11/08/2026
Proud moment for ZRC!
Our very own Tatay Ramon was featured by Kamaya Point - Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific for his remarkable ultramarathon journey and his fifth 100-mile buckle. A true inspiration to the ZRC family and a reminder that thereโs no age limit to chasing big goals.
Beyond the miles and the medals, his story is one of the discipline, resilience and leading by example.
Congratulations, Tatay Ramon! You continue to inspire us all. ๐ซก
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ซ, ๐๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ
The commands echo within the barracks up to the parade grounds.
Cadets stand at attention, awaiting the next instruction from their tactical officer. A sharp command breaks the morning silence. Boots strike the pavement in perfect rhythm. Second Lieutenant (2LT.) Quinto walks the ranks, correcting the slightest lapse in postureโnot to demand perfection, but to instill discipline. Every movement is deliberate and executed with snap. Every correction is a lesson. Every day, 2LT. Ramon Quinto reinforces and instills in his cadets the core values every future maritime officer must uphold and carry long after leaving the academyโdiscipline, honor, resilience, and loyalty.
Days later, the setting is strikingly different. Again.
The neatly aligned cadets are no longer in sight, instead replaced by the towering and rugged mountains. The cadence of marching drifted out of earshot, giving way to the resolute strides aiming for the finish.
And there, the only person left to command is himself.
Just as he does while in uniform, 2LT. Quinto leads not by his commands, but by every determined step towards that long-awaited fifth buckle.
๐ฝ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ข
To the running community, he is โTatay Ramon.โ Surprising how, at the age of 63, he remains a familiar face to the countryโs most demanding ultramarathon courses. Within the academy walls, however, he is Second Lieutenant Ramon Quintoโa tactical officer entrusted with shaping future maritime leaders.
Years in the Philippine Navy (Marines) taught him valuable lessons that extend beyond the military drills. Time management, patience, and the strong conviction that everything can be achieved through hard work. These very same values are the ones he expects from his cadets, not just to become mere leaders, but dependable ones.
Interestingly, those same lessons would accompany him in a landscape of silence, sweat, and determination. On the ultra track, there are no ranks to inspect, no formations to align, and no commands to issue. There, the only responsibility left is to apply the discipline he asks of others.
The values he teaches to every cadet would soon be tested in a place where no rank would possibly make it any easier.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐พ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฃ๐
Some races are remembered by the long haul. Others are remembered for the mountains they demand. The Battle of Tirad Pass 100 Miles Ultramarathon belongs to the latter.
Covering 100 miles from Candon City to Gregorio del Pilar, Ilocos Sur, the course features more than 4,300 meters of cumulative elevation gain across steep climbs and technical terrain that test runners at every turn.
Yet this was not unfamiliar ground for 2LT. Quinto. The fifth buckle now rests alongside four others, each one a reminder of the countless miles, sleepless nights, and a representation of the years of commitment to a sport that questions every runnerโs dedication to embrace discomfort rather than avoid it.
What keeps drawing him back is neither the buckle nor the recognition. It is the challenge itself, the chance to find the boundary between what the body can endure and what the mind believes it cannot.
โI just keep on running, running, runningโฆtinitest ko kung hanggang saan yung kaya ng body ko,โ he said, describing what keeps him returning to the long miles.
At 63, he also finds inspiration in seeing runners even older than himself continue to conquer extraordinary distances.
โDun ako namomotivate eh, kung may mas matanda sakin na mag-oovertakeโฆdun ko mas pinupush yung sarili ko,โ he added.
Their example reminds him that there may always be another limit worth testing. For him, age has never been a reason to stop but rather proof that perseverance has no expiration date.
๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ
The Battle of Tirad Pass is aptly named. While its rugged mountains and unforgiving trails challenge every runner, the greatest battle unfolds in the mind, somewhere no one can see.
Ironically, when asked about the hardest moment in the race, 2LT. Quinto struggled to name one.
Instead of dwelling on the suffering, he chose to appreciate the journey itself. Every climb became another view to admire. Every descent, another step closer to the finish. Rather than searching for reasons to bag down, he focused on the small moments that made the experience worthwhile.
But that does not mean the race did not have its fair share of hardship. Though he did not have any specific part of the trail that troubled him, managing his recurring acid reflux made an already grueling run even more taxing. Yet, he did not allow the physical discomfort to dictate his race.
For him, the mind sets the limit long before the body does.
โIf youโre going to think na mahihirapan ka, mahihirapan ka talaga,โ he explained. โMa-low morale ka eh.โ Instead, he continuously reminds himself that fatigue is only in the mind, and that the body still has a few miles left to give.
Perhaps winning the quiet battle in the mind explains why he finished the 100-mile ordeal in under 38 hours. The greatest victory is not over the mountains; it is overcoming the voices within that urge every runner to stop, completely unaware of what the body is still capable of.
๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐จ
Great leaders donโt simply give out commands. They know when to listen, when to follow, and when to step forward.
Leadership is often associated with authority, through voice that gives the commands and the highest position in an organization. But for 2LT. Quinto, however, leadership is not merely giving out commands; it is built through the people he leads, the lessons he learned from them, and the example he sets before them.
โBago ka maging good leader, naging good follower ka munaโฆhindi ka magiging magaling na leader kung hindi ka naging magaling na follower,โ he said.
As a tactical officer at the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific, he is entrusted with shaping the cadets into future maritime officers, carrying with them the values of discipline, patience, time management, and hard work.
Yet his powerful lessons are taught beyond the gates.
With every training run way before the sun comes out, and every kilometer logged after an enduring day in uniform, 2LT. Quinto epitomizes the lessons he instills to every cadet, demonstrating that teaching discipline requires exemplification and not just mere words.
This feat may serve as another athletic milestone, but perhaps its greater purpose lies beneath what it represents. This illustrious achievement serves as a reminder to every runner, to his fellow servicemen, and especially to the future maritime officers that leadership is not earned by giving commands up frontโit is having the courage to pursue the difficult path first.
His fifth buckle may have been earned at the finish line, but the values behind it were forged long before he ever stepped foot on the ultra tracks.
๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐๐จ
The cheers eventually fade. The finish line is dismantled. The gritly-won medals now find their place on a shelf. Yet for 2LT. Quinto, life resumes where it has always been.
Before sunrise, his commands pierce the morning air. Another formation stands at attention. Another day starts at the parade grounds, where future maritime officers are molded and await the lessons that extend far beyond the drills. The same man who endured 100 grueling miles now once again walks the ranks, corrects the posture, and reminds his cadets that excellence is built through consistency.
His fifth buckle may be another addition to his remarkable athletic achievements, but it is not the measure of the man. Rather, it is a testament of the principles he long lived way before he ever stood at a starting lineโdiscipline when motivation wears out, resilience when adversity lingers, and honor to every commitment made.
And perhaps that is the true significance of his journey. The punishing trails and mountains did not create nor transform his character; they simply revealed it. Every weary stride, relentless climb, and mile conquered became an emblem of the very values he instills in every cadet.
Soon enough, another race may appear on the calendar.
And more often than not, 2LT. Quinto will answer as he always hasโsteady as he goes.
๐๐ค๐ง๐๐จ ๐๐ฎ: 3CL Busante, Pert Joseph
๐๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐ฎ: 3CL Romen, Estelle Nicolette
