680KM Run Around Negros Island
My “kababayan” and relative Rolando Espina Jr. who hails from Bacolod City but based in Ireland completed a 680-kilometer run around Negros Island in six days. The run dubbed Hope for Kids with Cancer is an advocacy of Espina to raise funds for children who have cancer. The 50-year-old Espina, a nurse, triathlete and ultramarathoner, started at kilometer 0 at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on January 20 at 3 p.m. and ran 165km to Sipalay for the first leg. The next leg was from Sipalay to Dumaguete, a distance of 175km. The third leg covered 116km from Dumaguete to Guihulngan, while the fourth leg was from Guihulngan to Sagay (115km) for the final leg. Espina ran from Sagay to Bacolod City (85km) for the finish at the Capitol. Espina also finished the U.K Eskraghman Ironman Distance in Ireland. He also completed the Spartathlon, a 246.8km run from Athens to Sparta. Espina was supported by his group, Team Bagat, composed of coach Franklin Echevarria, Brekz Cabrillos and alternate runners Jan Christopher Chua, JC Fregil Chua and Neil Valenzuela. As of this writing, Espina has already raised Php140,000 pesos. Good Job Noy!
ANOTHER ILONGGO MAKE WAVES IN WORLD TILT
A few months before Rolando Espina Jr. completed his historic run around Negros Island, another Ilonggo Jivee Tolentino made waves in the 2023 Big Dog Backyard Ultra Individual World Championship in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Tolentino placed 13th overall after running four days non-stop to complete 81 loops (337.50 miles) in 72 hours and 54 seconds. His previous record was 62 loops set in May 2022 in Rettert, Germany. The Backyard Ultra, one of the toughest 10 in the world, is an ultramarathon where runners must complete a 4.187 mile loop every hour for as many hours as they can until only one runner remains. Harvey Lewis won the race in 94 hours 16 minutes and 36 seconds completing 450 miles. The 47-year-old Ilonggo lives in Dublin, Ireland and is the nephew of my protege’ former national marathon record holder Herman Suizo. Tolentino also won the Belfast-Dublin-Belfast Ultra in Ireland and ran the Spartathlon three times. We are proud of you Jivee, Aton gid ini!