So: ‘Ligo’?

Thursday, December 2, 2010

LAST Saturday while mayors were busy clipping their toenails and nose hair, a small group of payter marathoners and their supporters withstood the heat of the day. About 180 of these payter marathoners ran 50 kilometers from Mt. Manunggal in Balamban to Capitol in Cebu City.

Along this scenic but deceptively torturous stretch, Ungo aid stations lay. Ours was at the 42-kilometer mark and the last. The Ungo stations were put up as pit stops for the 20 Ungo runners who joined the first ultramarathon in Cebu.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

The runners who passed by our station were either tired and kagidlay or tired and kagidlay. Many of them had been running for at least five hours. The first runner who passed by us came at 10 a.m., barely five minutes after we set up our roadside mini Gatorade bar.

The sun teased us that day. It was in heat. The Ungo volunteers responded with a big toothless smile on their chest and the Ungo runners with an emoticon on their shirt that said tired and kagidlay.

Each runner of the 50K was entitled to a support crew. The 20 Ungo runners had a support crew of 50.

We had agreed to provide only for the Ungo runners but on race day, we discriminated against no one. Every runner regardless of affiliation or hair count deserved a bottle of Gatorade or St. James water and food. It was like the bread and fish phenomenon. We provided for 30 people but fed 200.

The provisions depended on who manned the station but energy drink and water were regular fare. In one station, beer was served. Bananas, boiled eggs, cookies, chocolates, sandwiches and this one needs verifying, humba were among the edible offers.

As the distance got longer and body temperatures got hotter, the runners now preferred cool relief to food.

Our Ungo station at Chateau de Busay was wo-manned by Sun.Star Cebu editor-in-chief Isolde Amante, Leisure Travel and Tours general manager Sheila Colmenares and me. We had four youngsters with us—Joel Garganera’s children Aliko, 15, and Federico, 13, and Sheila’s granddaughters Dominique, eight and Nicole, three. Later we were joined by couple Jinggoy and Joy Bascug and four more Ungo volunteers.

Our station being the last was crucial. The runners began approaching our station when the sun was at its hottest, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The runners, seeing us, gestured for water to be poured on their head. They poured the bottled water we gave them on their head and neck.

By some luck, we found a big barrel of water at the store where we squatted our mini bar on. And there was a pail! And a dipper (kabo) too!

Federico and Aliko, both 21Kers, did the legwork for us. Federico was the spotter, alerting us if a runner was approaching our station, and Aliko was the kabo girl, pouring water on the runner. Dominique was the You’re Welcome girl, responding to the Thank You from the runners. We adults were the barkers, offering “Ligo? Shampoo? Masahe? Facial? Hair rebond?”

Federico and Aliko would run to meet the runners and not wait for them to reach the station. At one point, Federico became the kabo boy. He ran towards a female runner who stopped to accept the offer of ligo from the goodlooking Fed.

The female runner, a Tagala, bent her head and told Federico, “Sa batok lang.” Federico hesitated and then simply doused her entire head with water. What was done couldn’t be undone and she forgave Federico when he gave her his heart-melting smile.

Later Federico asked me, “Auntie, unsay batok?” I searched my Tagalog brain. Batok batok batok. Ah, it’s this one, Fed, touching his nape. Tangkugo! Fed said he thought it was her entire head.

Max, let’s have an orientation on Tagalog for the Ungo!