SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Subic plays host this weekend to Salomon X-trail—reputedly one of the toughest trail-running races in Asia today.
The race, organized by Primer Group of Companies and Extribe Inc., takes off on July 22 at the El Kabayo Stables and will take participants to some of the wildest, wettest and most wearying nature trails in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Salomon X-trail will involve two race categories—Trail Run category for beginners with 6-km and 12-km distances and the more technical Mountain Run designed for experienced runners with 24-km and 32-km distances.
But whatever the distance, the event will test runners’ wit and grit to traverse and conquer different terrain surfaces—a mixture that sets the Salomon X-trail series apart.
“In Subic at this time of the year, that translates to rocky dirt roads, muddy mountain trails, swollen streams, slippery slopes and overgrown grasslands,” SBMA Tourism Manager Jem Camba said.
“These trails might be technical and challenging to some, but they will always showcase the beauty of the forests, rivers and mountains in the Subic Bay Freeport,” Camba added.
Camba said that the scenic race courses in Subic provide the biggest drawing power of this free port, which also hosted the Century Tuna Ironman Philippines 2018 last month, kicking off the start of the rainy-day run season here with the first full-distance Ironman to be held in the country.
For the Salomon run, organizers said they expect around 3,000 local and foreign participants this year for the Luzon leg that will be held in Subic.
After this, the race will go to Davao on August 12 for the Mindanao leg, and to Iloilo on September 16 for the Visayas leg.
The Salomon X-trail is one of the most anticipated races today, as it is reputed to be a more technical trail running race, with a mixture of different terrain surfaces including dirt, rocks, sand and concrete paths.
It is held throughout Southeast Asia in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Philippines.