Ron returns from Mt. Fuji conquest

Veteran runner Ronald Villafria successfully completed the 2008 Mt. Fuji Marathon last July 25, finishing the 36-kilometer trek up and down the 12,388-foot mountain in four hours and 20 minutes.

Villafria, who returned to Saipan last Monday, said the most challenging part of the marathon was making the cutoff time in the first and second stages since newcomers like him have to start way behind repeaters of the Mt. Fuji Marathon, known locally as the Fuji Tozan Race.

And since majority of the marathon was an uphill single-file Grotto-like ascent to the summit, participants have to wait for those in front of them to climb first before taking their turn.

That was why Villafria—who recorded a time of less than three hours in one of his practice runs—finished 800 out of 1,200 finishers, barely making the 4:30 cutoff time for the entire race.

He said he was full of doubt whether he could make the 2:20 cutoff time for the 15-km first stage of the race, but checked in at 2:09 to make it to the final 21-km trek up to the summit, which he accomplished in 2:11.

In all, only 60 percent of the 3,000 entrants successfully scaled Mt. Fuji during the event.

Unlike the first time he tried to summit Mt. Fujiyama during his practice sessions though, the cold was not an issue for Villafria in the actual marathon.

He said since the Mt. Fuji Marathon was held in the morning, the conditions were far less cold than his late afternoon jaunts during practice sessions days before.

The Coco Restaurant employee said the heat actually may have been too much for some participants as he saw dozens of them doubled up and taking a breather on the sides of trail. Reports even say that a 51-year-old succumbed to heat exhaustion and died during the race.

Villafria took time to thank God foremost for giving him the opportunity to join and complete the 2008 Mt. Fuji Marathon.

He also extended his gratitude to the Legal Department of Tan Holdings Corp., namely Steve Pixley, Ariel Mariano, Ron Biggers, Susan Espanilo, and Maricar Guinto as well as the company’s senior vice president Eli Arago.

Villafria said Pixley even wired him some money after he encountered credit card problems in the hotel he was staying in. He said the money also came in handy for replacing shoes he wore out during his practice runs. In all, Villafria bought three pairs in Japan and saved the $80 one he bought on Saipan.

He also extended his gratitude to all the sponsors of his “Run for Ron” event a couple of months ago that raised funds for his Japan trip. He also tipped his hat to Luen Fung Enterprises Saipan for shouldering the cost of his roundtrip ticket to Japan. Last but not the least, he also thanked Coco Restaurant, its owner Kyung Rae Seo, and his co-workers for all the support they’ve given him the past several years.

Villafria is one of the islands’ most accomplished runners. Most recently, he helped an all-Filipino team composed of biker Rene Calage and swimmer Rezne Wong to sweep their own Pacific Islands Club Double this year as their relay team topped the 6th XTERRA Saipan Championship and 19th Tagaman Triathlon.

He also placed third in this year’s 10K Fun Run in the 3rd Annual Saipan Marathon and 26th Half Marathon last January.

In December last year, Villafria single-handedly took on the almost 20-kilometer Christmas Island Relay run from Pacific Islands Club in San Antonio to the Last Command Post in Marpi, finishing second to Team We Are Legend.