The Incredible Tale Of A Destitute Ultra Winner
- By News
- Published May. 1, 2011
- Updated May. 2, 2011 at 1:22 PM UTC
He was the last to sign up and the first to cross the finish line.
The story of 21-year-old ultra runner Aivan Villalon of Sipalay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines sounds like something out of a movie. He won the Coast-to-Coast Run, a 65-kilometer race from Toledo City to Cebu City Capitol, which took place over the weekend.
He did it while wearing a pair of broken shoes that he’s had for three years. According to a report on the Sun Star Web site, Villalon was a last-minute entry to the race. He showed up for it on Friday,which made him the last person to register. He then spent the night in a building across from the Toledo City Hall, sleeping on a bed fashioned out of a cardboard box.
Apparently, he took the lead from the start and set a new personal record for 65K at 6:22:52. The Web site noted that he sustained no injuries during the race.
For More: Sun Star
FILED UNDER: News TAGS: Aivan Villalon / ascetic runners / carb loading / Coast to Coast Run / Marathon / minimalism / Philippines / poor runners / poverty / Sun Star Web site / Toledo / Ultra Marathon
