Seven (7) marathons on 7 continents in 7 days was conquered by a renowned ophthalmologist and seasoned Cebuano marathon runner, Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III, after completing a logistical and physical run challenge last February 6 to 12 of the 2020 World Marathon Challenge, making him to be the first Filipino to complete it.
During the 7-day time period, 42 competitors must run a standard 42.2km marathon distance at Novo, Capetown, Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Fortaleza and Miami. In doing so, runners must complete the 7 marathons on the planet’s 7 continents: Antarctica, Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, South America, and North American in 168 hours.
Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III made his first mark after completing 6 of the world’s largest road races of the New York, Berlin, Chicago, London, Tokyo and Boston marathons in 2018. Dr. Larrazabal qualified for the Boston Marathon with a personal best time of 3 hours and 14 minutes, thus, completed the Abbot World Marathon Majors, receiving a Six Star Finisher Medal.
During a press conference last February 17, 2020 at the House of Lechon, Capitol Site, Cebu City, Dr. Larrazabal accompanied by his wife, Donna Cruz-Larrazabal, talked about his experience when he competed in the World Marathon Challenge.
The clock supposedly starts when the first marathon begins in Antarctica. But due to the unpleasant weather conditions, the first day kicked off at Capetown in Africa. Dr. Larrazabal shared that he started well at Capetown and did not experience any pain, just a pure adrenaline rush of excitement.
After Capetown, they attempted Antarctica a second time, this time with a Russian plane (Ilyushin) that has the capacity to endure the weather in Antarctica and can manage to land safely.
“It was my most extreme experience to date, with temperatures dropping to -20 deg Celsius combined with 50km/h wind. Adding to the experience was darkness for almost 4 hours, making it more chilly. I thought I was on the verge of hypothermia,” Larrazabal recalls.
The Antarctica marathon was the most challenging leg of the race, claims Dr. Larrazabal. The extreme weather condition was grueling for the competitors. Despite the conditions, Dr. Larrazabal managed to finish the phase. Afterward, they went straight to the airport for a 17-hour journey to Australia for the next leg of the race.
Day 3 of the marathon race was in Perth Australia, where Dr. Larrazabal started to feel the exhaustion after 2 marathons. His legs began to feel sore but fortunately, he was able to alleviate the discomfort with the help of fellow runners and self-determination.
Dr. Larrazabal shared that on the 4th of 7 marathons, at Dubai, it was a bit of a struggle. He did a “negative split” when his muscles began to tighten up. The strategy was to his advantage, enabling him to maintain his desired pace, hold up and finish the race on time. Moreover, the rubberized pedestrian lanes in Dubai felt pleasant to the runners’ feet.
From Dubai, they headed straight to Madrid on a 9-hour flight for the 5th marathon leg of the race at the Formula One Race Track. Dr. Larrazabal shared that it was clearly the most brutal course for him due to its own version of a “Heartbreak Hill”. Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable experience for him, being able to run on a Formula One race track and especially finishing strong on the race.
Fortaleza was also a game changer for the veteran runner with its extremely hot and humid weather. “If Antartica was brutally cold, Fortaleza was insanely hot. Surprised myself with a top 5 finish in this leg. We started almost noon time and temperature was +33 degrees Celsius with 90% humidity. Heat was really biting and we placed water over our heads every 1.5 kilometers. I just kept thinking it’s cold & I’m in cold country,” Dr. Larrazabal describes.
The 168 hours ended at Miami, USA, as the last leg of the race covering the North America continent. Reaching the end of the challenge and moreover, landing in the 4th place was overwhelming for Dr. Larrazabal.
Preparedness, mental strength, self-determination and focus motivated the 51-year-old seasoned native Cebu runner to complete the 2020 World Marathon Challenge.
Dr. Larrazabal said, “My strategy worked from ranking 17th in the first leg to gradually going up. At the same time, I was getting stronger day by day, peaking at the last leg, getting my best time without any injuries.”
Larrazabal ended 12th place with an average personal time of 4:42:16 overall in the men’s division.
“It gives me great pride & honor that a Filipino has finally conquered this feat after its first staging in 2015. Seven (7) days (168 hours) would end at 2pm so we rushed to the starting line to start ASAP. The feeling of seeing Donna made me teary-eyed, yet inspired me to get a 4th place finish,” said the eye doctor.
Congressman Duke Frasco introduced a resolution congratulating and commending Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III for being the first Filipino to conquer the World Marathon Challenge held last February 6 to 12, 2020 filed at the House of Representative.
Larrazabal said that at this point in time, the triumph he achieved after completing the World Marathon Challenge and be the first Filipino to finish the course hasn’t sunk in yet.
“Hopefully I can inspire everyone that with motivation, strategic planning and proper dedicated training, nothing is impossible,” were the insightful words of Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III.
Being away for a couple of days makes him miss his family, but what he missed most was his bed, as he was unable to get a good night’s sleep or rest for the whole race, he shared.
“If you want to make history, you have to do historic things,” are words from the late Kobe Bryant. And that is exactly what Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III did.
The eye surgeon says that his biggest competitor is his own self and he keeps challenging his capacity. The 2020 World Marathon Challenge was the runner-doctor’s 68th marathon and now he eyes the #100MarathonClub.
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