A Few Firsts for the Philippines!!!
May to June 2021 saw three major FIRSTS for the Filipino running community worldwide. And Pinoy Runners London is at the forefront of these outstanding accomplishments!
Dublin-based Jivee E. Tolentino will represent both the Philippines and the Irish UK Team when he attends the world championship for the Last One Standing Ultra (LOS) in Tennessee this autumn. This, after he ranked second in the LOS backyard ultra in Belfast last May 2021—the first Filipino runner to clench the record. He clocked-in an astounding 62 laps in the event.
Homer Valencia of England, on one hand, ranked number 22 in this year’s 145 mile-Grand Union Canal Race (GUCR), a prestigious by-ballot-only event (with a qualifier). This made him the first ever Filipino to reach such astounding achievement. In 2019, he ranked 7th in the Kennet and Avon Canal Race which was also a 145 miler-event, again, a first for a Filipino athlete.
John Diamante from London, PRL’s founder, ranked no. 58 in the inaugural South Downs 100 Km Ultra during the late May bank holiday weekend. He completed the tough course, with an elevation of more than 8000 feet in just 12 hours, 45 minutes. He is the first Filipino to finish the race in flying colours.
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Mabuhay ang Pilipino!
TEAM Lusob: Jivee, fellow endurance runner Rex Brillantes, and physiotherapist Donald Sombilla during the LOS Ultra in Belfast.
Evidence of hard work: Jivee’s finisher’s t-shirt and bling.
Homer, proud finisher of the classic GURC Birmingham-London 145 miler.
PRL’s founder John Diamante, first Filipino to finish the tough South Downs 100 K.
PRL and Tolentino Fly High
Tolentino’s story is featured in the latest edition of One Philippines.
Celebrating the runners of PRL in One Philippines.
Tolentino, Brillantes
To Run 623 km Ultra
FILIPINO ultra runners Jivee E. Tolentino and Rex Brillantes are set to tackle a behemoth 623 kilometres of rough terrain in the Coast 2 Coast Ultra in April this year, as part of a charity event to raise funds for Mountain Rescue Ireland and the promotion of mental health.
Tolentino and Brillantes, the dynamic duo behind Team Lusob and who both possess stellar records in world endurance running, consider their participation in this race as a privilege as only 10 athletes have been hand picked by the organisers. “We gonna show the world that Filipinos are strong,” Tolentino told The News Express. He is set to run the Last One Standing Backyard Ultra in Belfast, now moved to March 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. He will be ably supported by fellow Spartathlete Rex Brillantes who himself has won championships in ultra runnings before.
To recall, Tolentino, who was the champion of the Belfast-Dublin-Belfast Return Ultra, ran the 220m km ultramarathon by the Dublin Mountain Running Club last Dec 30-31, 2020. He also ran 100 km non-stop every week during the PRL’s Merry Miles for four weeks in December last year, completing his third week at sub-9 hours. He is set to run two UTMB’s—one in Spain and another one in France later this year. Himself and mate Brillantes are also eyeing the tough Western State Endurance Run in America after completing the Kerry Way Ultra in Ireland a few months ago, as a qualifier for this event. Also, both are expected to run the Spartathlon in this coming September. Tolentino said Hong Kong Four Trails is now included in his diary. “Let us immortalise ultra running,” he told The News Express.
Brillantes (middle) and Tolention (right) in last year’s Kerry Way Ultra.
Tolentino Runs 220 Km, Eyes Backyard Ultra Crown
Jivee E. Tolentino: in his element.
FILIPINO Spartathlete Jivee E. Tolentino will attempt to run 220 km in one single effort on Dec 30, 2021 in Dublin. Tolentino, who is also a one time champion of the Belfast-Dublin-Belfast Ultra, will be joined by two other runners selected by the Dublin Mountain Running Club (DMRC). The year ender aims to raise cash for a charity organisation and forms part of his overall plan of conquering bigger challenges. “I am gonna show the world how strong and proud Filipinos are,” he told The PRL News Express. “Weather-wise, it might be unpredictable especially this winter is turning out to be really fierce. It might be sub-zero degree during this challenge. But I am keeping my faith and will stay focused”.
The DMRC-organised event will be in loops, each consisting of a 35 km course traversing through the Phoenix Park and the Irish capital’s city centre. Other DMRC club members are also expected to run alongside the three athletes as a means of providing moral support.
By February, Tolentino is setting off to Florida Manor, just outside of Belfast in Northern Ireland to compete in the Last One Standing by AtlasRunning. This event is classified as a backyard ultra in which athletes run each loop of 4.167 miles in less than an hour. Any leftover time during that completed lap is used to recover for the following subsequent lap. Backyard ultras have a notorious slogan “There is No End” as the cycle is repeated until only one is left as the champion. Mate and fellow Spartathlete Rex Brillantes will be providing assistance to Tolentino in the backyard ultra.
AtlasRunning in its website elaborates, “the Last One Standing starts at 12 noon, runners will have 1 hour to complete the first 4.2 mile loop and be at the start line ready to go again at 1pm, then again at 2pm and so on. Any runner not finished inside the time limit and at the start ready to start again will be disqualified. This will happen every hour until there is only one runner at the start line, this runner will be the last one standing. This runner must complete a solo loop inside the time limit to be crowned the winner. All runners with the exception of the winner will be an official DNF (did not finish) and will get a medal to prove it. Any competitor still in the race at 24hrs 100.8 mile will receive an atlasrunning 100 mile medal. This race is not about being the fastest! Remember at the start of each loop/race all surviving runners are on a equal standing. Pacing is everything!”
“It is all about both mental and physical toughness, of being wise in your strategy. It is not about being fast. Rather, it is how prepared and efficient you are to win this competition,” Tolentino said. “This is in line with my dream of leaving a legacy,” he added.
To recall, Tolentino completed the weekly 100 km category in the recently concluded Merry Miles by the Pinoy Runners London in top form. He finished his third week 100 km run as a single effort below 9 hours, reflecting the rigours of his training program that is mainly based at the Wicklow Mountains near Dublin.
