DAVAO CITY – Filipino and international runners will participate in the 7th Mount Apo Sky and Vertical Race 2024 to and from the peak of Mount Apo from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1.
Doi Calbes, race director, said that they expect around 140 participants from all over the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Malaysia, and the Philippines, in the two-day race, consisting of a 100-kilometer and 50-kilometer categories with new categories for beginners such as 21-kilometer and seven-kilometer.
He said that the male and female champions of the 100-kilometer category would represent the country in the Lantau race in Hong Kong in February.
Calbes said that the race will commence from Playa de Oboza Beach Resort in Santa Cruz town, Davao del Sur, going to the peak of Mount Apo.
Runners will scale the country’s highest peak via a trail in Barangay Sibulan, Santa Cruz, which Calbes said is the “most unique” because of its scenic view of huge boulders stretching 3.5 kilometers to the summit.
He said that the international race attracted numerous contestants in previous years, benefiting the local tourism industry by keeping businesses thriving while generating livelihoods and jobs for locals.
“Nowadays, sports tourism is thriving. Aside from promoting sports or running community, we also promote our tourism destination in Santa Cruz and Davao region. We help the community and promote flights and transpiration through this event,” he said.
Mount Apo, also a popular eco-tourism destination, was declared a heritage park through the Nov. 29, 1984, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Declaration on Heritage Parks and Reserves.
Mount Apo is among eight landmarks declared heritage parks in the Philippines and one of 38 in the 10-country ASEAN – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The country’s highest peak, a biodiversity hotspot, was proclaimed as a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas Systems of 1991.
According to the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, which serves as the secretariat of the ASEAN Heritage Parks Program, Mount Apo is the Philippines’ highest mountain at 3,143.6 meters and is known as the last stronghold of the remaining population of the rare and endangered Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi).
The Mount Apo Natural Park has an area of 54,974 hectares (with a buffer zone of 9,078 hectares) covering Kidapawan City and the municipalities of Makilala and Magpet in the province of Cotabato in the South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sarangani, and General Santos City region and municipalities of Bansalan and Santa Cruz and Digos City in Davao del Sur and Davao City in the Davao region.
ASEAN Heritage Parks are defined as “protected areas of high conservation importance, preserving in total a complete spectrum of representative ecosystems of the ASEAN region” and established “to generate greater awareness, pride, appreciation, enjoyment, and conservation of ASEAN’s rich natural heritage through a regional network of representative protected areas and to generate collaboration among ASEAN member-states in preserving their shared natural heritage.”
The mountain is also of “high value” as a major water source for both regions.