KRISTIAN Joergensen continues his dominance in local ultra-marathon races after topping the recently concluded Pulag 100K (P1) of the King of the Mountain Trail Run Philippines (KOTM) series.
Joergensen clocked 18:18:50 to complete the course, two minutes ahead of first runner–up Kyle Redentor Antolin who finished the race at 20:43:37 while Ruben Casim clocked 20:43:42 to salvage second runner-up.
Novena Manacnes checked in at 25:54:47 to win the distaff side as Maria Luisa Prado clocked 27:50:39 to salvaged first runner-up honors as Cecille Wael finished the race with a time of 29:23:23 to settle for second runner-up.
Pulag 100K is just one of the five races under the King of the Mountain series which is approximately 112 kilometers in distance, less than five kilometers of which consist of concrete paths.
It has many demanding ascents and breathtaking descents. The total elevation gain is around 5,628 meters while total elevation loss is approximately 5,169 meters.
KOTM is based in the town of Kayapa, in the province of Nueva Vizcaya organized by frontRUNNER Magazine (frontrunnermagph.com) under the helm of its Editor-in-Chief, Jonel Mendoza, a trail enthusiast and ultra-marathoner.
The series was borne out of Mendoza’s desire to establish a defining trail race in the Philippines that would enable him to share his admiration for the beautiful mountains and views offered by his home province.
All events in the series start early morning to give participants a chance to partake of the charming scenery along the way.
Organizers said KOTM was formally launched on April 1, 2012 with the holding of the first Mount Ugo Marathon (MUM) and its half marathon side event. The Old Spanish Trail 60K (OST60) and Four Lakes 100K (FL100) ultramarathons were held less than two months later, on May 26-27, 2012.
In February of the following year, the pioneer edition of the Hardcore 100 Miles (H1), the longest and toughest event of the series was staged, followed by the MUM again in March, and OST60 and FL100 in May.
In 2014, another event, P1 was opened by the organizers to give H1 aspirants a feel of the longer, 100-mile course. The P1 route is H1’s first 100 kilometers.
Since 2015, the Old Spanish Trail 60K has been shortened to approximate a more standard ultramarathon distance of 50 kilometers and the sequence of KOTM events has been modified so that the lesser distance races are scheduled earlier in the year.
The series now starts off with the Mt. Ugo Marathon (MUM) and Half Marathon in January, followed by the Old Spanish Trail 50K (OST50) and Four Lakes 100K (FL100) in February, the Pulag 100K (P1) in April, and Hardcore 100 Miles (H1) in May.
Runners who officially complete four successive KOTM events: MUM, FL100, P1, and H1 in one year are awarded the KOTM400 pendant.
Those who officially finish three H1 races are also recognized and automatically elevated to the KOTM Hall of Fame.