May
15 Days to the World Mountain Trail Running Championships. Click here to know more https://www.innsbruck-stubai2023.com/en/ . The WMTRC is set to take place from June 6 to 10 in Innsbruck-Stubai, Austria, with four events: Vertical (an uphill race), Trail Short (44km), Trail Long (85km) and Mountain Classic (7km).
The Philippines is sending 12 athletes with three entries in each categories for the short and long trail.
THE JOURNEY TO WMTRC 2023
Time flies indeed! Philtra launched its selection with the first race in June 2022, which culminated in the Philtra National Championship held in February 2023, sanctioned by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association. You can read more about it here: link to the article.
After the selection process, each athlete confirmed their intent to join the team. Philtra, led by its Athlete Development Core Team, enlisted the help of renowned coach Andy Dubois, who specializes in coaching elite trail runners, along with Coach Christabel Martes. Training began with online coaching, while the athletes participated in races such as Asia Trail Master’s Translantau in Hong Kong, Tribu Pakaras’ Seslong Mountain Ultra, and the first leg of the Philtra 2023 Championship Series, the Madjaas Marathon. Following the Holy Week, the team members gathered in Manila to start their training camp, which would lead them to the WMTRC 2023. The camp commenced in San Mateo, Rizal, and culminated in a dominant performance by the team on the podium at the second leg of the Philtra Championship series, organized by Team Adrenaline, at the Timberland Mountain Marathon before heading to Baguio. PhilTRA has leased the Bersheeba Transient House for a month, which will serve as their home during this period.
Check out some of their training photos here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.235098432376846&type=3 or visit our Facebook Page: https://Facebook.Com/philippinetrailrunning
The team has undergone months of preparation, focusing on building endurance, strength, and agility required for alpine mountain trail running. Their training regimen included a combination of long-distance runs, hill repeats, speed workouts, and cross-training exercises, mostly held in Baguio City and Itogon, Benguet. They explored the trails in and around Baguio City, extending all the way to Itogon, Benguet, incorporating uphill and downhill running to enhance their technical skills. The Athlete Dev Team and coaches closely monitored the team’s progress.
To optimize their training, the team chose to base themselves at the Babalak Ranger Station near Mt. Pulag, the highest peak in Luzon, Kabayan, Benguet, in the last few weeks before the competition. This strategic location provides them with easy access to the mountain trails and allows them to acclimate to the high-altitude conditions. ‘’Now, it’s time to simulate the challenges they will face during the World Mountain Trail Running Championships. The next few weeks will focus on fine-tuning their strategies, including pacing, nutrition, and mental preparation, to ensure the team’s optimal performance during the championships.’’ – Doctor Marc Molina, Team Manager said.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
THE ATHLETES – Even at this early stage, we celebrate the strong bond and camaraderie the team has built, supporting and motivating each other throughout their journey. It is not an easy feat to be away from home and their comfort zones, dedicating their time to training. We thank the athletes for all the hard work, dedication and commitment!
THE COMMUNITY, DONORS AND FRIENDS We are also grateful for the astounding support we have received from the community, our donors and friends. To date, we have raised almost P500k through the sale of Philtra merchandise, T8 – Philippine edition Sherpa shorts and shirts, and personal donations.
SPONSORS. We are also grateful to the following sponsors:
T8 Gear
Our official uniform sponsor and the team’s official apparel provider. In addition to their donation of 50 Sherpa shorts for fundraising, T8 will provide the team with apparel during the race, including the Iced Tees shirts and Sherpa Shorts designed specifically for trail runners.
Merrell
Our official footwear sponsor, providing the team with a getaway to adventure. The wide variety of trail running shoe options allows each team member to choose what suits them and the specific event they are competing in.
We also thank the following:
– Pace Prehab and Recovery – The official recovery and prehab partner, supporting the team’s preparation.
– Point Outdoor – Provided Point flasks to the team.
–Berocca – The team’s official vitamins provider.
-Vamos – The team’s provider of trucker cap and our fundraising merchandise partner.
OUR CALL FOR SUPPORT
The journey to the WMTRC is not an easy one, not just for the athletes but also for PhilTRA. The funds raised have been enough to cover the training and preparation costs since March. The big chunk of expenses will be tickets and travel costs per person which is around P80k each ++. The team is set to fly on May 30 to ensure they have proper acclimatization, and accommodations have been booked by PhilTRA in Tyrol, 45 minutes from Innsbruck. They will then head to Innsbruck for the WMTRC competition on June 5, where the four-day food and accommodation will be covered by the organizing committee until competition days which are on June 8 and 9.
With that said, we are calling upon everyone’s generous hearts to continue supporting the team. We have only just begun. Please visit this link https://www.philtra.ph/supportphiltra for more information.
YOUR HELP, MORAL SUPPORT, PRAYERS AND GOOD VIBES WILL HELP SEND THE TEAM TO A SUCCESSFUL FEAT IN WMTRC AUSTRIA.
This is the first time that the Philippines will be sending a full delegation to the WMTRC. Is the team ready for the challenge, and how will they fare against competitors, especially the Europeans and Americans who are known to dominate the sport? This may be a question among some of us.
“This will be the first time that they will compete against the world’s best. We have done our best to stage a selection process to find the best athletes fitted for the WMTRC and have been maximizing the resources that we have to prepare and support the team. Seeing how they will fare against competitors consisting of the world’s top-ranked athletes is our goal. These athletes have won and dominated races across Southeast Asia in each chance they were able to join while for some of them it will be their first time traveling and racing overseas; it’s time for them to compete at the highest level at the World Championships., “ shared Christine “Tin“ Ferrera, Philtra‘s Secretary General.
The athletes have also made personal sacrifices to get to this point. We believe that this is definitely one of the biggest opportunities we’ve had to showcase Filipino trail runners at the global stage, and they will undoubtedly bring not only their natural running talent but also the heart and resiliency that Filipinos are made of. This is only the beginning for the Philippine Trail Running National Team. She further shared.
The theme of the uniform and merchandise of our Philippine national team for trail running is “Sinag” or hope. May this feat by our team in WMTRC bring hope, not just to the sporting community, but to everyone who witnesses this journey.
We present to you our Team Philippines for the World Mountain Trail Running Championship:
