Willie Miller’s ‘Bulwaks’ Creality Race champ

BORACAY—Mixing their hoop skills and quick wit, Barangay Ginebra star Willie Miller and his Team Bulwaks captured the Creality Race Adventure 2011 title over the weekend at the pristine beachfront here in Aklan.

Miller, along with Rain or Shine’s Ronjay Buenafe, Powerade’s Francis Allera and team managers Joaqui Trillo of Alaska and Powerade’s Gerard Francisco, checked in with a time of 15 minutes and 10 seconds to top the adventure race that spiced up the PBA All-Star Weekend.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Trillo. “It was a great way to interact with the people. We were approaching strangers and there were so many people watching. It was good for the PBA as a whole.”

Miller kept his fiery form later in the day, starring with eventual MVP Marc Pingris, Arwind Santos and LA Tenorio in leading the North to a 133-129 nipping of the South in the All-Stars main game.

Powerade’s Mark Macapagal, who defended his three-point shootout crown, checked in second with a time of 17:02 minutes together with Borateam’s Sunday Salvacion and Rey Guevarra of Petron, Ginebra’s John Wilson and San Miguel’s basketball operations chief Robert Non.

The race, based on the American reality hit show “Amazing Race,” featured pit stops where teams competed in tasks that tested their agility, speed, wit and strength.

Photo by Nuki Sabio, PBA

“This is just a teaser of the races that we’ll stage in different provinces this year,” said Judith Staples, Puma Time sales and marketing head.

Tenorio and Team Bahagya’s Jervy Cruz of Rain or Shine, PBA chair Rene Pardo, Powerade alternate governorand PBA liaison officer Botong Chavez clocked 20:03 minutes for third place.

Some of the challenges of the race conceptualized by Cre8 Events Asia and presented by Puma Time and L Time Studio included puzzle games, arcade shooting and tug-of-war.

The media group rounded out the four-team field as Team Balugbog’s June Navarro of Inquirer, Philippine Star’s Nelson Beltran, Manila Bulletin’s Waylon Galvez, Abante Tonite’s Zaldy Perez and Abante’s Vladimir Eduarte finished in 29:41 minutes.

Representatives of Gawad Kalinga, the race beneficiary, along with Cre8 Events Asia president and CEO Carlo Queveda and FSL marketing manager Inja Fajatin graced the event.

All participants received Puma Time watches as prizes.