When Primer Group, race organizers of the 1st Nathan Ridge Run decided to stage this race at the Tagaytay Highlands and Midland Resort, i thought that there wouldn’t be any more better place to run this race outside of Metro Manila but looks and scenery could be just as deceiving.
And there’s nothing like getting up on a race course that’s to be run on some of the most challenging hills, most of it never been ventured. For sure it’s going to be a devil’s hill race and a reality for one’s lack of mastery on it.
A devil's race course in the sky
Experiencing the torturous hills here first hand is having a keen knowledge that this course won’t be a walk in the park, stroll-along-the lake kind of race (except perhaps, if you really would walk the whole distance).
The roads, wide and generous has its mixed feel: pine trees that line up along its edges, fog that hazes the horizon, cliffs and ridges that resemble scenes on National Geographic, log cabins that seem to have been uprooted from North America, an abundance of wild forest with wild birds gliding above it and the spectacular view of Taal Volcanoe in Lake Taal. You perceive its sheer beauty when running about it, yet experience its sharp harshness when you thread up those killer hills.
I was with fifteen other bloggers and runners who were invited by Ms. Mariel Flores, Brand Associate for Nathan Performance Gear for a familiarization tour of the 5k, 10k and 21k race courses, for the November 20, 2011 Nathan Ridge Run.
For those who haven’t been to Tagaytay Highlands and are running this course for the first time, here’s a snap preview of the race course. I’ll be coming up with a second part where i’ll focus on some of the scenes along the course. Here goes:
Near the start, Amanda gleefully strolls about
Trudging the short uphill while B (Titanium Runner) patiently waits for us
A sports facilitator of the resort leads the runners
It was a bit wet and damp during the run but was cool and breezy
Passing through one of the resort villages
Fog engulfed us along the ridge
Jojo and the rest takes a breather
The infamous uphill to one of the peaks
That structure up that hill is called the "peak"
A view at our backs
That's Jojo trying to be minimalist runner and photographer at the same time
Those are views that we'll see on race day
That's Amanda, baby of the group!
Pedz, the Running Atom
A cement trail somewhere...
An entrance to another village
One of the few flat surfaces on the course
Lots of zigzag roads here
One of the last hill before reaching the peak
Making the move..there are 2 more hills after this
Getting my bearings for the final push. Taal volcano in the background
100 meters from here will be the peak
The Peak
View below
Taking a respite, and we've only covered 3.2kms
Log cabins
The Nathan Running Dream Team! (Photo by Nathan Grp)
Back to the club house
A hearty barbecue spare ribs lunch after the run
Tagaytay Ridge Run 2011
November 20, 20111
5K/10K/21K
Tagaytay Highlands and Midlands Resort
Registration Fees:
Distances-Fees-Inclusions:
5K – P850 (singlet, Nathan Sprint handheld, post-race meal)
10K – P1,050 (singlet, Nathan Quickdraw Plus handheld, post-race meal)
21K – P1,050 (singlet, Nathan Quickdraw Plus handheld, post-race meal)
Nathan Quickdraw Plus (22 oz) worth P990.00
Registration centers at ROX, Toby’s Sports, Secondwind Stores, A Runners Circle, The Starting Line.
There will be more pictures and the race details in Part 2! Watch for it!
