Trail Running in Leyte — A Photo Blog
This past weekend my surf friends and I decided to head up to the small town of Leyte to try out a cogon-covered trail we saw from a friend’s (JV) Instagram story
For safety reasons, Covid and security-wise, we wanted to be as separated from people as much as possible; we decided to find a place to camp
Google image results and satellite images could only do so much and will never replace the actual experience being there
This was an exploratory trail run to see if the area was viable for even longer runs. We were in for a treat!
Rising a few meters above the road, this trail offered an overlooking vantage point to Leyte Town, as well as, the island of Biliran and the Coalargo Bay
The cogon-covered ridgeline trail offered a different experience from the thick rainforest trails we’re accustomed to this part of the country
This trail also served as an enduro track for local riders. We ran into a few during our run
Noel, a close friend of mine from Bukid Outdoor Shop, tagged along for this trip. He currently works as a fitness coach in Tacloban’s GoSam Gym. He has the most experience in running given that he was in the university varsity team for running back in the day
Windows XP, exclaimed Nikko as we first set our eyes on this beaut of a trail. I agreed. Anyone who used a PC in the 2000s, will surely remember the “Bliss” wallpaper that came default with the installation. This place looked similar to it
I’ve always wanted to run on something similar to this, a grassy ridgeline with an amazing 360 degree view. I definitely got my wishes
My friends and I are fairly new to the sport of trail running. Yes, we’ve run on trail before, but only recently did we really take it seriously to the point where we geek out on race standings of pro athletes, shoes, clothing, and gear
Take for example Bragie here. He’s more accustomed to gliding down a wall of water, but given that the oceans have been flat these past few weeks, he hopped on the trail for a different thrill. The only water here is the one he had in his bottle
It’s really interesting to see athletes of various backgrounds find themselves in the same area, looking for the same stoke
JV, our friend and host here, grew up in this town. Through her we found this amazing trail. Thank you for the hospitality, JV!
Nikko is a surfer but often runs for cross training. Kawayan and I took him trail running for the first time a few months back, and he’s been really into it
The crew perched high above the ridgeline. From left, Paolo, Nikko, Bragie, JV, and Noel
Night came and of course we had to gather around and just socialize. Left, Noel in his cellphone’s glow. Right, Bragie busy with his tobacco
Camping has been the theme since coming home from Manila a year ago. Here, most towns allow visitors into their area, but to keep risks to others and ourselves to a minimum, we just decide to camp far away from people
Just some random camp shots from the morning after. Top left Bragie busy with his phone, top right, Paolo waiting for breakfast to be cooked
Top left, Nikko with a lomboy. Top right, JV getting camera shy
Before heading back to Tacloban, we decided to visit Guinciaman, a farm / resto in the town of San Miguel. Matchstick coffee is located here. We came here for the pizza though!
Overall this was a very satisfying and productive trip to Leyte Town. We found an amazing trail with so much potential for trail running, plus, we got to spend time in nature with close friends who share the same stoke for it
