Bigger race
9th Mt. Apo Boulder Face kicks off Sunday
SOME 70 participants will test their endurance when the 9th Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge kicks off Sunday, April 30, in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur.
In a press conference held at the Recreational Outdoor Exchange (R.O.X.) in Abreeza Ayala Malls, Sta. Cruz tourism officer Julius Paner, said the extreme adventure race expects entries from all over the country and from different countries,
"International event ni siya pero mas daghan gihapon ang local entries keysa gi-invite namo nga foreigners kay lisud jud ug gamay lang makalahutay sa race (This is an international event but there are more local entries compared to envited foreigners)," Paner, who was joined by ROX store head Lisa Acman, said.
The 95.1-kilometer (km) race covers 5-km water tubing, 36.6-km mountain biking and 53.5-km trail running.
Categories entered are individual open elite, allmale relay and all female relay.
"For the relay, the team should be composed of three racers-the first racer must perform water tubing, the other will race in mountain biking and the last one will race in trail running," Paner said.
Paner, however, said the event has nothing to do with the rehabilitation of Mt. Apo but the local government Unit (LGU) of Sta. Cruz has allocated P500,000 for the tree-growing activity within the area.
He, however, said that personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will be on stand-by to secure protected area.
Registration fees are pegged at P2,500 (open elite) and P4,000 (allmale, all-female).
The top three placers in open elite category will receive P70,000, P50,000 and P30,000, respectively, courtesy of the Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS).
Mandatory equipment required are mountain bike and head gear, running/ trekking shoes, life vest, tube, head lamp and digital camera.
Acman, for her part, said all the participants of the race will have a 15 percent discount to all products of ROX Abreeza branch.