CDC endurance race athlete to compete in the US, gets support

Lawyer Jonnifer M. Lacanlale of the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) Legal Department (right) receives a P50,000 cheque from Pampanga Vice Governor Joseller “Yeng” Guiao after the Provincial Board passed and approved a resolution extending their support for the CDC legal officer’s bid to compete in the 160-meter Western States Endurance Run 100 Miles (WS100) held in the United States from June 23 to 24. The 30-hour race is considered as the oldest and most historical trail race in the America. Photo by CDC Public Relations Office

CLARK FREEPORT – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan has recently passed and approved a resolution that supports a senior legal officer of the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) in his bid to compete in a grueling endurance race in the United States this June 23 to 24.

Sponsored by Board Members Crisostomo Garbo and Raul Macalino, the SP approved Resolution 2627 or “A resolution authorizing Governor Lilia G. Pineda to grant Mr. Jonnifer M. Lacanlale financial assistance in the amount of fifty thousand pesos chargeable against the current appropriations allotted for youth/sports development programs under the non-office account of the office of the governor.”

Lacanlale will be flying to the United States to represent the Philippines in the grueling 160-kilometer Western States Endurance Run 100 Miles (WS100) from June 23 to 24. His participation in this endurance competition would make him the first Filipino to qualify and, hopefully, finish the prestigious 30-hour race, dubbed as the “granddaddy” or the oldest, most historical trail race in the America.

One of the senior lawyers of the CDC Legal Department, Lacanlale has competed in a number of international and local endurance races, which include the 160-kilometer trail race “Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB) where he was the first of two Filipinos to ever finish the race held from August 26 to 27, 2011. The UTMB was widely regarded as “the most difficult foot race in Europe.”

He was also the only Filipino in November 2010 to have competed and finished the Great North Walks (GNW 100) – regarded as the toughest trail race in Australia. Among the recent local races he competed in was during the 102-kilometer Bataan Death March ultramarathon (BDM 102K) held this year where was declared champion and course record holder.

In 2011, Lacanlale ran the BDM 160K and BDM 102K, which were only one week apart but was still able to bag the “Grand Slam Award” back-to-back for both races that traversed the actual route of the World War II Bataan Death March.