After her successful stint in the recent 30th Southeast Asian Games obstacle course racing with a gold medal, Baguio’s own Sandi Menchi Abahan sets her eyes on the Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) World Championships set this year.
Abahan has her schedule full this year with various races that would lead her to the 2020 OCR World Championships in the United States set Oct. 2 to 4.
She said while they are waiting for further instruction for the 31st SEAG in Vietnam, she is bent on joining competitions to sharpen her obstacle racing skills.
First up for this year is the Spartan race in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam set Feb. 15, featuring 20 obstacles in a five-kilometer race.
She is also planning to join the Spartan Asia Pacific race set Oct. 24 to 25. This would be her ticket to join the Spartan Trifecta World Championship 2020 in the games iconic origin in Sparta, Greece set Nov. 6 to 8.
Abahan, a multi-awarded elite trail runner, has just ventured into the OCR because that is what gave me strength in order for me to join OCR,” she said.
Transitioning from trail running to OCR has been a challenge to the local athlete, who is a proud product of the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association meet in her younger years, as she needed to strengthen her speed in going through various obstacle courses.
Obstacle racing is a sport in which a competitor, traveling on foot, must overcome various physical challenges in the form of obstacles. These include the Spartan race and the popular American Ninja Warrior races, the latter being the inspiration of Abahan in joining the OCR.
Ultra-trail runs is still part of her training this year as she is part of the 30 local runners chosen by lottery to take part of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in the TDS or the Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie category, the same category she conquered in 2017.
Abahan will be bound to Chamonix, France on Aug. 24 to 30 along with other Filipino runners including Cordilleran trail runner Miguel Carranza joining the same category featuring 145-km. and nine 100-meter ascent. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 26, 2024
