To start off, I bumped into Ian Alacar when I registered for the Botak Paa-tibayan last month. After prodding him to answer a few questions, I got the following answers from him and I must say, I am glad that I’m starting off the Q’s with Ian – there was enough material from his answers that I was tempted to slice off this entry into two!
How long have you been running?
I started running when I was 9 years old. I’ve been running for the last 17 years and during the first 10 years of my career I was running competitively both on track and road races.
Is running your only sport?
Nope… I’ve done Duathlons, Triathlons, Adventure-races, Rifle-marksmanship, Arnis, Capoiera and Fencing.
What was the first race category you joined? How was your time/PR?
My first race was a 5K when I was 9. It was my first run and it was a race. I finished it half jogging and walking.
My Pr’s are:
5K – 18:26
10K – 39:14
15K – 1:07.12
21K – 1:30.21
42K – 4:34.17
50K – 12:57.07 (Trail)
100K – 17:26.00
Noticed that your last PR was an ultramarathon, what made you decide to join one?
When I ventured into the realm of other sports it felt incomplete so I went back to road running in 2008 however it wasn’t appealing to me still, I didn’t feel the challenge anymore like when I was still on it during college. Until lately I read the book of Dean Karnazes “Confessions of an all-night runner” and James E. Shapiro’s “Ultramarathon” then a feeling suddenly came into me and I realized that after all the other sports that I did nothing compares to taking the lonely road. When the first BDM 102 (Bataan Death March 102KM) was announced I know that it was a sign. I had covered almost every distance from the mile to the full marathon. I felt that the challenge now is to go beyond, that is when I decided to start ultra-running.
Do you have an inspiration?
Yes. I had several people that I look up to both in running and in my personal life. First of them was my dad, he is the one who introduced me to the sport and was my first coach. Another running luminary I look up to is Mr. Michael Keon, he is a family friend and my dad’s best bud. He was the first to break the 16 minute barrier in the 5,000 meters on Philippine soil, his attitude towards running is to run it with no regrets and he is very scientific as an athlete, coach, and administrator. Next would be Steve Prefontaine, the American running legend. He ran without limits and without hesitation too. He always takes the lead, in his career he was able to break the American record several times. Next is my idol, Haile Gebreselassie – the man who owned every distance from 4,000 meters to the full marathon (42.195KM) - he had 25 world records under his belt. Finally the Philippine ultra-marathon legend and my mentor, Mr. Cesar Guarin, who is the first Filipino to run across the Philippine archipelago, the 11th man in American record books to do a solo East Coast to West Coast trans-USA run, and the only Filipino so far to do the trans-Europe run. His tenacity to run no less than 50km a day and strong will during those trans-continental runs is not just admirable but awe inspiring.
What does it take to be a runner?
For one, runners are a disciplined lot. They need to have adequate sleep and follow normal body clock to get adequate rest and recovery. They need to have a good diet and coached-approved training calendar. They need to have regular visits with the foot and knee doctor. They also love the track oval and interval training because this is where they’ll improve their time in any given distance. Runners love the road races and the pampered running environment.
What does it take be an ultra runner?
For one ultra-runners are crazy people. If you are a serious ultra runner, you will definitely break out from your normal body clock. You’ll need to sacrifice night-outs and parties. You will also need to have devotion on the track oval (running at least 50 laps or so). You also need to be faithful with your training calendar and you have to treat it as your best friend and confidant. Most importantly you need to love the open road, the uncharted trails, and have open-mindedness to adventure. Lastly, you need to have an unbreakable spirit when everyone wants to quit, you will continue no matter what happens. Ultra-runners are mercenaries that will survive wherever they are sent to. They are self-sufficient and strategic in their decision-making since every kilometer pushed must be carefully planned out.
What training did you have to undergo for this run? Or for every run?
I follow a training program that is designed by me and my dad. It includes endurance training (mileage build up), strength training, plyometrics and speed endurance.
What is your next dream/goal – relative to running?
I would like to run and finish the Western State Mile in the USA and then do a trans-continental run as well.
Any message to the running community?
Running in the Philippines is almost at its peak. We need to safeguard our community and not let it die down like other sports. We need to realize more of our contribution to society and to the sport, let us utilize our strength as a running community and help develop word-class athletes that shall be model citizens.
It is unfair to say that this is an overload of information because I am not done yet. There are a thousand more reasons to learn why people are running. Before I run out of pages (no pun intended) on this first interview, let me take a breather first and I promise to give you more when I come back! Gotta run!
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