OUTDOOR adventure magazines may never rank them among the most scenic places to run in, but the busy sidewalks of a big city have always been among my personal choices. I?ve done the Museum Mile in Manhattan as well as the bay walk along Roxas Boulevard, and thrilled to the challenge of running in Ho Chi Minh City during rush hour, fighting my way through thousands of motorcycles.

But even for a major-major urbanite like me, nothing beats the beauty of trail running. I?ve lived near cross-country trails in San Mateo County, California where county parks, horse trails, and hiking trails could go on and on for over 100 kilometers. And, though I never attempted to run every trail the arrows and mile markers lead to (especially those with signs that read ?Beware of mountain lion?), for the hour or so that I would be out there, dwarfed by redwood trees, accompanied once in a while by jackrabbits and deer, or occasionally disturbed by the rustling of snakes (or so I imagine), I have never felt healthier or more alive.

So it?s been great to note that running has become important to many Filipinos in the country as well. And that, once bitten by the road race bug, they tend to increase the mileage (marathons then ultra-marathons), and take it to an even higher level by adding two extra disciplines ? swimming and biking.

Into this new path we?re treading ? or running ? comes Xterra, a racing event introduced by Alaska Milk Corporation (AMC) president and CEO Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, who got the franchise through his company, Sunrise Events, Inc. (SEI).

?We believe Xterra creates opportunities for mountain bikers and trail runners, as well as conventional triathletes, to experience top quality events in the country,? says Uytengsu, who believes there are more mountain bikers than road cyclists in the country.

The first Xterra Philippines event is Xterra Putik Pare!, an off-road bike and run relay that will be held on November 7 in Nuvali, Laguna. The race is a two-person duathlon relay which combines 18 kilometers of mountain biking and 8 km of trail running in which each member does both disciplines. At the start, one teammate must first do the bike, while the other does the run. After completing the first leg, team members then switch, using the same bike. After completing both legs, partners then have to traverse a ?mud pit? before crossing the finish line together.

Xterra Putik Pare! will feature three categories: All Male, All Female, and Mixed.

Putik says it right, because Xterra can get dirty, muddy, scrappy, and bumpy, warns Dave Nicholas, senior vice president of Team Unlimited, the Maui-based company that owns and runs Xterra worldwide. But then, he adds with a grin, that?s what Xterra is all about: ?Feel good about doing good. Swim in the ocean, ride the high country, and run in nature with the beasts.?

So when we?re old and simply enjoying the sunrise, we can look back at our favorite races ? the most memorable ones ? the ones that made us dig deep the most, get dirty, and forced us to question the meaning of life while racing through it. ?

There will be five Xterra events in 2011: January ? trail run; March ?off-road triathlon; June ? mountain bike race; September ? Xterra corporate challenge; and November ? 2nd installment of Putik Pare! To get more information about Xterra Philippines races and events, please visit www.xterraphil.com or write to secretariat@xterraphil.com.