AFTER suffering an injury during the Altra 100 in Ifugao, James Tellias is hoping to be healed before the penultimate event of the King of the Mountain (KOTM) Series 2017.
Tellias, who recently won the Four Lakes 100 in April, is optimistic of getting back to action and seek another podium finish in either Pulag 100 or the Hardcore Hundred Miles set on May 19.
“Hopefully by that time magaling na ‘yung injury ko. Medyo mahirap din ‘yung trail ng Altra 100 kaya parang nabigla din yung katawan ko,” said Tellias, adding his brother Al is still contemplating of joining the KOTM event after conquering the 50 kilometer Old Spanish Trail last month.
Both Pulag 100 and Hardcore Hundred Miles starts and ends at the Kayapa Central School with the Pulag 100 passing through the Babadak Ranger station of Mt. Pulag in Bokod, Benguet with a cutoff time of 30 hours.
The Hardcore Hundred Miles (H1) covering 160 kilometers belongs to an exclusive club of 100-mile races worldwide that have a total elevation gain of more than 35,000 feet.
H1 covers the same route with the Pulag 100 but spans through Mt. Ugo and back to Kayapa Central School.
Runners who officially complete three successive KOTM events: MUM, FL100 and H1 in one year are awarded the KOTM300 buckle.
Those who officially finish three H1 races are also recognized and automatically elevated to the KOTM Hall of Fame.
KOTM races are accredited by the International Trail Running Association (ITRA).
Since 2013, KOTM events have also been point-earning races for the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB®) in Europe.
For the UTMB® 2017 edition, Mount Ugo Marathon 2016 has been rated two points, OST 50K – three points, Four Lakes 100K – five points, Pulag 100K – five points and Hardcore Hundred Miles – six points
H1 is the only race in Asia, aside from UTMF in Japan, that stands as a lottery entry race for Hardrock 100 Miles in the US. (Roderick Osis)