(Sometimes) A Shiny Medal Is All I Need — The Hoka Trilogy Run Asia 2024
After many years away from running since all the way back during school days, I have just completed my 30th official race since December 2022. On average, that is more than one competition per month but I certainly don’t consider myself as a professional runner. However, the competitive strive is part of the human nature as we tend to try and figure out the own limits.
While my own performances are by no means top notch, there has certainly been a visible improvement since the first half marathon back in Singapore — in time, consistency and most notably, the mindset.
I have reached a point where I can put (the virtual) pen to paper and clarify what running is about for me personally. In the early stages, it was really just about getting back in shape physically and fighting some inner demons. Some of those demons are still there, but they have all but disappeared into a dark corner.
For me, running is a form of freedom, physical and mental healing, inspiration and exploration to grow further and become a better human. In a nutshell, it means taking care of myself. You learn a lot about yourself as the kilometres breeze by and get to enjoy different views almost every time. If others join, even better because the time will pass much faster.
Finding others who share the same passion is not only a bonus but a blessing and running is a very popular activity especially in South East Asia. Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan and the Philippines are just a few of the countries where I witnessed that first-hand, one of which has become my new home.
Large brands have also become aware of this fitness trend and appear as main or side sponsors for many major running competitions all over the world. For example, the multinational bank Standard Chartered headlines the Singapore Marathon which attracts more than ten thousand runners annually for the World Athletics Gold Label Road Race. In the Philippines, the likes of 7-Eleven, Milo and Hoka have entered the fray.
One of these races in particular caught my interest earlier in the year when I stumbled over the Hoka Trilogy Run Asia, which describes itself as “one-of-a-kind running series that challenges you with three races in every host city annually”. It was first launched in the Philippines with various race locations spread across major islands and cities of the country.
The concept is rather simple, yet clever at the same time: Three different legs for each venue with increasing distances lead to an annual grand finale in December. It all kicks off with 16km (10 miles), followed by 21km (half marathon) and the third leg is 32km (20 miles). The final then includes a half and full marathon option, but shorter distances are also available at each stop.
Why is it clever? Well, the average amateur runner won’t jump right into a marathon out of the blue but what if there was a schedule that would lead you towards such an ambitious goal? Most training programs for half and full marathons include increasing distances over time and that’s essentially what this Trilogy Run Asia is really all about.
Another clever twist is the medal, as it contains four different pieces. Once obtained, it will form a full circle and is quite unique in the world of running so far. I have already collected the three main pieces and only need to finish the final on December 8 to grab the inner frame.
Let’s have a quick look at my races in this series so far in 2024:
Leg 1: Iloilo City
Distance: 16km
Time: 1:27:40
Split: 5.29/km
This was actually my best performance right away but it was made even better with the opportunity to meet several members of the Run Aklan group. Most are based in Kalibo, which is around 90 minutes drive away from Boracay. We were in Kalibo for several weeks for the birth of my son and that’s when the dots connected over Strava.
This city race was well organised with all traffic crossed off, though two times the police had to stop cards at intersections for us to get through. The hydration stations were plenty and the loot bag was pretty good.
Leg 2: Manila
Distance: 21km
Time: 1:57:10
Split: 5.34/km
Situated near the Mall of Asia (MOA) shopping complex, the course followed some of the main streets and twice we were almost run over by speeding cards on blocked intersections. Besides that, the nutrition stations were okay and the sub two hour half marathon was also not bad.
This was a very busy stop from what I can tell, and it came with a sour aftertaste. When everyone had gathered for the race to kick off, we were told that due to the recent typhoon, the shipment with the finisher medals had not arrived in time. That happened in early June and many runners still haven’t received their medals until now, two months later …
Leg 2: Cebu
Distance: 21km
Time: 1:58:54
Split: 5.36/km
One of my favourite movies is called “Zombieland” in which the main character has a set of rules to survive against the undead. One of them is “enjoy the little things” and that happens to be finisher medals for me. I was actually so annoyed about not getting the Leg 2 medal that I jumped on a plane from Boracay to Cebu the next weekend and repeated the same race at a different location again.
I have had bad experiences earlier in 2024 during the Cebu Marathon, which had an incredibly boring course layout. Thankfully, the CCLEX was not used this time but the half marathon was scheduled 1–2 hours too late, sending average runners like me well beyond the sunrise and into the morning heat. Besides that, everything was okay there without any major elevation and I notched up another sub two.
Leg 3: Manila
Distance: 32km
Time: 3:40:15
Split: 6.52/km
Back to Manila for Leg 3, once again taking place all around MOA with a 2am starting time. The distance between a half and full marathon was a sucker punch for me this time, because it came just one week after the Negros100 Ultramarathon and my legs were pretty sore.
After around ten kilometres, stomach cramps started to commence and I quickly gave up all tiny hope of a sub three hour result. Initially, I was aiming for a finish time between 3h15 and 3h30 but missed that as well. Eventually, I dragged my sorry ass over the line in around 3h40 and that was pretty okay considering the circumstances.
Once again, a couple of major intersections were only partly crossed off and it was a coin flip whether or not the specific runners or cards / scooters had to wait. One of such scenarios saw me push through as last runner and I received standing ovations via heavy honking from the waiting crowd on wheels. They got louder when I tried to start a laola-wave.
What was the biggest shortcoming of this event? The hydration stations were placed every 2–3km and we had electrolytes / water available on each of them. However, only the 24km station also had bananas and none other had any kind of food for the runners, which I certainly found quite bewildering.
Again, this stop was incredibly busy with around 3,000 runners signed up for the 32km distance. The 5km and 10km shared a part of the route with us and it turned into a parcours session near the finish line at the end of the race, which would probably need more consideration in the planning stages for the next time.
There was no hot food available incluced in the race entry fee either, but several food stalls were on site at the start / finish location. Free ice cream and some local specialties along with a few select goodies from sponsoring partners usually had long waiting lines, but Manila was far better organised than Cebu, for example.
One more thing I should mention, because it hasn’t happened to me anywhere else. In the first three races of the series, my times were not reported correctly or at all, sometimes even with completely wrong personal details. Three out of three were flat out wrong, yet it was no issue with the chip tracking in any of the other Pinoy races.
I haven’t checked yet if my result from Leg 3 in Manila is correct but had to send in evidence from my own Strava / Garmin account for previous stops. Many others reported similar problems on the Facebook page, which is kind of odd.
Whether or not I will do the 21km or 42km in the finale on December 8 is actually not decided yet. Most likely, I will compete in the Singapore Marathon again exactly one week prior as this was my first race venue and I’d like to keep up the tradition. If the lack of food on aid stations persists for the full marathon, it would definitely be a sucker punch.
Besides that, one more Leg 3 is planned for me as I have also signed up for Baguio at the end of September in northern Luzon. From what I have been told, the elevation won’t be as kind as the other stops with many hilly sections.
So far, the Hoka Trilogy Run Asia has only been launched in the Philippines, but expending them to other nearby countries in South East Asia is in the works according to the event website. Run Rio is the race partner here, and they have a long history of hosting competitions in the Philippines. Hopefully, they can iron out all the small hiccups and make the experience even better in upcoming editions.
Now that all has been said for the time being, below is the updated summary of my 30 races in the last 20 months.
