An Ibaloy officer of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Cordillera made a Philippine record by completing 22 loops covering 147.4 kilometers during the Jingle Balls Backyard Ultra (JBBU) held at Camp John Hay, Baguio City.
Jail S/Insp. Rhys Yvan Pawid made it to the 22nd loop to break the previous record of 21 loops, or 140.7 km set last April at Tap Out Backyard Ultra in Maco, Davao de Oro.
Pawid, a member of the Philippine National Police Academy Class of 2017, was hailed the last man standing in the event, as Ronie Nullar tried to beat the national record too but tapped out on the 21st loop, while Rowell Campos lasted on the 15th loop.
The backyard ultra is a form of ultramarathon race where competitors consecutively run 6.7 kilometers to complete a single loop in less than one hour. There is no predetermined time to finish one loop, but there is a new race every hour.
The race is won by only one runner and considered the only finisher, who remains to complete one last lap.
Organized by King of The Mountain and Intrepid Spirit, JBBU, tests the endurance, planning, and mental fortitude of each runner, as each participant only has himself to race against.
BJMP Chief Allan Iral commended Pawid for his achievement stating that “it takes strong discip-line and grit for such feat”.
Iral cited the va-lue of fitness and good health for each member of BJMP to pro-perly do their jobs.
Pawid, who is a top performer in local ultra-run events, thanked those who supported him during the race.
“After what felt like a whirlwind of a season, I’m happy to have finished my last race of the year on a positive note. To more trails ahead,” Pawid said.
He placed third in the 42-kilometer Itogonia Mountain Marathon challenge on Nov. 6 in Itogon, Benguet conquering the trail routes in six hours and 57 mi-nutes.
The first JJBU edition was held in December 2019 at Camp John Hay. – Ofelia C. Empian
