Trail Academy turns one and what better way to celebrate the milestone by opening up its 2019 calendar with Pinoy Trails Camp Out on May 11, 2019 and Hoka Shakeout Sessions on May 12, 2019 at Timberland Heights.
Trail Academy
It was last year that the crazy idea of expanding the trail talks we conduct to have an outdoor feel and incorporate a mini run with it. I’m just glad several crazy people had the passion to give back to the community and joined in the advocacy. Trail Academy hopes to attract more people to try out the trails by giving them some know-how and experience on the trails. 1 year, 4 Trail Academy Sessions and we’re just getting started.
Hoka Shakeout Sessions is powered by Trail Academy, Pinoy Trails and Active Pinas with Hoka One One as the Title Sponsor and Timberland Heights as the Venue partner. The event is also sponsored by Lightwater, Vitamin Boost, Emco Muslu, Vitargo and Runnr.
Pinoy Trails Camp Out
We tried camping last month at Adventure Farm at Timberland Heights and I really recommend it as a secure outdoor hub for camping especially for kids. Kids should really experience the feel of the outdoors. A camp out at Adventure Farm can come with movie night out, bonfires, grilled meals, barbeque, smores and a chance to enjoy the night lights and the stars from the high vantage point of Timberland Heights.
It was an early start for us on May 11, 2019 as we did the markings for the trails and had a fun time hanging out before we started pitching our tents in the afternoon. The Camp out was the perfect place to bond with coffee, drinks, meals and a lot of stories among the participants. By night time, we went to the higher vantage point to appreciate the city lights and had bonfire. We spent the night with a lot more stories before calling it a day.
Hoka Shakeout Sessions
The fun part with Trail Academy is that it’s not as toxic setting up as an actual race. You can enjoy the camp out, wake up early and do the event set up. While the event was free, we still wanted to come up with a good staging for the participants. The village was ready by 5:00 am and it was more on the execution part. With about 200 participants, the registration took about an hour to complete in time for the talks to start at around 6:30 am.
Trail Talk
The event was opened up by a short intro on Trail Academy from me as Pinoy Trails and some information from Leo Libuna of Quorum Group for the Hoka Brand. UTMB Finisher and Hoka One One Ambassador Joseph Sibal had a talk on race preparation with knowledge gained from joining several International races and key local races.
The participants got to enjoy Lightwater, Vitamin Boost, Emco Musli before and after the event. JB Serrano of Vitargo Philippines gave a short talk on nutrition and the need to replenish nutrients in our system during a run. Speedgoat Challenger Champion Zha Malana gave a women specific talk on her experiences in running and the different aspects of running. Hoka One One Ambassador and consistent podium finisher Noy Gentoleo gave a talk on how to train and maintain a work life balance, which is common dilemma for most trail runners.
The pacers led the warm up and it was time for the run. The participants were grouped into different pace groups: Fast for elite / experienced runners, moderate for those who wants to go on a tempo pace and walkers wave for newbies.
Trail Run
The runners were slowly released in waves with the fast wave starting things up, followed by the moderate and then the walkers wave. The runners started at spine road and had to descend to the waterfalls in Timberland before a long climb heading to the scenic Table Top, where you get to see the mountain ranges from a higher vantage point. They then descended to base 2 of Timberland and headed to the rolling trails along Roxas Loop all the way to the Glades before going back to the spine road.
It was a short but challenging course especially since its been raining lately on some trails were muddy. The climbs were also challenging but the rewards in terms of scenic vantage points was worth the effort.
The runners all reconvened at the Spine Road for the closing ceremonies and also some raffle where the grand prize was a Hoka One One shoes. That wraps another Trail Academy Sessions and see you in the next sessions.