UP Ictus Centennial Run

The UP campus once again became the mecca for running enthusiasts as it hosted the Ictus Centennial Run for the benefit of UP scholars and the apostolate of Ictus.  It was a well-organized and well attended run.

THE RACE

I would rate this race 8.5/10 based ont he following.

Registration 8/10 – There were 2 registration sites, namely the UP Ictus tambayan and ROX.   Both are accessible to runners coming from various places in Metro Manila.  There was no online registraton.

Entry Fee 9/10 – I found the P250 entry fee reasonable.

Parking 9/10 – Parking was adequate and there was no problem looking for slots which, were free of charge.  There were security personnel and marshals.  However, there were no marshals to assist in the parking area.

Security 10/10 – UP security personnel were all over.  Great coordination!

Check In 9/10 -  The 10k and 5k runners checked and started separately.  There were adequate marshals to usher in the participants.

Race Marshals 8/10 -  There were adequate marshals to guide runners.  The only demerit in this area was the confusion in the 10k lead pack.  Some runners apparently got lost.

Race Start 10/10 – The race started on time.

Safety 8/10 – To their credit, the organizers tried their best to ensure the safety of the runners.  There were however public utility vehicles that were able to enter the route.

Water Stations 9/10 -  Water was provided in small cups, which is enough for a runner to drink and douse himself.  The water stations were also reasonably placed.

Portalets 8/10 – Average.

Markers 8/10 – Markers included the directional markers and mile markers.  The directional markers were adequate.  However, I saw only 4 distance markers – 1k, 2k, 5K and 8k.

Race Course 8/10 – Mostly flats and segments with a slight to moderate incline.

Distance 9/10 -  Slightly over 10k.

Finish Line 9/10 – There were ample chutes for each race category.  Race certificates were immediately given.

Freebies 7/10 -  Freebies included bottled water, Rush mineral water, finisher’s singlet, Krispy Kreme products and Photovendo.

Results 10/10 -  Results came out on the same day.  Great work!  Click here for the Official Results.

THE SYDNEY SPECIAL AND PODIUM FINISH

My day started at 4:45 am when I went to fetch Chaia Patacsil (WitchKitty) and Sensei John Ting at Shell Ayala.  We had a great chat going to the race area.  In particular John and I were interested in the running exploits of Chaia in Australia.

We arrived at the race site at around 5:20am.  We went our separate ways to do stretching and warm up routine.  This was my first real warm up routine at UP as I was able to negotiate the oval with Lito Ordaniel.

My modest goal for this race is to break the 1:10 barrier for the 10k, which I had been vainly trying to do since last October.

Happy Feet and bloggers namely, Philip (ForeignRunner), Jovie (Baldrunner), Jonel (Bugobugo), Vener (Running Unlimited) and Christie, Wilbert (VBallRunner) and Jinoe (Manokan Express and Takbo.Ph) among others were there.

The race started on time.  As usual I enjoyed the route, the UP scenery and the crisp cold December morning air.   I felt good during the run and was hopeful to finish the race with a sub 1:10 time.  As I passed the 8k mark, I noticed that I had a very slim chance to break the barrier.  So what the heck!  I just tried to give it my best shot and make a “dash” to the finish line.  To my surprise I finished the race at 1:09:30!

Runners converged in front of the UP Theater to share their race stories and of course encourage one another.

When the results were announced.  I was so happy that Chaia placed third overall in the women’s category.  She was the first Filipino woman to cross the finish line.  Only 2 Americans, Sara Kopp and Jonie Mellinger bested her.  It was heartwarming to note that Chaia wore her Happy Feet Singlet.

Chaia and the Winners

On the men’s category, Philip Laroux aka Foreign Runner placed third overall.

Congratulations to all the participants and the winners!

Runnex @ 25 Executive Classic Unofficial Results

The “Unofficial Results” of the Runnex Executive Run were released at the Runnex website. Click here to view “Unofficial Results”.  We just hope that Runnex will be able to finally release “The Official Results” soonest.

Runnex 25th Executive Classic

Runnex again made the UP campus welcome runners this morning with  the 25th edition of its race.  Whenever there is a race, Happy Feet is there to participate.  Notwithstanding the hefty fee of P500, Chief Mon, Lakay Bald Runner, Totoy Santos, Sensei John Roselle and myself joined.

THE RACE

I would rate the race 8/10  based on the following.

Registration -6/10 – There were only 3 sites where runners can register – UP National Engineering Center in UP campus,  Duran Medical Clinic in Cainta and at the Runnex Clinic Secretariat in UP campus.  It did not provide online registration so runners just have to go to UP to register.

Entry Fee 7/10 – The P500 entry fee appeared to be high judging by the number of participants. The number of freebies did not justify the race fee given that they were all given by the sponsors.  Also the sponsors normally pay a sponsorship fee.

Parking 10/10 -  Parking was adequate and runners had no problem looking for slots, which were free of charge.  It is noteworthy that security personnel and marshals were virtually all over to see to it that there are no untoward incidents.

Security 10/10 – They were literally all over.  Great coordination with the UP Security.

Check In 7/10 – From my point, the 10k and 5k runners appeared to have started at the same time.  The 5k runners should have been required to enter the corral when the 10k runners have left.  This should have avoided the confusion amongst the 5k runners who started with the 10k runners.

Race Marshals 9/10 – There were adequate marshals  to guide runners and act as security/guides in the parking lots.

Race Start 9/10 -  The race started on time at 6:30 am as announced.  But it would have been better if it started at 6:00 am.

Safety 10/10 -  The organizers went to great lengths to ensure the safety of the participants.  They cordoned off portions of the road so that runners can have the same by themselves.  The fact that the academic oval was closed during Sundays is an added feature.

Water Stations 8/10 – Average.  It was nice that the water stations provided bottled water and juice drink.  However it would have been better if they gave water in small servings to avoid wastage.  The bottles that were discarded were almost full.

Portalets 8/10 – Average.

Markers 7/10 -  There were no mile markers!  The only redeeming factor was a marshal who reminded us that we had 2.5 kilometers left.

Race Course 8/10 -  Good.  Mostly flats and segments with a slight to moderate incline.  Pollution from engine exhausts was practically zero.

Distance 9/10 – Slightly longer than 10k.

Give Aways and Freebies 7.5/10 – Given the P500 entry fee, there should have been more.  To my mind, the T-shirt was the only redeeming factor.

HAPPY FEET PODIUM FINISH

I joined the race just to have fun and to enjoy the UP scenery once again after a long time.  The last time I race in the area was last September 2008.  While having a warm up run, I saw Happy Feet buddies Chief Mon, BR Jovie Narcise, Totoy Santos and Roselle.  After a brief exchange of pleasantry we proceeded to check in.

While waiting for the race to start Sensei John Ting arrived and joined us.  We were hoping that there will be others but they were probably in Singapore or the Yakult 10 Miler Race.  Anyway, we just had to make do with our numbers.

The race started on time and we enjoyed running.  After the post race huddle,  Roselle quipped “kailan kaya ako magkaka podium finish?” at naging sirang plaka siya.  Paulit ulit na binabanggit ito!  We knew that she was up to something.

When the results were announced, we saw her leap for joy!  8th Place Overall!  And we were happy for her.  We were also happy for BR Jovie who won in his age category.  It appears that BR Jovie is on a roll – 2 consecutive podium finishes!

We were also elated that Totoy Santos won 7th place overall.  Hopefully this will be the first of the series of podium finishes by Totoy.

Proof of a Podium Finish by Roselle

Runner In Need

Last night I visited the blog of High Altitude for the first time.  He wrote about his PR in the Milo Marathon.  What struck me with his post was that he established his PR after having 3 bouts of cramps. It was indeed a another testament to a true blue blooded Hardcore Runner.

The blog also reminded me of an article last October 15, 2008 by Mark Remy in Runners World on the Chicago Marathon – Running Away from a Man In Need.  What happened was captured on video by Fox News.

Click here to watch the footage.

The article elicited 210 comments which showed the varying attitudes of certain runners.

What if this happened in the Philippines?  Will we stop and help out a fellow runner in need?  Will we do the same even if we are on the way to a PR?  Will the organizers/medics react quickly?  Will we just be UZI (usisero) or a plain kibitzer?

Just some questions as we could be in the same situation as the runner in need.

November 08 – In Retrospect

Amongst the months of 2008, November simply whizzed by like a bolt of lightning.  I suddenly woke up to the reality that it is now December and Christmas is just around the corner.  But its also time to look back at a month which treated us runners with the best races so far.

I started November with a leisurely run in Alabang and ended it up with an uphill run from Cainta to Antipolo.  These runs registered 183 kilometers of mileage in my training log, which made me cover 1,000 kilometers since May 1, 2008.

VSO Bahaginan race was one of the great races.  A big number of runners participated in the 5k, 10k and 15k events.  I simply loved the 15k event which was my longest race thus far.  We had a challenging course, which was runner-friendly.  The water stations were adequate together with the mile markers to guide the runners.  Hopefully the VSO race ended the “tabo at timba” system.  Overall rating: 8/10

Happy Feet and Friends @ VSO Race

The next race was an out-of-town race at Clark Field, Pampanga – the New Balance Power Race 08.  It was a race that I looked forward to.  Tanya was so kind to accommodate us at her grandmother’s house in Concepcion, Tarlac where we literally had a feast of Kapampangan delicacies.  The course was also a challenging one, which offered a scenic view of greeneries and fresh air.  There were adequate markers, water stations and marshals.  The freebies at the finish line were awesome – free stretching by physical therapists, photo booths, endless supply of water and energy drinks, bananas, New Balance products, etc.  The delay in the release of the official results and some robbery incidents  gave an otherwise excellent race a downside.  Overall rating 9/10.

Pre-race Dinner at Villa de Lara

Me and my first race medal

November 23 was UNICEF’s turn to sponsor a race – Walk in the Side of a Child” – at Fort Bonifacio.  The race brought us all back to good ol’ Fort where the uphills of McKinley Hill and Bayani Road awaited the runners.  The race had adequate mile markers, ample supply of mineral water,  good number of marshals, Starbucks coffee, souvenir photos and of course a good number of freebies.  The Official Results also came out on the same day.  However, parking became surprisingly limited, portalets became scarce and inbound/outbound traffic heavy.  Overall rating 8/10.

Happy Feet @ UNICEF Run

I finished November with a run with my Happy Feet buddies, Gigi, Roselle, Wilbert, Bobby, Lito and Sensei John with a practice run to Antipolo.  It was a long run featuring a lung busting uphill climb.