A couple of weekends ago, I joined the Conquer Assault Trail Challenge as a comeback Conquer Assault Challenge, events,  race on the trails. I joined the 21k category, which was a far cry from my recent short-distance events. The start and finish was at Tanay Adventure Camp in Rizal.

The race started at 5am, which was still pretty dark. My headlight and game face was on. The route started off on a downhill concrete road and continued to a rough road before finally entering a single-track trail rolling up and down. I encountered the first stream before the first aid station at km 6. 

After the first aid station, I found myself back on concrete road again before going back to the trails, where I encountered more stream crossings, some even going waist deep. After several stream crossings, I arrived at the next aid station. From there, it was a good three kilometer going all the way to Laiban Falls which was the U-turn for the 21k race.

The race was out and back so I had to go through the same exact route on my way back to Tanay Adventure Camp. Which means it was mostly an uphill battle (cue Miley Cyrus song, LOL). 
Photo Credits: Ron of Active Pinas

The last 3km uphill road was the killer but it made the finish all the more sweeter. Given that I lacked proper training, I was expecting at least a 7-hour finish, just well within the 8-hour cut-off time. So it surprised me to no end that I finished the race in a little over 5 hours. Needless to say, I was happy with my finish time.

Overall, it was a good race. There were ample provisions in the aid stations. For trail races, aid stations are not that frequent so runners should always bear in mind to bring their own food and hydration. Because of the stream crossings, I had to endure aching feet throughout the race because small stones kept getting inside my shoes. Nevertheless, the streams provided quick moments of relief from the scorching sun. The waterfalls was such a treat, and for the record, it was the most enjoyable trail race I've ever joined. 

Thank you to the race director, sir Jigs, for the free race kit. Kudos to the organizers for a successful event. 'Til next time! :)
rank: 25th out of 42 runners, 5th female, official time: 5:16:35