First the good news. I hit my target with seconds to spare, 2:39:57 according to the official results, so I suppose I can now call myself a cross-country runner. The bad news is that I was on course for a 2:20 until the old legs gave out on me, just three kilometres from the end. The first thing I did on reaching the line was to limp back to the hotel room to wake my daughter up so we could have our picture taken outside before they dismantled the finish line arch. We were just in time.

I ran the first 10 kilometres of the TNF Batulao trail in 1:07, a massive 13mins inside my time last year, with a steady 6-7mins/K pace on the bone-dry course, fresh cow patties providing the only moisture on the ground. I was with Mercy until just before the 10K junction, when she sped off and promptly disappeared on her way to winning the women's 20K race in a monster 2:08, but I thought I was bang on course on my plan to run the flats and descents and walk the ascents on the second round, when the sun started to illuminate the peanut and maize plots. That was a lonely stretch berween the 10th-14th kilometres for me, running alone without anyone else in sight in front or behind me until I drew level with Jepoy just before the bridge.

I was past the summit junction and heading toward Caleruega church when I turned back in response to Jenipay's cry for help. She lay crumpled on the freshly upturned field with a leg cramp. I went back to help her but was forced to let go of her foot when I was hit with cramps myself on both calves and quads. We both lay writhing on the ground until two runners from Leo Oracion's team from Lucena, including one named Michael, stopped and unselfishly helped us back to our feet. My stopwatch read 2:02. Jenipay miraculously recovered to finish third at 2:25. We had a good laugh about it afterwards. Me, I walked funny and in excruciating pain, covering the remainder of the race in 37 minutes, or nearly a second and a half per metre, after two Ponstan pills failed to ease the discomfort at the Caleruega first aid station, and endured being passed by almost all of my friends and training partners, who were walking. This is always difficult to take, but there is no time to cry. The name of the game is damage limitation. You just have to be stronger next time around, and pray that there is a next time.

 A race marshal in a pickup offered me a ride, another offered her trek pole, while some of my friends offered to get me help at the first aid station, but I refused, telling them I wanted to finish on my own two feet. I was not going to blemish my record with a DNF, especially not in a cross-country race.

The AMCI runners also nearly swept the women's 10K race, Tatax edging Cristy for first place, while Joseph won third place in the men's 10K. It was only in the men's 20K, won by the elite runner Isidro Vildisola of Team Bald Runner, that AMCI failed to win a podium place.

With what happened I now have a back subject in this distance, so I will run 20K at the next TNF trail race instead of 50 or 100. I want to experience a 2:27 finish, or at least a 2:30. I have been hit twice with late-stage cramps in two key races, the New Balance and this one, and I have got to find a solution.