Somewhere along this stretch, the confluence of assorted feelings and emotions - pain, exhaustion, heat, sleep deprivation, hunger, frustration, thirst - got the best of me. And before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. I could not recall the last time something like that happened to me, let alone during a run. I never saw it coming. And for the first time ever, after close to 15 hours of continuous running and walking, I asked myself this question: "Why the fuck am I doing this to myself?" Mind game. I slowed down and composed myself. Instead of trying to find the answer to the question, I told myself to just stay in the game, and to remember the short prayer that I whispered somewhere in Lubao. A son never forgets. And I was again on my way.

“The Philippines has a solid history of mobile technology innovations. The Hero contest leverages this strength to help address the challenges and needs of Philippine healthcare. No doubt this contest and the incubation lab will help pioneer the use of mobile health applications in solving real world problems,” said Dr. Mike Muin, chief information officer of The Medical City.

Mobile apps developers can participate in the Hero competition by submitting an 800-word description on his/her mHealth app idea to http://www.borderlesshealthcare.com/heroaward. The winning app will be judged on its usability, simplicity, design, and customization.