X Trail Run (24K), successfully finished :))

I did my first ever extreme trail run on October 13th, at the Pamulaklakin Forest Reserve* in Subic. One of the most extreme aspect of the entire deal was to start running at one in the afternoon!! From my previous trail running experience (38K at Mt Pinatubo), I knew these 24K would not be fun without a partner, so I persuaded Pratim (my husband) to join me as well.

He agreed and we hit the road at 11AM on that Saturday morning - for what turned out to be one of the most exhilarating experiences ever!

Salomon (a trail shoe brand) are among the best know organizers of such events, with over 80 race marshals, excellent medical supplies and all rounded support for close to 100 runners. They did a quick briefing, a solemn prayer service for every one's safety and success and started the run on schedule.

The first 4K - along this long winding, narrow path through tall wild grass fields - were excruciating. Running with no tree cover from the scorching heat of the afternoon sun, I started feeling faint. What's more, the path was so narrow that everyone had to run in a single file, with little or no scope for taking lead. As I was beginning to choke in the heat (and with the fear of another DNF tag looming large), we entered the rain forest. The huge relief that I felt with the green cover was quickly wiped out when I saw how uphill the run was from there on. After about a km of trekking uphill, I was almost ready to quit. I took a quick 5 minutes breather, weighed by chances - and decided to carry on! The 7K mark brought us to the this little Aeta village (Aetas are mountain tribes in the Philippines). The beauty of the settings and the simplicity and warmth of these people made for a much needed distraction from my heavy breathing and drumming heartbeats.

Admiring more of nature's bounty - 60 to 100 foot tall trees, gurgling streams, thick green shrubs, deep red soil - we trudged further uphill. However, I ran to make up for lost time where ever the terrain was flat or the climb was gradual. We finally made it to the top, after crossing a cool, fast flowing stream and another 2K of steep uphill trek under the sun. This "highest point" of the trail was at 12K - our half way mark! Though I was dog tired by then, the thought having made it half way and that the remaining half was mostly downhill was too tempting to give up. What helped me rejuvenate was the view from the top. The greenery of a rain forest is breath taking!!!

The trail going down was different from the one coming up and it was very sludgy, slippery and steep downhill through a bamboo forest. I had no idea that this stretch would be such a test of upper body strength, concentration and pain endurance for the feet and lower leg muscles. At one point, the trick of this downhill run got the better of me. I lost my foothold and slipped a few meters down the slope on my back. Thankfully I wasn't injured and a bamboo tree stopped my fall further. Having run for close to 4 hours, with fading light in the thick bamboo forest and with every body part hurting by now, I was growing impatient to see the finish line. Just when I thought that we will not make it before the cut off time, I saw two race marshals who cheered us and said "only 300 meters to go" and boom we were out of the bamboo forest and could see the road. I saw the the finish line and ran for it!!

We finished the 24K in 3 hrs and 58 minutes - just 2 minutes before the official closing time!

It was worth the pain after all :)

*Pamulaklakin forest reserve is home to the indigenous Aetas who once trained the U.S. Navy jungle survival tactics.Photo courtesy - http://titaniumrunner.net/