Feb 22, 2009: Bataan 102 “Test Run”
This is the first pre-requisite for each participant for the 1st Bataan Death March 102K Ultramarathon Race to undertake and complete and as such, this will be a “test run” for everybody. A “test run” in the sense that it will determine if each of the participant has the endurance, will-power, and attitude to finish a 52-kilometer distance run under the heat of the sun. For those who had been training for this ultramarathon event since last year, you will be running along the last half of the distance of the ultramarathon event on the very exact place or route of the race.
The assembly time will be at 6:30AM on 22 February 2009. The meeting place or assembly area will be at the Bataan Death March Kilometer Post # 50 located along the old National Highway in Abucay, Bataan. To be specific, the assembly area will be at the vicinity of the GAZ Xpress Gasoline Station and the Abucay Mega Market in Abucay, Bataan. If you will be coming from Balanga, Bataan, just take the old National Highway from the City Plaza and proceed towards eastern direction for about 6 kilometers and the Km 50 Post would be visible on the right side of the road. The “test run” will start at exactly 7:00AM. Why? This is estimated time that most of the runners/participants must have finished the first 50 kilometers of the race, from Mariveles to Balanga or Abucay, Bataan.
The finish line of the “test run” will be at the Old Railway Station in San Fernando, Pampanga which is the same finish line during race day. The Bataan Death March Kilometer Post # 102 is located near the old building of the railway station and near the National Historic Institute’s Marker which is a red-painted big rock.
For those runners who have the capability to have their personal support vehicle/crew and pacers, they could bring such support with them during the “test run”. However, they are discouraged from riding to their vehicles and “leapfrog” from one place to another up to the finish line. We will adopt a “honor system” during this run. Better yet, as agreed, this will be a “group run” where the faster runners would wait for the slower runners up to the finish line. The purpose of this run is to acquaint yourself with the terrain, weather, and the actual route of the race.
There will be road marshals on specific road turns most especially when the runners reach the towns of Lubao, Guagua, Bacolor and the City of San Fernando. Extra safety precaution will be observed by each runner while running along the route as there is a limited space along the sidewalk. Runners are encouraged to run on the left side of the road, facing the incoming traffic.
With the benevolence of some of the runner-participants, free water and sports drinks will be available along the route. If plans permit, boiled sweet (camote) potatoes and boiled bananas will be available also to all the participants along the route. However, for contingency purposes, participants are encouraged to bring with them cash as there are available convenience stores along the way.
Ladies & Gentlemen, treat this “test run” as one of our Sunday’s “runabouts”. Good luck & see you at the Assembly Area this Sunday.
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11 Responses to “Feb 22, 2009: Bataan 102 “Test Run””
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You posted that: “This is the first pre-requisite for each participant for the 1st Bataan Death March 102K Ultramarathon Race to undertake and complete and as such, this will be a ‘test run’ for everybody”.
Sir, what do you mean by the above statement? Please clarify “first pre-requisite”. Does it mean that those 102k participants who will not be able to join (for some valid reasons) the test run on February 22, 2009 are disqualified to run the Death March on April 05? This seems to be the implication. Thank you.
i announced that there will be two “required” runs before i will post the final list of participants for the Bataan Death March 102K Ultramarathon Race. the bataan 102 “test run” will be the 1st requirement and the march 8 42K “runabout” in metro manila will be the second and last required training run. if you can attend the two runs and finish them, you are included in the final list of participants. however, if a runner attends and finish one of these two runs, we will find out from the runner if he/she is proceeding with the final race and i and my staff will try to evaluate his/her performance. if a runner does not participate in these two required runs, they will be placed in the last priority to be considered as participants in the final race. the bottomline line here is that, i want all the participants to be well-prepared and be able to finish the race within the prescribed 18-hour cut-off time. as the race organizer, my staff and i reserve the right to screen and pre-qualify the participants in this ultramarathon race. thanks for your comment and hope to see you this sunday. by the way, after this race, my outfit will be maintaining a list of ultramarathon runners in the Philippines and their individual profile for possible membership with the International Ultrarunners Association (IUA) of IAAF.
Most of us are confused now with the rules.
Last year and under the tab “Race Details” you announced that the only requirement to join this race is “Runner must have finished at least one (1) marathon race within a period of one (1) year before the conduct of the race…” All of us even ran more than 1 marathon and even ultras.
Subsequently, you issued the Updates and Other Instructions and specifically said “5. All registered participants are encourage(d) to join a ‘test run’”.
Now, you required all the participants (even those outside the countries) to join the test run on February 22, 2009 and not only this one, but also the 42k on March 08.
“Encouraged” is different from “required”. The former is discretionary and the other mandatory. If we were to believe your Upddates and Other Instructions, the test would only be discretionary on our part to join. Hence, it should not be made mandatory. Even the 42k on March came about only as a knee-jerk reaction to the postponement of QC Marathon. It was never in the original requirement.
We do not question your right to “pre-screen” the participants but such right should be exercised with reasonableness and based on PRE-ANNOUNCED set of rules and such rules should not be changed in midstream. Even the prestigious Badwater committee pre-screens their applicants based on what the runners HAD done prior to the race and not what they CAN do months prior to the actual race.
Please understand that some of us follow and adhere to different training programs and even started training since last year for this historical event. Frankly, the test run is in conflict with our schedules. Besides, no one can determine who is going to finish the actual race and how much percentage of the entrants will do so. Test run is only 52k and race is 100k. The % of DNF in 100k is naturally much higher and no one can gurantee 100% finish for all runners.
We pray, thus, for the reconsideration and deletion of these additional requirements of test run (52K) and 42K on March 8.
What I can suggest, thus, in replacement is you require ALL participants to submit such proof that they can actually finish the race like marathon certificates or websites showing they have actually finished at least 1 marathon or even ultra. But please do not change the rules in midstream.
We are being closely watched not only by Filipino runners but also by the international running community and how you Sir Jovie, as the organizer, can FAIRLY and REASONABLY handle this race. This race has an international appeal not only to ultra runners but also to WWII veterans as well. We should do justice to the them.
Thank you.
Sir BR.
Your idea is well-thought-of. This will lessen (unfortunate) medical emergencies/incidents for hopefuls that are not well prepared. I really hope people won’t be just joining this race for fun or because it’s new or in. The race will be more meaningful (in remembrance of Bataan Death March) if all the runners will finish the race.
See you all in this practice run.
some of the runners interested to join the bataan ultra are not certified full marathon finishers thus the march 8 42k runabout was in place all along if only to accommodate the said runners wanting to have at taste of a full.
for your information, the march 8 42k runabout was not a knee jerk reaction at the very least but a fall back plan that we had all along knowing the capriciousness of our race organizers who actually are the “knee jerkers” in making decisions detrimental to runners.
while i understand your predicament regarding the so-called requirements, please understand that these “test runs” especially the 52k run was always part and parcel of the bataan 102k.thus,updates were done for everybody’s perusal.in the months after the 102k was announced,i believe that the 52k test run came to be.
and while we are at it, remember that bataan ultra is not anything like the badwater or for that matter any other ultramarathon elsewhere.each is unique in its own way so i do not think there is no point of comparison.remember that this event is still in its infancy so to speak and as such we expect birth pains along the way.however,such is the beauty of this,surprises pop along the way.and that makes this more exciting.
the slow poke that i am,i started training for this since october 2008 and whatever rule changes,if any at all, that came along the way or may yet come, i will accept as part of my training.
it is a free world.do as you wish.i am.
Good pm, BR! I wouldn’t be running the 1st Test Run (sayang!) but will be running the March 6 Turnaround. Thx and have a good day!
Before I start my comment, I had to disclose that Jonnifer is a good friend of mine, I know him very well as a friend and a team mate. But I will try to state my comment objectively and without bias.
I too had been following this race with the intention of joining this very prestigious race. Alas, scheduling conflicts would prevent me from joining this time, but that is another story.
When this website 1st came up the 1st post said:
“This race will definitely be open to 100 runners/participants only. Each participant should have finished at least one (1) marathon race within one year prior to the scheduled ultramarathon event.”
That being the only pre-requisite aside from the obvious (registering and paying) is to finish 1 marathon (42k) race.
Furthermore:
“All registered participants are encourage to join a “test run””
The operative word being encouraged and to required.
In this post however, the race organizer/director says:
“This is the first pre-requisite for each participant for the 1st Bataan Death March 102K ”
Not to beat a dead horse as Atty. Jon has already said it, but “encourage” is very, very different from “pre-requisite”, and this is the 1st mention of this requirement, after people have already signified their intention to join and have begun training.
As such it would be unfair to “un-include” or de prioritize someone because of rules which are changed mid stream.
I completely understand Jon’s problem, because upon signifying his intention to join this race, our team has also scheduled training runs and ultra marathons to coincide with our team mates gaining maximum fitness for this race. As you know, you can only do so many ultras in one year before your body will make you pay for it. Therefore, it would be unfeasible for Atty. Jon to join your runs as well as our team commitments without compromising his performance in the inaugural Bataan 102.
I sincerely hope that you would understand his position and not de-prioritize him over this.
Thank You very much, more power to you and baldrunner events.
I hope we get more ultras from you!
P.S. If you’re worried about Atty, you shouldn’t be. Personally, I ran with him for 100k and 55k last year! He’s very strong, very fit, and a little crazy! Perfect for Ultra Running!
i hope we don’t get too technical around here. i don’t have the requirement of marathon last year so that makes me unqualified for this run. but the beauty of this flexibility (change of rules in midstream), BR is giving me a chance to join after his assessment of this upcoming test run.
it was only my second time to meet BR, and i believe he is a very reasonable man. if you cannot join the test run, you can simply have a word with him and tell him that you can and would like to join his organized race.
in any case, if BR should decide to qualify me or NOT, i would bandit this run!
and i wouldn’t have to pay the registration fee. imagine, tatakbo ka na nga ng malayo magbabayad ka pa! (jk)
i think the very objective of this test run is to help other hopefuls to weed themselves out of this race. this will allow them to discovery how hard this run will be. let us not complicate running, it’s already hard enough!
peace, love and long run.
For the love of running, let us set aside our differences, if any, and support each other to make this Bataan ultra race a success.
Maybe, a simple clarification earlier would have sorted things out. At any rate, the running communinty seems to understand now the reasons for the test run last February 22 and the forthcoming 42K on March 08, i.e., to qualify other runners.
Sir Jovie, are those already qualified (had done at least 1 marathon) can now resume their training and not worry of being removed from the final list?
I agree with run2dmoon in saying, “peace, love, and long run”. Yes, the “long run” or more like… loooong runs. Cheers.
P.S.
Je, you did not have to email but thank you just the same.
atty jonnifer, actually, i am “flexible” with the requirement on having at least one marathon finish for the past one year (reckoned from 05 april 2009) for those runners who are interested to run this bataan 102K without any marathon race. i would like to meet them personally through the 52K “test run” and march 8 42K “runabout” and try to assess their “attitude” and capability during the run. for those who are qualified because they have finished a marathon race for the past year, you can continue with your training and you have the option to join or not to join the march 8 42K “runabout”. As for the foreign runners, i believe these runners will not spend a lot of money for their fare and accommodation if they are not prepared for the challenge of the ultra event. thus, i am not strict on them to attend the “test run” and 42K “runabout”. you have at least 6 weeks to go to prepare yourselves on D-Day. good luck and let’s us have fun
Thank you for the clarification.
I wish you the best on this endeavour and good luck to us all.
Folks, let’s hit the road!