By John Eiron R. Francisco

(This article was published by BusinessMirror on October 4, 2026. View the article here.)

Tanay-based mountaineers are training a team of four Filipinos for the 100-kilometer Oxfam Trailwalker in Hong Kong this November, where the participants will have 48 hours to complete the demanding trail.

At the team’s recent media launch, Tanay Mountaineers founder Engr. Carlos Evangelista Inofre told BusinessMirror that the group began training the participants in August for the 100-kilometer endurance event, which raises funds for Oxfam’s humanitarian and poverty-alleviation work in more than 70 countries.

Unlike conventional marathons and races, the Trailwalker is a fundraising challenge with no prize money, with participants taking on the course to support Oxfam’s efforts to address poverty, inequality and the root causes of injustice.

Inofre said the training was therefore designed to gradually build the team’s stamina and familiarize them with the demands of the course without making the challenge overwhelming at the outset.

The team is composed of John Alster Soriano, Adrian Marcelino, Rey Angelo Imperio and Jess Pomida.

Inofre said he initially described the training as an “enjoyable experience” to make the sessions more approachable. The first simulation covered up to 60 kilometers, giving the participants an early test of the distance and terrain they would encounter.

Soriano recalled that the trainers continued to use the term “enjoyable” as the preparation progressed, even as the sessions became more challenging.

“When we were preparing for the second simulation, he told us, ’We’ll give you a more enjoyable experience.’ Now that we are on our last training leg, he said, ’We’ll give you a very enjoyable experience,’” Soriano said lightheartedly.

Inofre said Tanay, Rizal, provides suitable terrain for the team’s preparation because of its similarities to the MacLehose Trail, a famous 100-kilometer hiking route that traverses Hong Kong’s New Territories from Pak Tam Chung in the east to Tuen Mun in the west.

The Tanay training routes feature rocky, elevated, steep and slippery sections, exposing the participants to varied terrain.

A longer simulation hike is scheduled for October to more closely replicate the 100-kilometer course, including its checkpoints and varying distances between stations.

“I think for me personally, one of the things that Tanay Mountaineers have been able to impart to the team, or at least individually, is the importance of mental toughness,” said Imperio, the team’s leader.

He said the demands of the trail can eventually leave participants physically and mentally drained, making teamwork and mutual support essential throughout the course. The team has learned to rely on humor and encouragement while also preparing to deal with stretches when members may become quiet or temporarily separate from one another.

At those points, Imperio said, participants are left to push themselves while remaining mindful of the team around them.

He said the training has helped them develop the balance and determination needed to push beyond what they initially believe they can accomplish.

“As you can see, we’re four ordinary people but we’re taking the Extraordinary Challenge. It’s not easy. It’s easier said than done but [what we want is], we finish one team at a time. So for the glory of the Philippines,” Soriano emphasized.

The current training also continues a partnership between Oxfam Pilipinas and Tanay Mountaineers that began in 2009, when the two groups first worked together in Tanay and nearby areas following Typhoon Ondoy.

Established in 1997, Tanay Mountaineers has trained young people in Tanay in mountaineering, appreciation of nature and the environment, and disaster preparedness. The group has also conducted search-and-rescue and other field training as part of its community work.

Oxfam Pilipinas Chair and Board of Trustees President Lan Mercado said the partnership eventually expanded to the organization’s participation in the Trailwalker, with Tanay Mountaineers training its first Philippine team for the 100-kilometer challenge in 2012.

Mercado was part of that first Philippine team 14 years ago and is now among those supporting the new group’s participation in the international endurance event.

Mercado said the organization may consider opening participation in next year’s Trailwalker to other volunteers who are willing to take on the challenge, noting that joining the event is also a way of supporting the organization’s programs.

In 2024, Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong raised approximately HK$26.6 million. Oxfam Hong Kong has also provided approximately HK$8 million in funding to Oxfam Pilipinas since FY2024 to support its programs

Among the beneficiaries was Tanay Mountaineers, which Inofre said gained training and capacity-building support from Oxfam, particularly in risk assessment, disaster risk reduction and community preparedness.

He said the group also learned the Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment (PCVA), which it later applied in training communities to identify risks and prepare for disasters.

“I said, if only Oxfam had been with us earlier, maybe Tanay would have been spared having 60 casualties during Ondoy [Typhoon Ketsana],” he said, referring to the September 2009 floods spawned by record rainfall.

He said the experience helped the group recognize that while disasters cannot always be prevented, communities can reduce their risks and prepare for their possible effects.

“We realized that it can be science-based. We cannot prevent disasters from happening but we can prepare so there are no casualties,” Inofre said.

The group has since brought disaster risk reduction training to schools and communities, supplementing existing knowledge with practical preparedness skills.

“Hopefully, with this year’s Oxfam Trailwalker more funds can be raised to benefit more countries in need,” Mercado said.

The Philippine team, meanwhile, is targeting HK$8,000 in fundraising for this year’s Trailwalker.