Featured Race: National Geographic Channel’s Earth Day Run

On April 18, 2010 at the SM Mall of Asia National Geographic Channel will have a race to celebrate Earth Day—the Earth Day Run.  What sets this race apart from other events is the proceeds aren’t just handed over to an organization and you won’t know how it would be spent—proceeds of NatGeo Earth Day Run will support the Design Against the Elements (DAtE), a global architectural design contest that aims to provide a solution to the problems presented by climate change.

We all know that the Philippines, while may not be a significant contributor to climate change, is one of the countries most susceptible to its effects.  We’ve all seen how typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) flooded 80% of Metro Manila in 2009 and it is just but one of many strong typhoons that would come our way in the future.  We’ve all seen how Filipinos and even the international community joined hands to help the victims but ask yourself, “do I still have clothes/goods/donations to give for the victims of the next ‘Ondoy?’”

The DAtE project aims to reduce losses by designing communities that are both sustainable to build and can withstand the rigors of the Philippines’ typhoons and consequent flooding made worse by increasingly alarming effects of climate change.  It shows the world that the Philippines isn’t just a country that constantly asks for help—we are doing something about it—and you can be a part of it.

According to Jude Turcuato, Territory Director of FOX International and National Geographic Channel Asia, “the funds we’ll generate out of the event will help build affordable, sustainable, eco-friendly, and disaster-resistant model houses in Taguig City that can withstand environmental calamities like last year’s Ondoy flooding.”

NatGeo Earth Day Run

When: April 18, 2010, 5:00AM

Where: SM Mall of Asia

Distances and Fees: 3K (P500), 5K (P600), and 10K (P700) inclusive of a limited edition Earth Day Run technical shirt

Registration: Nike Park Bonifacio High Street and Timex stores in SM Mall of Asia and SM North EDSA until April 11, 2010; online via www.natgeorun.com until April 4, 2010.

“On April 18, show the world how much we care.  Join the thousands who will wake up early to run, walk, and be counted.  A little sacrifice will definitely inspire people to care about our planet,” Turcuato said.

Race Results

Update: Race results for 3K, 5K, and 10K are now furnished courtesy of www.natgeorun.com.

Earth Hour Pilipinas 2010

Earth Hour is the single, biggest, global call to action on climate change ever seen.  It is a highly “visible” symbolic act that everyone can easily join—all you need to do is turn off your lights for one hour from 8:30PM to 9:30PM tomorrow night, March 27, 2010.

Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour has captured the world’s imagination by becoming a global phenomenon.  Earth Hour 2009 inspired one Billion people in 4100 cities and 88 countries to switch off.  Over 10 Million Filipinos in 647 towns, cities and municipalities joined in–more than anywhere else on Earth.  This year Earth Hour Philippines aims for the participation of over 15 Million Filipinos in over 1000 towns and cities nationwide. Globally, 807 cities, towns and cities in 82 countries across every continent have already signed up.*

Thinking of fun things to do during Earth Hour?  Here are some of the polite suggestions from WWF:

1. Invite your friends over for a candlelit dinner.
2. Get those board games out and have some fun seeing how easily you can swap your scrabble counters in the dark!
3. Go for a walk.  Lie down.  Look up.  In all of that which you’ll then see, we only have the thing you’re lying on to call home.  Cherish it.
4. Do something “crafty” by candlelight: paint, mould, stick, knit, quilt, or paint…
5. Got kids?  Get out the camping gear!  Set up a tent and tell fantastical stories of a time when the earth had no artificial lights and strange things went more than just BUMP! in the dark…
   …or plan a few harmless April Fool’s Day pranks in advance.

Read the rest of the suggestions here

As we aspire for better health for ourselves with running and even extend help to others by joining races for charities, why not do something as simple as turning off our lights for an hour for the Earth?  The reduction on your power bill may not be as significant as the “inconvenience” it may cause, but hey, if you can, why not?

*Source: http://www.wwf.org.ph/earthhour/about/

Get Ready for Infinity and More!

The race that started “time trials” in the country last year is now back to challenge you, “can you beat your time?”   For those who started the challenge a year ago now is your time to show everyone the better you, but for those who missed their chance this is the right time to start gauging yourself.   Of course I’m referring to the Mizuno Infinity Run—Never Settle.

The race is on April 11, 2010 at Bonifacio Global City, near the NBC Tent and features a 5K, 10K, and 15K leg with Open, Age, and “Beat Your Own Time” categories.   Registration fee is P450 for 15K and P400 for 10K and 5K but if you joined last year’s event you get a P50 discount.   Race packet includes a special edition Mizuno Infinity bag and a finisher’s shirt.

Here are the route maps: 15K, 10K, 5K Can you smell a new personal record?

But Wait!  There’s More!

Carbo Loading Parties (CLPs) are usually held for marathons and even half-marathons, but for a 15K?   Mizuno in partnership with Joey Pepperoni Global City is having their Carbo Loading Promo starting today, March 26, until tomorrow, March 27, 2010 where a group of three runners availing of Joey Pepperoni’s “Pasta All You Can” can get a bread basket or three bottomless iced tea free.

More!  More!

Mizuno still has a lot in store under its sleeves, among them are a run in Ortigas (yes, Ortigas!), the arrival of Mizuno trail shoes in the country, and a fun run in Tagaytay Highlands:

Mizuno Tagaytay Highlands Fun Run

When: April 25, 2010

Where: Tagaytay Highlands (starts at Saratoga, Midlands)

Distances: 3K and 5K road run; 10K road & trail run

Registration: March 15-April 15, 2010 at all Mizuno stores and Tagaytay Highlands Sports Club

Fees: P450 for all distances except for 10K which is P500 for non-members of Tagaytay Highlands, which includes a race pack, singlet, lunch, raffle prizes, and shirts to finishers.

For more details about the fun run call (046) 483 0848.

Team Runner’s World at Globe Run 2010 (Part 2: Race, Route, and Review)

5:40AM the 10K race started.  We “strategically” placed ourselves at the back of the pack as we’re not conscious of our time.  For me it was one of the few times I started at the back and it was a world of its own—the gun was sounded yet the people at the back were hardly affected—as if there was no race!

Just before the start of 10K

Presenting Team Runner’s World (10K Group): Abby, Mike, Me, Carly, Chris, Tracy, Ross, Mar, and Quennie

We were constantly chatting during our “pretty” pace—since we’re showing off our Runner’s World singlet we had to stay “pretty” for the camera, thus the name.  Despite the very, very slow pace (which was practically walking) we were still able to overtake many runners!  Unbelievable!  It was just about 500 meters into the 10K and yet we see people walking.  Eventually as the race progress this scene became more common, and as runners doing a “pretty” pace we had so much unused energy to maintain our speed (or lack of, hehe).

The ladies: Abby, Ross, Carly, Tracy, and Quennie, courtesy Tracy Carpena

The gents: Mike, Chris, Me, and Mar, courtesy Tracy Carpena

Race and Route (10K Perspective)

This was one of the most organized races I’ve seen so far.  Hydration stations finally reached international standards with long tables, adequate water and sports drinks, and close intervals.  Distance was a bit over but the route was my favorite particularly when it went through the “tunnel.”  Both sides of Kalayaan flyover were also used so it was a chance for us to run on the “other” side.  Some route markers were a bit confusing though but as far as 10K is concerned it wasn’t an issue.  Finally who wouldn’t appreciate the convenience of starting and finishing in the middle of Ayala Center.

The 10K route (notice the inaccuracies near high rise areas)

Strong Finish

We wanted to ensure that our presence is known, particularly in the finish, as we were there to promote our sponsor Runner’s World Magazine and so on the last few hundred meters of the race we “showed off” by running in our agreed formation, encouraging loudly those ahead of us to run, and crossed the finish with big smiles and loud cheers!  And yes we were really running the last parts as we saw the clock approaching an hour and a half into the 10K—finishing at 1:29:35 (1:27:46 chip time).  It was probably my slowest race ever (even slower than my BDM102 average pace) but it was definitely one of the most enjoyable one.  Thank you Summit Media and Runner’s World Magazine Philippines for this opportunity!

Tradition: With the rest of takbo.ph gang, courtesy Carlo Serrano

Review

This year’s Globe AyalaLand Run for Home successfully reinvented itself by still introducing new “features” that enhanced the overall race experience while still pushing the level of local races to international standards.  Of course this “upgrades” didn’t come free as fees also went North but on the bright side there were a lot of ways to get discounts, and it still is a run for a cause benefiting Habitat for Humanity.  The experience would’ve been “perfect” had the perpetually delayed race results been resolved.  If you had activated the Facebook live update though you had pretty much a good idea of your time (involves some Math) right after you finished, but for the rest it was a very long two days (detailed Runpix results still unavailable as of press time).  Overall I give this race a Very Good (4/5) rating.  Real time race results? Almost, but not quite—maybe next time?

Updates

After some procrastination, detailed Runpix race results are finally available via http://www.runpix.info/mnc10/ge.php.  Your in-race photos courtesy of PhotoVendo are also now available via http://free.photovendo.ph/.

Globe AyalaLand Run for Home 2010 Race Results

Race results are now available through http://site.globe.com.ph/run/home.

Here are some summary of the race results:

21K

1. Kember Liberess (M)
   Belle Grandinetti (F)
2. Elmer Sabal (M)
   Mitch Mendoza (F)
3. Reggie Lumawag (M)
   Perla Benavides (F)

View complete results

15K

1. Willy Tanui (M)
   Luisa Raterta (F)
2. Alquin Bolivar (M)
   Miscelle Gilbuena (F)
3. Eric Panique (M)
   Genevieve Dela Pena (F)

View complete results

10K

1. Michael Dangca (M)
   Nhea Ann Barcena (F)
2. Marc De Mesa (M)
   Monica Torres (F)
3. Jayson Deuna (M)
   Rachel Zamora (F)

View complete results

5K

1. Runie Tiriko (M)
   Judie Joy Pasaporte (F)
2. Brendo Pabayo (M)
   Jamilia Fernando (F)
3. Anbert Espanola (M)
   Rowena Pico (F)

View complete results

3K

1. Patrick Gongob (M)
   Liza Diaz (F)
2. Jetro Hernan Dolatre (M)
   Adjiennie Rose Delos Santos (F)
3. Leowefred Zambrona (M)
   Chris Perez (F)

View complete results

Runpix analysis are now also available: http://www.runpix.info/mnc10/ge.php

You may also read about my story and race review: Team Runner’s World at Globe AyalaLand Run for Home 2010 [1, 2]

Team Runner’s World at Globe AyalaLand Run for Home 2010 (Part 1: Origins)

The race that introduced timing chips to the local running scene is back, the Globe AyalaLand Run for Home 2010, this time bringing a running event, also for the first time, to the heart of the country’s financial capital, Ayala Center, Makati Central Business District.  The firsts don’t stop there—Facebook live updates were also introduced providing updates to your status as you pass each timing stations (provided you activated this feature of course).

Organize

This year saw registration fees reach all-time high and even Globe Run which used to be practically free was not spared with the trend, but as a cost effective option Globe provided discounts for group registration. Naturally the running community took this opportunity and formed groups (via takbo.ph) and I of course joined one.  Unfortunately for me and one of my buddies our group “organizer” didn’t “organize” and we were left hanging 48 hours before deadline!  We had joined the group early and I was told that by our “organizer” as late as four days before the deadline that everything was okay, until I went to takbo.ph a day after when he didn’t reply to any message I sent and found out that the group was actually dissolved!  I was so dismayed that I had placed a trust to a person whom I thought was responsible (which made me realize not to easily trust anyone online without a known reputation).  He single-handedly brought down nine other runners with him (which hopefully were able to regroup) just by doing nothing.  The funny thing was that I had successfully registered two other persons with another group!  I was so ashamed with my buddy but I was thankful he had a good mindset and told me it wasn’t my fault.  He had bought a Globe Tattoo HSDPA modem that comes with a free race kit.  I dropped the idea of running Globe.

Blessing in Disguise

I was so frustrated that I hanged out at takbo.ph’s shoutbox to chat with friends.  Fortunately Timmy had 15 slots in total for 10K and 5K courtesy of Summit Media (publisher of Men’s Health, Women’s Health, etc.) and offered me one as he read from the forum what happened to our group.  I was really gunning for a new 21K PR then which remained untouched for ages, but as I’ve no budget for the full 21K fee I reluctantly, but thankfully, signed up for the 10K group.  Little did I know that it would be more blessing than I realize.  (Thank you Timmy for saving my race!)

No such thing as a free lunch

I asked Timmy the “catch” of our free race and when he explained it I was pleasantly surprised—the “catch” would be running as a group (same pace all throughout) while wearing Runner’s World singlets!  Woah! From tragedy to ecstasy. This would be in line with the formal launch of Runner’s World Magazine Philippines, by Summit Media of course.  Me, a Runner’s World endorser?!

Pre-Race

It was two weeks after BDM102 and my right knee is yet recovered!  I was hoping badly that it would heal by race day but it didn’t so I was very thankful that I’m doing a 10K “only!”  I was barely able to keep up with our adiNation pilot run and doing a 10K was a real challenge.  Would I be able to keep up with my group?

Just who are these “Team Runner’s World?” Stay tuned to find out. Courtesy Tracy Carpena.

(Continued to Part 2: Race, Route, and Review)

adiNation Philippines (Ortigas Group) Pilot Run

The adiNation of Runners (aNR) Philippines is a running club with a goal to provide members with value-added training and special privileges to train and motivate them to achieve new fitness levels.  Here in Metro Manila aNR is staged initially in four locations: Ayala, Alabang, Ortigas, and Bonifacio High Street.  This program co-presented by takbo.ph.

Exclusive privileges:

• aNR adidas specials
• aNR running clinics
• Coaching advice from the running clubs
• adidas product highlights

The pilot run of the Ortigas Group was held last night in Pearl Drive in front of the University of Asia and the Pacific, headed by Luis (The Gingerbread Report).  Although there wasn’t much publicity about the event there was a good set of runners that joined the event.

Some of the participants of the pilot run with group head Luis (white visor)

Some orientation

The Ortigas Group runs every Wednesday nights (headed by Luis, 7PM onwards) in front of UAP, and Saturday mornings (headed by Rodel “The Argonaut,” 6AM onwards) in front of Tiendesitas and would cover various routes around Ortigas Center.

aNR Ortigas Group in action...

Joining the Group Run is free and you don’t need to be adidas gears to do so.  Just drop by the assembly area before the run starts, fill up the form, and you’re done!  You also get a “passport” that your group head would sign afterwards which you should keep for future runs.  Only one signature per week thought is allowed.

You can sign-up before the start of the run

More pictures from last night’s run can be viewed here via takbo.ph on Facebook.  For more information about aNR Philippines visit http://adination.takbo.ph/ or for the regional site visit http://www.adination.com/.

TNF100 Philippines 2010: Prep Up

This year one of the region’s toughest ultramarathon race is back, The North Face 100.  For its 2010 edition it would be held in the Philippines’ summer capital, Baguio City (1,500 meters above sea level).  TNF100 is not your “typical” trails—the higher elevation should pose a greater challenge.

TNF100 holds a special place in my heart for being my first ever ultra.  BDM may be my longest distance-wise and fastest ultramarathon so far but TNF100 still holds my most difficult and longest race time-wise.  It’s not surprising that it comes with a 30-hour cutoff.  (TNF50 has an extended 18-hour cutoff, 22K with 4.5, and 11K with 3)

Categories

Unlike previous editions wherein the 100K can be taken as solo or relay, TNF100 now boasts a new category: 50K solo.  This should open the doors to new ultra-trail runners who want to “test” the trails but aren’t up to take on the full challenge that is TNF100.  For beginners there are also 11K and 22K categories.

Registration

Registration is ongoing at The North Face branches, ROX, and Res-Toe-Run branches but you better hurry as slots are limited: 11K and 22K with 40 slots each per branch; 50K and 100K with 10 slots each per branch.  Registration fees for 100K and 50K solo are P2,000 and P500 for 11K and 22K.  Don’t forget your provisional receipt (for race kit claiming) and 20% discount coupon upon registration.

Preparation

For those who would be joining (or considering joining) their first TNF100 (or TNF50) I can only advice based on my previous TNF100 experience in Sacobia, Clark as I am not familiar with this year’s route myself.  I’ve only been to Baguio City once and I know for a fact that the elevation may take a toll to “lowlanders,” especially to those who don’t climb.  I was running for only about half a year when I finished my first ultra (with only a 21K race to boast), and I’ve only had two major training sessions that prepared me for it:

1. Km 0 – 56 (Manila to Tagaytay)
   

   View from Km 0

   This ultramarathon distance long run was where I had my first marathon distance and my first ultramarathon distance.  It was crash-course training for TNF100 that served as my test of endurance as it was a 56K worth of gradual uphill.

2. Mt. Maculot Traverse
   

   Team Maculet

   Not intended to be part of my training, this recreational climb doubled as such when we encountered “surprises” during our climb.  It was supposed to be an “easy” climb which turned into a very challenging traverse.

Unexpectedly another recent climb of ours now served as my altitude training:

• Suggested Climb: Mt. Pulag [1, 2]
  

  First light at Mt. Pulag

  The tallest peak in Luzon at 2,922 masl, acclimatizing at this altitude would make Baguio City feel like a lowland.

For those doing their first trail run (participants of 11K and 22K), I suggest that you read about my first trail run in Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas—TNF Thrill of the Trail 2009 [1, 2, 3, 4].

Shopping

It is highly likely that the mandatory gears of last year’s events are still mandatory this year so you may want to start from there.  It is also most likely that the “self-sufficient” rule still applies, so when it comes to it you may want to shop for something like this (note that I wasn’t able to consume it all and ended up hauling a lot of it back to Manila!).

Hungry?

Recollection

If you still feel uneasy about TNF100 or want to find out what you may expect during race day, here’s my 2009 TNF100 story:

• First Half
• Second Half

Sunrise during 2009 TNF100

Unlike road ultramarathons you can’t really make a detailed plan on trails unless you’re quite familiar with the terrain of the route.  All you can do is take into account what is known and prepare for possible scenarios you might encounter along the way.  As what we’ve learned last year being a seasoned ultramarathoner doesn’t guarantee success and inversely even newbies can finish.  Believe, and you can achieve!  Brace yourself folks for yet another experience of a lifetime! Stay tuned for further updates.

A Hot and Wet Weekend

Unrested but not restless—that’s my weekend.  A very hot Saturday matched with a wet Sunday.

Hot Saturday at Nestea Fit Camp Hot

We’ve been aware of Camp Hot since its first week but we’re too preoccupied doing everything else to give it a try until last Saturday.  It started with a casual online chat about Frisbee until before we knew it we all agreed to visit the camp to do just that.  In case you’re wondering Camp Hot is held every Saturday on an empty space just across Bonifacio High Street near Serendra.  Think of it as a clinic for several summer activities such as Beach Volleyball, Beach Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Touch Football, Flag Football, Hip hop, Yoga, etc.  That Saturday we were lucky that for a mere P50 we had all access pass—aside from the standard tumbler, bandana, and bottomless iced tea normally tied with the entrance fee. Had we registered during the first two weeks we would’ve had a goodie bag filled with items and a nice shirt for P150!

We arrived at around 10AM but it was midway of all session schedules so we had to wait for our turn.  For our first Camp Hot activity, Frisbee, we got the 11AM-1PM slot—heat training?!  As much as I had wanted to avoid the sun it eventually got me and prevailed!  Sun 1, runningpinoy 0. I think I got more tan during our Frisbee session than during BDM102, but I don’t mind as I had so much fun!

Serious? Courtesy Marvin Opulencia

Our Camp Hot activity didn’t stop with Frisbee.  After having lunch (right there in the compound) we looked for more fun things to do and we found Poi—the one done usually by fire dancers at the beach at night.  As much as it was also fun, having lack of coordination would make it quite challenging—not to mention painful!

Our very sexy Poi instructor

Last activity for the day, Hip hop (Krump)!  Who else is more qualified to teach us Hip hop than the All Stars?  Not only were they good, they were also nice.  As a person who doesn’t really dance I had so much fun and somehow survived.  What made our dance session more exciting was when we had a “showdown.”  After completing our choreography we were divided into two groups to try to “out-dance” each other.  Surprisingly our group won!  Of course it was all for the spirit of fun so there wasn’t really any prize, and after that we were treated with solos from the All Stars members and some “gutsy” dancers.

Time for a “showdown.”

Wet Sunday at Ateneo

The pools of Ateneo staged another Aquathlon event participated in by many of my friends.  This would be the first time that I’d be watching an event and as a “recreational swimmer” I was amazed by how competitive this sport was.  Interestingly the run leg was also way different than what were accustomed to as it was held in the middle of the day!  Even just as a spectator I really had fun, and of course at the back of my mind I was also thinking when I’d be able to do such (after a barrage of “you’re not joining?” hehe).  The event was made even more special when three of my friends finished on the top three of their respective age categories.  Who says runners are only good on land?

The very competitve male participants during the swim leg

As the events were held during Manny Pacquiao’s fight none of us were able to watch it, but of course at this day and age there’s no escaping news of his win (or lose, no matter how hard you try!  “Push technology” at its finest and most annoying ).  We were celebrating our friends’ victories when we received this news but surprisingly our reactions were pretty much “boring!”

I wonder what his shoe size is…

I wasn’t able to get a decent rest this weekend but still I enjoyed it a lot!  If there was one thing I wished that I was able to do this weekend it would be my laundry! (Two weeks’ worth and counting!)  Congratulations to Ellen and Roselle for placing third, and Carina second in their respective age categories! Oh, congratulations as well Manny for yet another win!

2nd BDM Ultramarathon 102 (Part 5: Bonus Stage)

Last night the awarding ceremony and get together party of the 2010 BDM 102 was staged at the AFP Clubhouse for all event participants composed of runners, support group, marshals, etc.  Sir Jovie “Baldrunner” Narcise also presented to all of us his observations and assessments of the race.

BR presenting his observations from the recently concluded BDM 102

2011 BDM

Next year’s BDM would introduce a new longer distance and new caps on the number of participants.  Here are some particulars:

BDM 102
March 5-6, 2011
Cut-off time: still at 18 hours
Limit: 100 runners (excluding AFP/PNP), by invitation only

BDM 150
March 5-6, 2011
Cut-off time: 24 hours
Limit: 50 runners, by invitation only

Application starts March 15, 2010 via www.baldrunner.com

The top three men and women of 2010 BDM 102

Surprises

Sponsors were also given tribute with smaller versions of the finisher’s trophy and a certificate of recognition.  As for finishers we were also given a treat: a “dog-tag.”

Certificate of Recognition awarded to Takbo.ph

A smaller Sponsor’s trophy (left) with a Finisher’s trophy (right)

Have you heard the telltales of runners finishing the entire 102 kilometer course despite being beyond the cutoff time of 18 hours?  Well BR was quite generous and rewarded their hard work with a Finisher’s trophy and medal, although their medals don’t have rankings at the back.  Great job guys!

It really was a great night of celebration with overflowing food, drinks, and beer!  It was a great way to conclude this year’s events and of course for most of us our thoughts are going “150.”  24-hour support?