BDM drama unfolds through my BlackBerry Screen

February 26, 2011
Saturday, close to midnight



For the last 15 hours I have been glued to this black gadget I cradle in my palm and poke with my fingers. Through a 2"x3" screen I read in awe, fascination, inspiration and concern the development in the ultramarathon race that is Bataan Death March 160Km. An unassuming Everyman, Wilnar Iglesia, of Endure Multisport, Team CB and The PowerPuff Boys, is leading the race since this morning. That was my magic screen was saying. I have been glued to the screen since then.

 

The nifty gadget is a BlackBerry Torch 9800, current top of the line smartphone from the venerable company Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry. Thanks to local reseller MicroWarehouse, RIM and my team Endure, I have this wonderful plaything. Honestly, I resisted it at first. I was a long-time fan of the user-friendly Nokia phones. Nokia phones I've had might have been easily breakable, but when it came to user interface, Nokia reigned supreme. Until I met BB Torch with its Operating System 6. I was converted.

BlackBerry Love
There are several things I love:

1. Email   

(finally I get to open my yahoo inbox regularly, instantaneously!)
Here is a vital update from triathlon yahoogroup

2. BlackBerry Messaging (BBM)

Nothing comes close. This is the power app!

BBM Chat:  
Topic: The BDM 160 Phenom that is Wilnar

BBM Chat Groups:

Don't mix business and pleasure; create discussion groups!

BBM Pictures: 
Share pictures of runners, trade bike porn, tease dieters with food!

Endure support crewing cooking for Ronald on the right.

 and lastly my favorite application of all
 

3. FACEBOOK


Wilnar with half a marathon left.

I was so glued to the BDM events I had to wait for Wilnar to finish before the stroke of midnight. Awesome, inspiring finish for a meek, humble guy that goes with the moniker handle Simply_Wilnar. 

I just have to comment on Wilnar's Wall

 

I was so into the BDM  online updates that I was still up way past midnight. So into it, I fell asleep holding my BlackBerry and waking up late for EDSA run.

I continued my online tracking of my friends' BDM progress in the morning. There was a mixture of anticipation, inspiration, sadness and hope as few end their attempt at personal glory, while others beat the odds and plodded on. The beauty of BDM lies not in its staggering distance, but in how ordinary men push their limits with full support of friends. Through the power of technology, I felt like I was there.

Let me end with a partial BBM post of Luis Arcangel, aka Gingerbreadman (GBM), an Endure teammate and recent BDM 160 finisher. Luis, Ronald, Wilnar and the rest of the 59 valiant men, we await details of your personal stories: