IF you think running a 42K marathon is hard, try asking those who joined the Star Movies Triathlon.

On October 18, Star Movies held its 3rd movie marathon event at the Newport Cinemas, Resorts World Manila, and to make things more interesting, the organizers upped the difficulty level by combining three categories—a movie marathon, circuit training and a yoga challenge, in a single event.

Almost 200 film buffs signed up for the event that tested their passion, determination, and bladder control as they sat through 16 hours of movies without standing, sleeping, no phone usage, no extra food or drinks, no extra sweater and NO bathroom breaks (no diapers allowed either).

And we’re not talking about action/thriller or comedy flicks but classic ones such as On The Waterfront, Rio Grande, Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, A Streetcar Named Desire and Casablanca, which for most of the young participants could easily be a snoozefest.

As if that wasn’t enough, those who managed to stay awake after the first few films had to undergo circuit training challenges that consisted of jumping jacks and squat poses after a few screenings. The ordeal eventually narrowed down the number of participants to 26.

After watching a couple of movies, the remaining contestants then underwent the Yoga Challenge which left only nine of the toughest movie buffs. The remaining challengers then had to ride stationary bikes and go on a treadmill to determine the grand winner/s.
In the end the 150,000 cash prize was split by Natalia Ortega, Ria Hernandez, Cathleen Anderson, Dominic Cruz, a student, and Lesly Yiu.