Balesin Gladiator Run 2019 Pre-Event: Bound to Balesin Island
The Balesin Island Club has got to be one of the best beach destinations I have been to here in my home country, the Philippines. I love beaches and going there was even more exciting for me since I was able to participate in the Gladiator Obstacle Run with my husband.
This specific post is dedicated to our travel and stay in Balesin the day before the Gladiator Obstacle Run. To have an overview on the event, how I found out about it and how we prepared for it, you may read my previous blog post.
Enroute to Balesin Island Club
As promised, we received an email on our flight details bound to Balesin Island Club a day before our flight. We were scheduled to leave from Alphaland Clark Hangar in Pampanga on June 2, 2019 at 3:00 PM. We were given an option to avail their free shuttle from Trinoma Lounge to the hangar. In the email, there were also several reminders such as what we're allowed to bring and that only credit card can be used for payment in the island.
We were really excited for the trip and we agreed with our teammates for them to meet us there. Since we were feeling thrifty, we decided to commute going there by riding the LRT and MRT. I think it wasn't really a smart move since we were buzzer beaters. Of course, we were not proud to be almost the last to board the bus. LOL.
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| After boarding the shuttle bound to Clark |
After a few hours of travel, we've finally arrived at the hangar. It was actually a bit confusing when we got there since there wasn't really a standard process like the airport. We were provided with bag tags and left our stuff at a baggage counter. We were then led to a large waiting area with some free snacks and coffee. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a picture of the place.
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| Outside the waiting area |
Our actual departure time wasn't at 3:00 PM as scheduled. We were running late, which gave me time to pump. When I told some of the staff about it, they allowed me to express my milk in their pantry where I was asked to just lock the room. I was really thankful for being accommodated.
Finally, after the impatient wait, we were called to board our plane.
About to board the plane
The plane was smaller than the usual commercial plane for domestic flights. It explained why we can only have limited number of things to bring.
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| View from inside the plane |
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| Waiting for take off |
The thing about riding a small plane like this was that it can get really noisy on takeoff. Eventually, we either got used to it or maybe the engine quieted down after some time.
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| First view of the island through the plane |
Arrival at Balesin Island Club
We were welcomed with drinks served to us upon our arrival at Balesin Island Club. After we were given a quick introduction and walkthrough on the island, we were led to the Clubhouse where we got our key cards for our villa. We also had to make advanced restaurant reservations at the reception for the duration of our trip. That took us a long time to decide since we wanted to try everything and see all the places but some of our choices easily got fully booked.
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| First picture with Team PrepEat |
After making our restaurant reservations, we opted to go straight to our villa at Mykonos Village with the free shuttle service offered in the island. Lucky for us, this was where the event would be taking place and it's also where we can claim our race kits at Aegle.
We were at awe once we've been dropped at Mykonos Village. The place looked amazing and we got truly excited.
View of Mykonos Village
Finding our villa excited us more. We couldn't wait to enjoy the island for 3 days and 2 nights.
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| Our home sweet home at Balesin |
Of course, the first thing we did was check out everything our villa had to offer. I enjoyed taking pictures of the place.
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| One king or queen sized bed and two double beds |
A large bathroom with separate shower and toilet areas
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| Stairs to the rooftop |
Rooftop with jacuzzi
After enjoying our villa, we decided to go to Aegle to claim our race kits and schedule our free Thalassotherapy session. We easily spotted where the event will take place and it was really just a few steps away from our villa. We could really take our time before the event.
Event proper for the Gladiator Obstacle Run
After claiming our race kit and scheduling our Thalassotherapy session (we wanted to do it that evening but the next available schedule was already in the morning before the race), we loitered around the wellness center to checkout their beach area.
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Stairs to Aegle Wellness Center's beach area
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| Afternoon view from the top of Aegle Wellness Center |
Initially, we rode a shuttle going to Aegle Wellness Center. We decided to walk on our way back to our villa to do a bit of sightseeing. Here are some of beautiful structures that Mykonos Village can offer.
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| One of the picturesque villas at Mykonos Village |
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| One of the structures at Mykonos Village |
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| A structure at the center of Mykonos Village |
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| Pool area at Mykonos Village |
Runrio sent an itinerary for the whole event via email. It gave us more details on what to expect.
When we got back to our villa, we spotted some of the teams trying out the race course and being the competitive team that we were, we decided to do a dry run as well.
Despite it just being a 5KM run, the run didn't feel that short since we weren't running on a road. We even had to run along the beach. Some of the obstacles weren't up yet so we didn't get to try all of them. It actually got dark as we tried to finish the whole distance so it got spooky. We had fun scaring each other.
Unfortunately, I got cramps in the middle of the run and that worried as that I might not be able to finish the course. But it got me prepared that I shouldn't push myself too hard so I won't reach that point AND that I need to properly hydrate myself. It could also possibly be due to the fact that I was tired already after the long travel that we had on that day.
After our race course dry run, we quickly washed up and headed straight to dinner since we were famished. Our first meal at Balesin Island Club was a typical Filipino cuisine at the Main Clubhouse.
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| First Dinner with Team PrepEat |
We actually got reprimanded since there were two of us who were shirtless and that wasn't allowed when dining. But we were given a pass for now.
Afterwards, we went back to our villa to finally sleep since we wanted to be well-rested the night before the event. Of course, we had to try out the jacuzzi though the water easily got cold.
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| Night view from the rooftop |
Throughout the half day that our team got to spent our time together, we were able to bond well, which was just what we needed for the Balesin Gladiator Obstacle Run the following day.
Want to know the outcome of the event? Will be posting a separate blog on the actual event.
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Check out my other blog posts related to our Balesin Adventure:
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