Going the distance, Subaru style

By Charles Buban November 16,2016
Philippine bet Bernante (4th from left) and Yap (flashing the victory sign) finished among the last remaining 10 contestants.

Philippine bet Bernante (4th from left) and Yap (flashing the victory sign) finished among the last remaining 10 contestants.

The secret to surviving the Subaru Palm Challenge is that there really is no secret. I am quite sure each of the thousands of participants who have joined this annual spectacle since 2002 have tried every trick in the book: meditation, calisthenics, special diet, even yoga.

 

And yet the 15 winners who drove home the grand prize—a brand new Subaru—couldn’t really pinpoint a particular strategy that enabled them to outlast their peers.

 

For 38-year-old Singaporean Sunawr Ali s/o Idris Ali, who emerged as this year’s winner, it was a just case of making sure that he qualifies each year. He finally did it on his 12th try after 75 hours and 58 minutes. His closest was in 2013 when he placed second after clocking 75 hours, just a minute less than the eventual winner (fellow Singaporean Yusman Wright) after he unwittingly raised his palm off the mark.

 

Indeed, rules get really strict especially for the last two remaining competitors.

 

Guest countries

 

Joining the participants from Singapore are the finalists coming from guest countries. Preliminary challenges kicked off in eight countries early this year (China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Cambodia, and the Philippines).

 

The top 10 finalists from each of these countries were invited on an all-expense paid trip to Singapore for the Final Challenge. Like what they did in their respective countries, finalists had to keep their palms flat on a designated spot on the car the entire time (taking a 5-minute break every six hours in order to eat, visit the portalet, have a short massage, or consult a doctor). Taking a bath, supplements or energy drinks are not allowed.

 

Mother Nature will test participants’ resolve: this year’s event, held outdoors at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, exposed participants to the elements—harsh afternoon sun followed by quick but heavy downpour. The evenings got cold with occasional light rains that lasted until the crack of dawn.

 

In one strange circumstance, a wasp decided to land on one of the participant’s palm, startling her out of her concentration, which got her disqualified as she lifted her hand off the car. The inconsolable Thai lady just had her break and was looking forward to pass the 30th hour mark.

 

Unfortunate case

 

Glenn Tan meets the press prior to the competition.

Glenn Tan meets the press prior to the competition.

There’s also that unfortunate case that as one participant was shifting his weight from one leg to the other, the one behind him suddenly decided to crouch, hitting him on the leg and causing him to land flat on the pavement. This happened to 37-year old Juan Furiscal Jr. who was on his 47th hour when the ruckus happened. “I swear it was intentional considering other countries are keeping an eye on our team. But you just have to keep your cool, accept your fate, and pray that the next time I get here, I have a more behaved competitor next to me,” he said.

 

Indeed, this competition, especially for the guest countries, is a team sport considering the guest country whose participants log the longest combined standing time are awarded the Country Team Winner title along with a cash prize of $10,000 (about P346,000).

 

Then there’s also the Asian Winner title wherein the last remaining participant from the guest country gets to take home another S$5,000 (about P173,000).

 

This year the Philippine team, even if they were short of one member (passport problem), went home with these two titles, making them the most marked guest country next year.

 

Alex Neblasca, who was on his eighth try, finished third overall after clocking 73 hours and 50 minutes. He, however, was the last man standing among the guest country participants enabling him to get the Asian Winner title.

 

Thanks to the efforts of fifth best finisher Donn Michael Yap (this is his third try, finishing with 70 hours, 50 minutes), sixth best finisher Filmark Bernante (fifth try, finishing with 68 hours, 44 minutes) and team members Mark Joseph Trinos, Juntie Guevarra Torres, Francisco Gomez, Furiscal, Carlo Talahib, and Albert Saguillo, the Filipinos were able to get a combined time that was more than enough to offset those set by other guest country participants, all with 10 members.

 

“Because of the many times we were able to join this event, we knew what to expect or what to tell our first-time colleagues: like the inevitability of suffering from hallucination (usually on the second night of the competition), what not to eat (just eat bananas and a little water) or how to best use the very short 5-minute break. There’s also the possibility of suffering from the most excruciating back pain and scary swollen feet and hand because of fluid retention. In the end, it’s not just the question of how long your body can take the punishment or how prepared your mind for this challenge is, but also the ever unpredictable Lady Luck,” said Gomez.

The few remaining contestants try to survive the ordeal.

The few remaining contestants try to survive the ordeal.

Glenn Tan, executive director of Tan Chong International Ltd., which assembles and distributes (through subsidiary, Motor Image) the Subaru brand of vehicles in 10 countries across Asia said: “I am totally amazed at the resilience (of participants). They really did dig incredibly deep to stay the distance. This event has become as much of a yearly spectacle, enabling Subaru brand to earn legions of loyal fans.”

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