t have finished the Quadzilla without my wife. She drove me to the start line in time, said the right things to keep me motivated, and bought me protein shakes and salty chips for recovery. She even washed my dirty running clothes. She was the Robin to my Batman.
2 – You should welcome pain and hardship, and manage them well.
Running one marathon is painful. Running 4 in a row is excruciating. I essentially ran more than 170 kms. Just because it hurts shouldn’t mean you should stop. Life, which is an ultramarathon, is no different. If you are afraid of pain, then you won’t be able to accomplish anything in life.
3 – It’s ok to feel doubt, but don’t let it rule your life.
After the second marathon, I had thoughts of quitting. How can I run 2 more marathons (84+ kms) when my legs are so painful? I lacked sleep, had jetlag, had ITBS on both quads, and was tired. Naturally, I had doubts, but I soldiered on. Life is about being realistic, but being stubborn too, and moving forward even if your mind is screaming “no.”
4 – Know your priorities and manage your time.
Though I had to wake up ever morning at 5 AM to run 4 marathons, I also had a duty to my wife, and to honor other commitments (like meeting my brother and his family for Thanksgiving dinner, shopping for Xmas gifts, and also catching up with the aunt of my wife). I slept late, and wasn’t fully rested for each marathon. Life is all about compromises. And I always say to myself, “Happy wife is a happy life!”
So, after 170+ kms, the Quadzilla is not just a running event, but a lesson in life. I certainly learned (and grew) a lot, and I’m glad I shared this with my wife (she ran 21K on the first and last events). The 4 days was definitely an “OMG” experience.
I don’t know if I am the first Pinoy to finish the Quadzilla, but maybe. Para sa bayan.
Jael finished the marathon at an average time of 3:57 ( Wattle Waddle – 3:42, Wishbone Run – 4:00, Ghost of Seattle – 4:16, Amica Seattle – 3:51 ). Congratulations Jael! We know that all the hard work and training runs you do (everyday?) paid off! What’s next? 😀
Thank you for letting us share your story to inspire our readers and runner friends!
About The Author
ChicksNiManok
Que Gavan, known as ChicksNiManok in the running community, is the better half of the brains behind Takbo.ph (registered and managed by Runningpeak Event Management and Services). You can also read more of her homeschool family adventures in FilipinoHomeschooler(dot)com.