DAVAO Striders runner Arnie Macañeras grabbed the runner-up honors of the 5th annual Ultra Trail Unseen Koh Chang 2020 (UTKC 2020) jungle 100-kilometer trail race held over the weekend in Koh Chang Tai, Ko Chang District, Trat 23170, Thailand.
Macañeras clocked a total of 19 hours and 17.55 seconds, trailing behind Great Britain's Paul Dunn who checked in at 18:21:12.9 while Japan's Hisashi Kitamura finished third with 19:09:49.8.
Dunn has overtaken Macañeras, who was leading from the start, in the last 20 kilometers to snatch the win.
The Jungle Trail in Thailand, according to the UTKC website, featured a variety of funny challenges, excitement, and extreme challenges with tropical conditions. The route passed through fishing villages, hiking trails, rocky waterfalls and sandy beaches.
Macañeras, currently based in Kapatagan, Digos City, on his Facebook post on February 12, was motivated to compete in the race.
"Bago ko molupad, magpasalamat diay ko sa mga naghatag ug opportunity ani nga event, sa mga nag-support daghan kaayong salamat (Before I fly to Thailand, I thank those who gave me the opportunity to join this race. Thank you to all who supported me)," he wrote.
His Facebook was flooded with congratulatory greetings for the rare feat.
On Sunday, February 16, he announced on the same social media platform that he will undergo a day hike for recovery at Mt. Apo on February 29.
The worldwide event, according to the UTKC website, attracted a total of 1,600 participants from 32 countries.
Ko Chang Tai Subdistrict Administration Organization, Ko Chang National Park and Teelakow Co., Ltd. jointly organized this year's event, which also featured the 70K, 5K, 34K and 14K categories. Over 2,000 entries competed for honors in recently-concluded competition.