■ Ofelia C. Empian
Ultra-runners who will take part in the Southeast Asia Trail Running Cup set on June 19 to 23 in Bontoc, Mountain Province will have a chance to earn international trail running points.
The event organizers, Southeast Asian Trail Running Confederation and the Philippine Trail Running Association (Philtra), said top finishers of the Tawid open category will gain International Trail Running Association (ITRA) points, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) index, and the Philtra 2024 Championships qualifier points.
The ITRA points will be the basis for a trail runners’ place in the official trail running world-ranking, which is recognized by the World Athletics. The UTMB index represents the overall performance level of a runner and is calculated based on their best current scores. The latter will help qualify a trail runner to the UTMB stage.
The international event will see action from seven participating countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“This biennial competition gathers the finest trail runners from every corner of the Southeast Asian region to showcase their prowess in the challenging and awe-inspiring terrains of mountainous landscapes,” organizers said.
Other prizes await the SEA Trail Running Cup finishers and podium spot winners including team championship for male and female: short trail and long trail, top three short trail and long trail, top three Mt. Classic, and VK uphill top three.
The Tawid open category includes finisher’s medal and SEA age group awards, aside from the PHILTRA qualifier points, ITRA points, and UTMB index points.
The SEA Trail Cup features the 80-kilometer-long trail, 42-km. short trail, mountain classic, and a vertical uphill category.
The ninth Tawid Mountain Marathon will also be part of the SEA running event as the open category for the public, according to local co-organizer Tawid Multisports Group.
The event features the categories 12.8-km., 21.8-km., and 42.8-km., where participants can aim to be the SEA Trail Cup Age Group Champion.
For more information and for the registration details, visit the Tawid Mountain Marathon Facebook account.
