Carrera Habagat 2008, Sto. Domingo, Albay

We were at the Carerra Habagat 2008 held November 12-15 in Albay, Bicol last week.

Billed as the “Toughest Adventure Race in the Country,” this year’s Carrera Habagat was hosted by the municipality of Sto. Domingo, Albay with the majestic Mt. Mayon as backdrop.

It was the ultimate Philippine adventure race, a multi-discipline race which involved map reading and navigation, trekking, mountaineering, biking, rappelling, swimming and canoeing. It saw the gathering of 11 competing teams composed of outdoor enthusiasts, from backpackers to hardcore mountaineers coming from all over the country.

We were there to document the participation of the Cool Leyte Team, together with its support team.

It was rough but fun at the same time. The travel alone was tough. We left Tacloban City 8PM Tuesday, November 11 and motored all the way to Albay, crossing the San Bernardino Strait by ferry and reaching Base Camp in Sto. Domingo at a little past 10AM the following day – a total of 14 hours travel time.

Of the 11 original competing teams, only 9 managed to finish the grueling 4-day continuous race (Cool Leyte Team included). Champion was Team Mulatto Davao, 2nd place – Team Merrel Manila and third was Team Iligan Pride.

Mayon Volcano

Coming home our van broke down while still in Bacacay, Albay. Three of us photogs decided to go ahead of the team and took the bus back to Tacloban. We did not join the race but we look wasted, don’t we? 😉

View the full gallery (68 photos): http://callezaragosa.com/CarreraHabagat08-LRGallery/index.html

~ by gerryruiz on 20 November 2008.