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Magellan Inspires Butuan Adventurers

By Ramon Jorge Sarabosing

Butuan City--Who says history and adventure sports don't mix?

Not if your inspiration is the great 15th century adventurer Ferdinand Magellan.

To commemorate the historic arrival of Magellan on the shores of Butuan hundreds of years ago, a group of outdoor sportsmen, Panaw Balanghai Mountaineers and Butuan mountain bike enthusiasts with the support of the Department of Tourism-Region 13, held the First Magellan Trek: the Mt. Mayapay Challenge on March 21.

The 30-kilometer endurance race covered four events--marathon, canoeing, mountain biking and trail-blazing.

"We wanted to offer a new dimension in the celebration of Butuan's First Mass anniversary," said Dr. RJ Villanueva, race director.

Fourteen teams, some coming from Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog cities competed, with each team composed of three individuals--two males and a female.

The participating athletes were a mix of veteran and promising runners, mountain bikers and climbers. The oldest participant was a 50-year-old biker while the youngest was a 14-year-old girl.

The event, the first endurance test in Mindanao, proved that there is a growing interest in outdoor sports events.

"This is definitely the beginning of a productive and exciting outdoor sports season," said Dr. Villanueva.

The males competed in all events while the women were in mountain biking and trail-blazing.

Historic sites such as the Masao River and Buod Promotory (claimed site of the First Mass) were two of the major routes.

A day before the race, all participating athletes listened to historian Greg Hontiveros talk about Butuan's dynamic history.

"Other than the test of endurance, we want them to have an in-depth understanding on why we are doing this," said Philip Cabahug of Panaw Balanghai.

Hontiveros, president of the Butuan Historical and Cultural Foundation, commended the activity as a better option to the First Mass celebration because it was able to attract more attention.

"I guess this is even more appealing than holding the traditional Mass," he said.

Dr. Villanueva explained that the event was also held to help push for total environmental awareness and concrete action on Mt. Mayapay, the city's mountain and watershed which is endangered by industrialization and commercialization

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