Gerald Tabios, recipient of the 2022 TOFA Awards in sports

Gerald Tabios (born September 12, 1969) is a Filipino

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

and Ultramarathon runner. Among his most notable races in the United States is the

Badwater Ultramarathon The Badwater Ultramarathon describes itself as "the world's toughest foot race". It is a course starting at below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in California's Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 8360 feet (2548 m) at Whitney Portal ...

. This is an annual race that stretches 135 miles through

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

, California in July and ends after a steep climb of

Mount Whitney Mount Whitney (Paiute: Tumanguya; ''Too-man-i-goo-yah'') is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of . It is in East–Central California, on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tu ...

. In the world of Ultramarathons this race, where temperatures often reach 130 °F, is frequently coined "The Toughest Foot Race in the World." Tabios is a 7-time Badwater 135 finisher. During his 2014 Badwater 135 race, he believe that this feat of great importance and a chance to collaborate with a charity. On July 23, 2014, he was able to raise the amount of $1,200.00 for the charity through the US Fund of UNICEF which will ultimately be used in the rehabilitation\rebuilding of structures damaged by

Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...

\Yolanda in Leyte and Samar, Philippines.

Early life

Gerald Tabios was born in Bukidnon, Malaybalay City,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on 12 September 1969. He graduated from

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 studen ...

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

Cagayan de Oro City Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...

. In 2001, Tabios emigrated to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

with his wife.

Career

In 2004, Tabios ran his first

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

at the New York City Marathon. He has completed more than 170

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

ultramarathon An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...

s. On July 18, 2016, he attempted the Badwater 146. The 146 miles trek from the Badwater point (Elev. -282) in the

Death Valley National Park Death Valley National Park is an American national park that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern section of Eureka ...

to the summit of

(Elev. 14,505'), the highest point in the continental US and ended the trek at

Trail Crest Trail Crest is a mountain trail pass on the Mount Whitney Trail that crosses the Sierra Crest. East of the pass are 97 switchbacks leading down to Trail Camp in Inyo National Forest. West of the pass is Sequoia National Park and the trail lead ...

just shy of 1.9 miles from the top at elevation 13,600 ft.

Movie

''Running for Freedom'' (Documentary film) In July 2018, he was the subject of a documentary film, ''Running for Freedom: My Journey as an Ultra Marathon Runner'' by independent filmmaker James Castillo, based in Los Angeles, CA. The story is about running his 5th Badwater 135, considered as the world's toughest footrace. Together with his crew, Gerald has to cross 2 deserts, climb 3 mountains, and run 135 miles during record-breaking heat across Death Valley within 48 hrs. The 2018 Badwater 135 is a record breaking year in Death Valley, 127 degrees that broke 1906's record of 126 degrees. Out of the 99 runners, 30 DNF(did not finish). It had its world premiere at the Cebu International Film Festival on September 27, 2019, and the North American Premiere at the International Film Festival Manhattan on November 17, 2019.

Awards

In September 16, 2022, Tabios received an award at the 2022 Outstanding Filipinos in America, TOFA held in The Town Hall, Times Square, New York in sports for his long distance running.

Achievements

* 15 New York City Marathon completer (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). * 8-time finisher of The Great New York 100 Miles Running Exposition (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019). * Competed in seven 48-Hours Timed Race

Ultramarathon An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...

at the 3 Days at the Fair in Augusta,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. 2013 (second Place), 2014, 2015 (second Place), 2016 (first Place), 2017 (second Place), 2018 (second place), 2019. * Finished Lake Waramaug 100k Ultramarathon in 2012, 2013, 2014 (first Place) in 2015 (second Place) and in 2016 (second Place), 2017. *Awarded First Place, Male Age Group 40–44, New York Ultrarunning Grand Prix in 2014. * Awarded First Place, Male Age Group 45–49, New York Ultrarunning Grand Prix in 2017. * Top 100k Men Finisher in North America in 2015 and 2016, rank #64 and #92 respectively. *Completed the 2018 BADWATER ULTRA CUP (Badwater Cape Fear, Badwater Salton Sea and the Badwater 135) * 2017 Boston Marathon Finisher.

References

External links

Official Website

Gerald Tabios
at ''UltraRunning Magazine Online''
Gerald Tabios
at ''Ultra-Marathon.org'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Tabios, Gerald 1969 births Living people People from Bukidnon Sportspeople from Bukidnon Filipino ultramarathon runners Filipino male long-distance runners Filipino male marathon runners