By Roberto Saenz
group photo label- left to right- Bert Saenz, Dougie Marcaida, Inaki Saenz,
Raymond Nunez, Ray John Garces, Joey del Rosario, Ryan Tongson,
Marvin del Rosario
What is the
BOSS - "VII - Ironman Challenge Marathon?".It was the 7th running of a Motorcycle Marathon started by the BOSS - BMW Owners Society of Saferiders (A BMW owners club) to determine if they had the stamina to complete a long distance marathon within a 24 hour period. The distance to be travelled is 1,200 kilometers and to be considered to have finished the run, you have to complete it within EXACTLY 24 hours at the maximum ! To give you an idea of how strict this rule is enforced,at the VIth run in 2011 (one Ducati team-they fielded 2 teams-retired w/out finishing the run) the second Ducati team arrived at 3am and the BOSS team arrived at 4am (both had flagged off around midnight of Saturday) so their runs were 27 and 28 hours roughly, both teams were DNF. It is not a race, and finishers who complete the run in 13- 15- 20- 24 hours are listed in alphabetical order, not by time they reach the finish line.
The run covers Balintawak Home Depot (in EDSA) thru NLEX -Sta Rita exit (it is the only portion where you can run on the expressway)-
Bulacan -
Nueva Ecija -
Nueva Viscaya -
Isabela -
Cagayan (to Aparri at the Northern tip of Luzon)-
Ilocos Norte -
Ilocos Sur -
La Union - up to
Baguio -
Marcos Highway-
Rosario, La Union - Pangasinan - Tarlac - Pampanga (to finish line at Stotsenburg Hotel inside Clark Field). The run covers 85 towns and cities. At the exit at Sta Rita - you had to drop a card with your name and number (to ensure you didn't take a shortcut) Checkpoints were at 1) Flying V -Baloc, Nueve Ecija, 2)Flying V in Tuguegarao, Cagayan 3)Flying V Bantay, Ilocos Sur 4) Prince Plaza Hotel - Legarda road in Baguio 5) Flying V Pugo. La Union (at the bottom of Marcos Highway) 6) Flying V Clark Pampanga. Participants are all obliged to stop at the checkpoints, so Marshalls could stamp your ID's to certify you had passed the checkpoint. Anyone arriving at Clark with even one checkpoint stamp missing is considered DNF. It is the PRESTIGE marathon motorcycle run in this country!
Let us now consider the level of DIFFICULTY of the run. 1200 kilometers....at a slow cruise speed of 60 KPH should have one at the finish line in 20 hours (with 4 hours left over for refuel/rest/bathroom/meals etc) right ? WRONG ! You all go up to Baguio regularly and leaving at 2 or 3 am you can run it in 4 to 4.5 hours. Leave Manila at 5 or 6 am and it takes you 5, 6 or even 7 hours to get there. The run is 250 kilometers only of which 125 kilometers is NLEX - SCTEX where you run at 100-130 KPH. You probably only make 1 stop enroute.....so why 5 or 6 hours? Even going at your low average, the marathon is 5 times the distance so it should take us 25 hours for the run.....thats the reality of it. In your cars, you're comfortably seated in air conditioned environment and often use only 1 hand to steer and one foot for the accelerator. On a motorcycle - left hand to depress the clutch lever - right hand for throttle and for front brake- left foot to shift gears - right foot for rear brakes. Motorcycle saddles are comfortable enough but not beyond 10 hour runs. No windshield wipers, so when it rains, you run soaked. head winds and crosswinds buffet you around when strong....and most of all....when you hit the FAMOUS potholes in Philippine Highways....you guys get jarred in your cars when you hit a pothole at over 100kph.....SH_T ! When we can't avoid them.....we have to check that the "family jewels" are still whole. The best validation of the difficulty of the Ironman is this.....there are 10's of thousands of "Big Bikes" in this country (bikes 400cc and above).....but only around 250 -275 men take up the Challenge. Dougie Marcaida, my son Inaki and I belong to LERAP (Law Enforcer Riders' Association of the Philippines) with a membership of over 1,300 members. Only the 3 of us and 1 other member joined the Ironman this year. This is the second year the three of us ran the Marathon, we already ran it in January 0f 2011.
We were supposed to run the marathon as a group of 7.... friends, Joey del Rosario (1200 BMW) Ryan Tongson (850 BMW) Raymond Nunez (850 BMW) Ray John Garces (800 Ducati) Douglas Marcaida (Honda Super 4) Inaki Saenz (Honda Nighthawk 750) Bert Saenz (R65ls BMW). As you can see I was badly outclassed by everyone in our team ! The R-65 was the oldest motorcycle in the marathon- being a 1984 model classsic (shucks...pareho pa kaming 65...ha ha ha). We met at the office of Sinangag Express in BF Paranaque which is owned by Joey and Ryan (that was where our "Group Photo" was taken) and at 7pm motored to Balintawak Home Depot to get signed in. The short 39 kilometer run thru C5 took us 2 hours to run....what an auspicious begining to a marathon ! Friday night traffic ! The marathon was scheduled to flagoff starting Midnight Saturday morning.....so hopefully we would all meet in Clark within 24 hours (early Sunday 15th Jan). so much for the great start. As if that wasn't enough....as soon as we signed in and picked up our kits...Ray John Garces gets a call from his office and was informed he had to report for work Saturday....so our team was down to 6 men.
The marathon was more organized this year and cars and suv's were all flagged off before midnight, leaving lots of space for the motorcycles. They flagged off the 2 teams (20 men teams) BOSS and PK (only 2 teams this year compared to 5 or 6 teams last year) then groups then individuals. We were off on our Great Adventure !!!
Dougie, who drives like fighter pilot, took over as "pointman" when our group was flagged off with the rest following. We raced thru the 40 kms to Sta Rita, enjoying the only portion of the run that was obstruction free and then entered the REAL WORLD. The road to Baloc, the 1st checkpoint was flat and relatively straight, but no street lighting and an uneven road caused by heavy cargo trucks restricted speed to around 90 kph. The road thru Nueva Ecija remained the same till the end of Munoz when we started to cross the Caraballo mountains, between Nueva Ecija and Sta Fe, Nueva Viscaya....when we started climbing the zigzag roads the road turned bad....lots of potholes and in a lot of areas...no shoulder as it is being repaired. Raymond "Tarzan" Nunez took over "point" a big man (body builder) on a tall 850 BMW with super bright lights and hazard lights flashing....he waved aside 10 wheeler trucks we were passing aside as well as trucks coming our way. Most of the road was so bad it was mostly one lane but with Raymond waving them aside (and they thinking he was a cop) we didn't do too poorly but the road took a serious toll on both our bikes and our bodies. Crossing into Sta Fe Nueva Viscaya....HEAVEN!!!! The roads were not only paved they were CEMENTED ! Lots of twisties thru Nueva Viscaya but beautiful roads....we were starting to enjoy our ride. As we entered Isabela there were more straight roads and we did good time till Cauayan, Isabella where we stopped to refuel. It was daylight by this time and we enjoyed the beautiful countryside since around the end of Nueve Viscaya (cattle country) thru Cauayan. Here we also took a CR break, quick sandwich breakfast, smoked and stretched. After 20 minutes we were back on the road.
After we left Cauayan, Raymond and Ryan who were like race horses "straining at the bit" picked up their pace and raced on ahead of the group. Dougie also picked up his pace and followed them, leaving Joey, Inaki and me at the rear. Full daylight now and we had a chance to appreciate the beauty of the Cagayan Valley...so aptly named coz there are rice fields galore and mountains in the background,,,,oh so green and lush....and the people so friendly. They would straighten up from working the fields just to wave. Between dodging dogs, chickens, carabaos, tricycles, goats and people (and the perenial traffic in the towns and cities) we were getting an eyeful of our beautiful country ! Pity....most of us have seen so many parts of the world yet so little of our own country. Around 6 kilometers before the next check point in Tuguegarao, a problem came up...Joey got hit by a bad case of leg cramps and had to stop. Took about 30 minutes for the cramps to pass and for him to walk around, before we could proceed. We hit Tuguegarao and did not take a road we took last year when we got lost. Hello ! Next thing I know the welcome sign says Iguig, Cagayan ! I overtake both Inaki and Joey and motion them to the side of the road. "Hey Joey...we've overshot Tuguegarao....didn't your P 30,000.00 GPS show you the way to the checkpoint?" I asked. "Oh sh_t !" replied Joey, "I wasn't looking at it. I thought we were on the right road" We turn back and after about 3 or 4 kilometers encounter Dougie chasing us ! He pulls over to the side of the road and mouths "Conio ! Turn back !" does an angry U turn and takes us to the check point. The check point was empty except for us but the Marshalls were very friendly and offered us food and drink. We shared a 1.5 liter bottle of Gatorade...forcing Joey to drink most of it. Explained to Joey that cramps - hand, leg and foot cramps were my perenial problem when biking before, till Joey Almeda, a friend and neighbor of my Dad in Urdaneta Village (and the MASTER of the marathon- took it the first year in 15 hrs 53 minutes on a broken leg in a cast- and in 12 hrs 30 mins the second year) taught me, "Drink no water, Bert, only Gatorade ! and you wont suffer cramps !" How true ! Gatorade contains enough potassium and sodium to keep cramps from bothering you.....I found that out last year. We were at the checkpoint for over 30 mins waiting for Raymond and Ryan who had not yet checked in. We finally contact them by phone ,to find out they had overshot even further. Raymond had also suffered a flat tire and they were running back and forth to a vulcanizing shop to get the tire fixed! After 45 minutes we decide to push on....the two would return to the check point after tire repair and just catch up with us. We run into them about 10 kms down the road, stop to give them directions and sped away....with Dougie going like a bat out of hell !
By this time, Joey and Ryan are totally disgusted with their P30k "pieces of fu_kin sh_t Gartim GPS units...though in retrospect they admit it was also lack of familiarity with the equipment. Raymond is upset with his tire and Dougie is pissed off at our delay. His leg is hurting like hell.....so he is flying down the highway, in order to leave the pain behind !
Joey, Inaki and I pick up our pace.....while still enjoying the scenery and catch up with Dougie in Aparri, where there is a loop in the road to tke you across a long bridge toward Ilocos Norte.....Dougie picks up speed again and this time I am behind him. After about 15 minutes I am starting to wonder what happened to Joey and Inaki, so I slow down a bit to give them time to catch up. At Sta Praxedes I come across Dougie parked at a fuel station at a curve so I pull over. It is now 12:30 noon and 12 hours since our takeoff in Balintawak. Coincidentally we are also at 50 kilometers past the halfway point of the run. 20 minutes later Joey and Inaki appear and explain that Joey got hit by another bout of cramps after the loop in Aparri. We take our sandwich lunch break at the fuel station, CR, smoke, rest and stretch. Dougie who discovered he has Diabetes in early December has to take a shot in the stomach (he needs it twice a day) and has to eat within 15 minutes.....is hurting even more by now! Joey is biting the bullet and just keeps going as well. The pain be DAMNED ! Lets get the "show on the road"....and while there is no sign of Raymond or Ryan we push on.
Around 10 kms from our stop we cross a bridge that was under repair. Dougie, Joey, Inaki then me, and we are going quite fast. As I pass the section being repaired, my rear starts to wobble....FLAT TIRE... Lost about 2 hours plus to get tire vulcanized....and we are lagging behind Dougie n Joey....so we race off after them. At Claveria town, we stop to refuel and go.
We hit the Claveria pass....one of the most beautiful and scenic areas of the whole route. High mountains on the left with lush forest, the road (with retaining steel railing) then cliffs and the sea...with wild waves crashing against the sheer stone cliffs on the right, about 250 feet below. Absolutely breath taking spectacle.....that twisting roadway. We then enter the twisties as we approach Pagudpud again lots of twisties till you get to Bangui were you are met with the sight of the majestic windmill fields....with their huge propellers generating megawatts of electric power. We are speeding to make use of the last of the days light before we reach Laoag. We make Laoag at 6pm ......take a rest,CR, fuel, drink stop. We depart Laoag at 6:35pm and head for the Vigan checkpoint.
We are still chasing the two ahead of us. Half way thru the 80 kilometers to Vigan my eyes start to see double....DISASTER ! Pull over to the shoulder at a fruit stand and find out we are still 40 kms to Vigan, and its a bit past 7pm. Drink 3 cups of black coffee, 1 Red Bull and 1 Impulse...rest for 15 and try to wake up. Inaki calls the guys and all 4 of them are already in Vigan. Raymond and Ryan had caught up with them while we were taking a break in Laoag. Still very groggy I asked Inaki to take the lead so I could hide behind him from glare of oncoming vehicles as I was determined to continue....even at a crawl...20-30kph...so in case I passed out I wouldn't do too much damage to myself or my motorcycle. Made Vigan at 9:30pm ! Requested the Marshalls to inform Baguio that we were arriving so someone would wait for us at the Baguio Checkpoint.
Joey, who had suffered another couple of bouts of leg cramps decided to retire in Vigan (890kms fm start)...and Ryan stayed to keep him company. Inaki n I get our ID's stamped, take 3 cups of coffee and head for Baguio. We reached Baguio at 2am (25.5 hours after takeoff). We call Dougie and are informed that him and Raymond were at Pugo, La Union (at 5th checkpoint- n that the Flying V station was already closed)but they were pushing on to Clark.
Inaki and I decide to have a hot meal so we go to the restaurant of Mount Peak Hotel on Legarda Road. Taking our meal I decided...enough...time to call it a day. We checked into Mount Peak to get some sleep......for the second year in a row...we retired in Baguio....having run 1,050 kms of the 1,200km run.
We call Dougie n Raymond before going to the room and find out they ate in Urdaneta,Pangasinan taking a break...exhausted.
Awakening at 10am...I open my phone ande see a message from Raymond "Tarzan" Nunez...sent around 5:30am..it read "Tangina! Just got home to Las Pinas. I have never done anything so difficult in my life ! Left Dougie who checked in when we got to Tarlac, Tarlac. Raymond had run almost 1,400 kms straight ! A couple of days later we hold a post ride "campfire" and listen to the litany of Conio from Dougie...directed at the jerk who had told him in Tarlac that he was still 3 hours away from Clark. He was 40 kilometers to the finish line!
The consensus of the group ? HELL...Lets do it again next year....only a bit faster! IT IS A BEAUTIFUL MOTORCYCLE RIDE!
See slide show for more photos.
