WHEN she turned 77 last weekend, ultramarathoner Rosalinda Pendon Ogsimer celebrated in the only way she knows: run.
First came the shortest race of her entire life: a no-sweat, just-for-fun 1.5-kilometer trot, accompanying her adorable pet chihuahua, Kobi, every step of the way.
The Pet Express Doggie Run at the SM Mall of Asia Complex on April 13 was unlike anything this grandmother of 17 had ever done. Thankfully Kobi was in his best behavior and didn’t get distracted by the scents, sights and sounds around them.
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The next morning, it was business as usual: Mommy Rosalinda ran the Race to Rescue: APO Half-Marathon for PAWS at the CCP Complex, where the birthday celebrant was showered with love by fellow runners who continue to be inspired by her life story.
Mommy Rosalinda is not a lifelong runner, believe it or not.
She did not start running until she was 65, an age when normal people slow down. Her eldest son, worried by the retiree’s lack of exercise and physical activity, insisted that she join his family whenever they go jogging.
Mommy Rosalinda had zero interest in sports until that time. Her only previous link to sports is that she’s a cousin of Eugene Torre, Asia’s first chess grandmaster.
Now, she’s running here, there and everywhere – as though she’s making up for lost time.
“Stress buster saka kasiyahan,” she says of running and the fulfillment it gives her.
Apart from the obvious health benefits, running has been a source of comfort for Mommy Rosalinda after her husband of almost 47 years died in 2018. Ted, a dentist and the love of her life, had been Mommy Rosalinda’s No. 1 fan, always waiting at the finish line to wave her on.
“Buti nga nadala ako ng anak ko sa running. Kung hindi, nung namatay ang mister ko, magmukmok na lang ako,” she says. “Makalipas ang isang buwan nung mawala siya, tumakbo akong mag-isa.”
Her jaw-dropping exploits on the road have turned Mommy Rosalinda into a celebrity in the running circuit and a fan favorite for those who line the streets to watch the runners go by.
Each time, the soft-spoken Ilongga is the oldest woman in the field.
And don’t be fooled by appearances. Beneath the lipstick and touch of makeup, beneath the constant smile and gentle face, is true grit when the going gets tough. Outwardly, Mommy Rosalinda does not seem to be the kind of person who relishes testing the limits of where her skinny legs can take her. But there’s an inner steel there and a deep reservoir of strength.
She has done five ultramarathons, the longest at 65 kilometers. Proof that she doesn’t only have the legs to propel her: this remarkable woman also has the mind – and heart – to overcome fatigue, cramps and other challenges that can break a weaker person.
She has lost count of the marathons, half-marathons, 10K and 5K races she has run. Over 12 years she has won around 100 medals and represented the country in an international meet for masters or seniors. Still, Mommy Rosalinda feels she has plenty left in the tank.
Last year, at the Milo Marathon, she lowered her time for the 42-kilometer distance to a personal-best five hours, 48 minutes. That’s 50 minutes faster than her time in her very first marathon, The Bull Runner Dream Marathon, in 2015.
Ever tried negotiating the 50 kilometers from Blumentritt to Antipolo City and back on foot? Try and beat Mommy Rosalinda’s time of eight hours.
How about running the 65 kilometers from Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija to Dingalan, Aurora? Mommy Rosalinda took on that challenge too in April last year. It took her 12 hours, nearly wiped her out, but she persevered to the very end.
“Tumabingi na lakad ko, hinahawakan na ko ng dalawang kasama ko,” she says.
She's gone a long, long, long way
She has definitely gone a long, long way since her first race – a 5K run in Nuvali that her son, insistent as always, had signed her up for.
“Niregister nya ko. Biruin mo yun, hindi pa ako masyadong sanay tumakbo,” she recalls.
“Pagkatapos ng 5K, pag uwi sa bahay masakit ang buong katawan. Hindi ka makagalaw nang mabuti. Ayaw naman nya akong painumin ng pain reliever kasi masama daw. E di tiisin mo.”
Just like any runner, Mommy Rosalinda has experienced ups and downs.
On one occasion, she was unable to complete a marathon after suddenly feeling out of sync less than 10 kilometers to the finish; other times she’d lose her balance and stumble. Often she’d quickly get back up and finish the race; sometimes the pain lingers long after the race is over.
On days when her body is telling her it would rather be elsewhere than on the road, Mommy Rosalinda does not mind taking off her shoes during a race and calling it a day.
“Okay lang yun kesa maging ‘ninja’ – yung mga nagsu-short cut o kaya sumasakay,” she says.
She has nothing left to prove, but Mommy Rosalinda continues to run. “Hangga't kaya pa,” she says.
The finish line, as far as her career is concerned, could still be some way off. For she remains healthy and youthful in outlook as she approaches 80.
One is tempted to look into her diet for clues to her staying power. But she confesses she’s picky when it comes to food and she is not even fond of vegetables. During races, fresh coconut juice and bananas are among her baon.
When she isn’t running, she just stays home in Paranaque. In the absence of a kasambahay, she and her son do the cleaning and cooking themselves. On top of that, she has to care for Kobi and three other pet dogs.
Friends in the running community have become her second family.
One day in January she joined a group of fellow runners in one unforgettable trip to the mountain village of Buscalan in Tinglayan, Kalinga. A long drive from Manila was followed by a non-stop hike up to the village along some steep mountain roads. Needless to say, Mommy Rosalinda, bless her heart, was up for it.
By the end of the trek, Mommy Rosalinda came face to face with one of the few women she’s met who's actually older than her: 107-year-old Apo Whang-Od, a renowned mambabatok, or tattoo artist of warriors of a local tribe, apparently the last of a dying breed.
Together, at last, two legendary women whose spirits are undimmed by time, sharing a moment up there where one can almost touch the clouds.
Going up to the mountain hideaway was so exhilarating it may yet serve as a preview of the next step in Mommy Rosalinda’s amazing journey. The mountains and hills appear to be beckoning, the invitation to commune with nature seemingly hard to resist. Trailwalking? Why not?
“Kami sa Altra [a shoe manufacturer] may libreng sapatos … Nagtatanong sila kung ano ang gusto namin. Hindi ako nagsasabi,” she says.
“Dati kung ano ang ipadala nila sa akin yun na ang isinusuot ko. Pero nitong huli sabi ko, pang-trail.
“Oo susubukan ko. Pero maikli lang.”
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