7-Eleven once again challenged the endurance of Filipino cyclists who joined their biggest single-loop cross-country mountain biking race to date, Trail 2018, held last February 18.
With more than 2,500 registered racers, Trail 2018 recorded the most number of participants since the said event started in 2014. The race was held at Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal, known as the “mountain biking capital” of the Philippines.
“It makes me happy that a lot of racers registered for this year,” Jose Victor Paterno, President and CEO of Philippine Seven Corporation said. “At 7-Eleven, we believe that it is important to have a balanced lifestyle, that’s why we encourage our customers to eat healthy and engage themselves in sports such as this or do simple exercises.” Paterno added.
Cyclists who joined had to face a very challenging race course which was a mix of road climbs (10%), fire road (30%), and single track (60%). The single loop course was stitched together using favorite routes of San Mateo regulars, otherwise inaccessible trails on private land, and newly created trails just for the race.
“For this year, we built a lot of new trails. Also, for the very first time, we are finishing here at the Glades, which is a bit of an uphill finish, it can be challenging but I think the venue is really worth it,” Paterno said.
Crossing the finish line victoriously were EJ Flores and Ariana Dormitorio, overall male and female champions for the 40KM race with time records of 1:18:32 and 1:24:58, respectively.
Meanwhile, Dormitorio considers this as an opportunity for her to challenge herself, especially when it comes to competing with male racers.
“I’m actually feeling really great. There are a lot of improvements, it’s really a fast-paced race course and I’m happy to be able to compete with other men. Because here at 7-Eleven, I really try my best to be up with their level, especially that my goal is to compete abroad. So, it’s really a good feeling that I was able to do my plans for this year’s race,” Dormitorio ended.
For the complete list of Trail 2018 winners and official time records, you may visit www.facebook.com/trail711.
