Almost at the finish line, Rolando “Junjun” Espina took a detour to avoid counterflowing traffic, which meant he had to run a couple of kilometers more in what was already the longest race of his life.
But it hardly mattered for the Ireland-based Filipino ultra marathoner as he ruled the 500-kilometer Zark’s Ultimate Run with plenty to spare at Quezon City Memorial Circle on Saturday night.
Starting the race at 4 p.m. on Tuesday in Ilocos Norte, Espina negotiated the route in 102 hours and 16 minutes to beat two of his best buddies in the country’s longest footrace.
Jivee Tolentino and Rex Brilliantes checked in less than three hours later at 105:09 to share second spot, while Cebu-born Roselle Abajo finished in 119:32, just 28 minutes before the cutoff time of 120 hours.
“It was a matter of believing you can finish,” said Espina, who might take a crack at a 1,000K run next year. “I ran and walked 28 hours nonstop.”