SC 70 was the first Grandmaster-only event in Season 10, taking place in Santa Cruz, near Davao City in Mindanao, Philippines. “Grandmaster-only” means there’s only Grandmaster points to be scored, but no points for the Championship ranking. The 70km course had about 4000 metres of elevation gain and is considered tough, with Mount Dinor and Mount Loay as highlights. Moreover, the race had a long nighttime part. Organised by Team Jegol, the feedback from finishers afterwards was generally very positive.

No Championship points, but of course there was still a competition going on. Once again, Roberto Cain III proved to be the strongest of the bunch. Leading nearly throughout the race, he concluded in 11:27:39. That was twenty minutes faster than Marjones Abugan in 11:47:43. Eldy Bulod took third on the podium in 13:13:31.

In the women’s 70km race, there was a surprising winner in Julie Mae Marquez, who ran the best second half to overtake Julieann Morales and grab victory in 14:44:40. Morales was second and in third, also with a solid run, came Guia Cabigas.

This weekend SC 70, short for Santa Cruz 70, will test the endurance and technical abilities of runners looking to score an extra point on their Grandmaster Quest. The Filipino event organised by Team Jegol may only just qualify as a Grandmaster race with its 70km, but it’s a tough 70km. Elevation gain is estimated at over 4000 Hm and the course features some iconic places around Santa Cruz, such as Mt. Loay, Mt. Dinor, Tacub Laya Falls, Pilan River, Sinoron, Lipantod, Camotes Ridge, and Mt. 796. The course profile is actually quite distinct and interesting from a competitive point of view, too. Mount Dinor is the cornerstone and highest peak in the first half, Mount Loay in the second half. Runners should also be aware that after the final descent of Loay, there’s still a 10km flattish section to the finish back in Santa Cruz.

Plenty of solid runners will be taking part this weekend, including 2-star Grandmasters. Cheryl Bihag and Alfredo Reyes Jr. It is the first time SC 70 is on the calendar, so all finishers this weekend can score an additional GM point. The race does not offer points for the ATM Championship ranking, but will be interesting nonetheless with many competitive athletes on the start list, including last year’s winner Eldy Bulod. Marjones Abugan, Florencio Alave, Roberto Cain III, Isaiah Paraiso and others will be challenging him for the victory. In the women’s field we find Julieann Morales on the start list, as well Guia Cabigas, Dolly Joy Alonzo and Razzil Sumalinog to name a few.

Santa Cruz, just a half hour drive south of Davao City in Mindanao, has become a real trail running hub since the corona crisis and even more visibly so since the 2022 ATM Championship Final, the Mount Apo Sky Race. That event is how things started in Santa Cruz, which is now not only the main gateway for hikers to the highest mountain in the Philippines, but also the venue for several trail running events during the year.

A successful Candidate a year ago, SC 70 in Santa Cruz, Davao in Philippines has now been rewarded with a spot on the new ATM Grandmaster Calendar for Season 10. The event organised by Team Jegol Runners will be held on 23/24 November and ‘70’ in the event name stands for the 70km long Grandmaster point distance.

SC70 will be the first Grandmaster-only event on our ATM calendar, following the announcement made last week (read it again here: http://www.asiatrailmaster.com/news/2024/8/30/grandmaster-quest)

Santa Cruz, just a half hour drive south of Davao City in Mindanao, has become a real trail running hub since the corona crisis and even more visibly so since the 2022 ATM Championship Final, the Mount Apo Sky Race. That event is how things started in Santa Cruz, which is now not only the main gateway for hikers to the highest mountain in the Philippines, but also the venue for several trail running events during the year.

The 70k ultramarathon trail has an elevation gain of about 4000hm, and will feature scenic and iconic places in Santa Cruz, namely, Mt. Loay, Mt. Dinor, Tacub Laya Falls, Pilan River, Sinoron, Lipantod, Camotes Ridge, and Mt. 796. The course profile is actually quite distinct and interesting from a competitive point of view. Mount Dinor is the cornerstone and highest peak in the first half, Mount Loay in the second half. Runners should also be aware that after the final descent of Loay, there’s still a 10km flattish section to the finish back in Santa Cruz. That could hurt for some, while be a tactical all-in section for others. The precise 2024 course map will be made available soon.

Last year, SC70 was the event were we got introduced to youngsters Shally Yuson and Eldy Bulod, two competitive runners whom we have gotten to know very well since then! Shally has just completed her Grandmaster Quest and is part of Team Pilipinas at the upcoming ATM Championship Final. Eldy Bulod was the joint-winner of The Punisher, together with Kik Suello, just a month ago. Bulod stated we will see more of him in Season 10.

It is highly recommended to follow the event’s Facebook page, as is common in Philippines, to receive the latest updates and links to the registration portal.

Last year’s winners of SC70 have since then become well-known: Eldy Bulod and Shally Yuson!

The Candidate Race in Santa Cruz, easily enough titled ‘SC 70’ , saw quite a number of new faces from Mindanao’s ever growing trail running community. The 70km main race, which had 4000 metres of elevation, featured several regional peaks but avoided Mount Apo. Youngsters Eldy Bulod and Shally Yuson emerged victorious.

Organised by the experienced Team Jegol Runners, SC 70 flagged off in the afternoon for what then mainly turned into a nighttime race. Eldy Bulod and Isaiah Paraiso set the pace with Anthony Paladin initially as the closest chaser. Bulod and Paraiso stayed together across the hills until the final section, which was 10km flattish back to the race venue. Bulod had the fastest legs and won ahead of Paraiso, who also scored second in Matanao Mountain Marathon last month behind Yoyong Sacayle. Good old Angelito Vertudazo - ATM Finalist last year - eventually claimed the third step on the podium.

Shally Yuson led the women’s race from an early stage, but was pushed forward most of the way by Manilyn Mamugay, who is reaching her best competitive level again after a few years off. Yuson was second in Matanao a month ago behind Cecille Wael. Beberly Lim and Cherry Fuentes were third and fourth.

Mindanano has become a hotspot for trail running in the Philippines over the past few years, illustrated in both quality and quantity of runners (reigning ATM champion Arnie Macaneras is from Davao) and also by the many event organisations on the large southern island. Team Jegol Runners is the latest addition to the list of organisers and their upcoming event Santa Cruz 70 is accredited as an ATM Candidate Race. The event takes place on the weekend of 25/26 November.

Asia Trail Master followers know that Santra Cruz stands for Mount Apo - highest mountain in the Philippines, host venue of the ATM Championship Final last year and of the forthcoming Mt Apo Sky Race on 9/10 December. But Santa Cruz is more than the gateway to Mount Apo, and Team Jegol wishes to make that statement very clear. The event has three race categories of which the 70k is the longest. Less ambitious runners can go for the 25k and 15k options. Neither one of them goes to Apo.

The 70k ultramarathon trail has an elevation gain of about 4000hm, and will feature scenic and iconic places in Santa Cruz, namely, Mt. Loay, Mt. Dinor, Tacub Laya Falls, Pilan River, Sinoron, Lipantod, Camotes Ridge, and Mt. 796. This will surely give runners an adventure that they will never forget in the infamous mountain ranges of Santa Cruz. The course profile is actually quite distinct and interesting from a competitive point of view. Mount Dinor is the cornerstone and highest peak in the first half, Mount Loay in the second half. Runners should also be aware that after the final descent of Loay, there’s still a 10km flattish section to the finish back in Santa Cruz. That could hurt for some, while be a tactical all-in section for others.

Registration for the SC 70 event goes via this online form . More details can be obtained via the official website and Facebook Page.

The event hotel is the MGL Hotel, with Ms Mercy as contact person (Local tel: 0907-530-7415 / 0929-447-2789)

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