Category: Marathon

Amsterdam Marathon

Albert Santos, Nica Ong, Jane-Jane Ong, Andrew Ong, Meyrick Jacalan, Perl Jacalan and Vic Verallo

Last Sunday, Oct. 18, while plenty from Cebu joined the Quezon City International Marathon, seven of our fellow members from the Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC) travelled all the way to Europe to join a major marathon race. The Amsterdam Marathon is acknowledged as one of the most popular of road races in Europe. The results of our fellow Cebuanos? Excellent! All of them posted Personal Best (PB) times. The team was led by Dr. Vic Verallo, one of Cebu’s top dermatologists, who posted a speedy time of 4:20:50. He was followed by ASAP Advertising top honcho Meyrick “Jacs” Jacalan who posted a fast time, despite nursing a foot injury, of 4:21:14. Next, it was first-time marathon Andrew Ong who clocked 4:24:23. Then, Jane-Jane Ong, who runs the famous Leona Pastries outlets in Cebu, finished in 4:29:12. Next was Jane’s sister, Nica, at 4:29:54. They were followed by Dr. Albert Santos, a veteran of three marathons (Hong Kong, Singapore and Milo), who also finished in his PB time of 5:03:34. Finally, there was Perl Jacalan who finished the 21K in 2:17:36. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

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Quezon City Intl. Marathon: The Good and the Bad

Having joined dozens of road-running races (mostly in Cebu), including the Hong Kong and Singapore marathons in 2008, here are several observations from last Sunday’s QCIM:

GOOD

1. Weather. Obviously, this has nothing to do with the organizers, but we were blessed with excellent weather that day. It didn’t rain. Even better, the sun barely shined all-morning-long. Given the up-and-down terrain of the QCIM 42K, can you imagine if the weather was super-hot? If, from 6:30 to 11 a.m. there was blazing sunlight? I bet a lot of runners would have stopped. Especially because the event ran out of water on so many water stations.

2. Chip. Having that ChampionChip on your shoe makes the event world-caliber. This was good. And something we have yet to experience in Cebu (given it’s cost, around P200,000 just for the deployment, we’re targeting in the 2011 Cebu Marathon).

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The torture called Quezon City Marathon

That’s me and Bro. Carlo Bacalla meters from the finish

Jesse Taborada, a veteran of six 42K marathons, calls it, “The hardest marathon in the world!”

Of course, Jesse exaggerated. Nothing, I assume, can beat the Great Wall of China or the Mt. Everest marathons. But the 42.195 kms. that we trekked last Sunday may be termed, “the country’s toughest 42K.”

The Quezon City International Marathon (QCIM) started at 4:30 a.m. Anticipating harsh weather due to Typhoon Ramil, it did not rain at the QC Circle. Stars glazed. At the Starting Line, hundreds of hearts pounded. Then, after a 10… 9… 8… countdown, the firing gun blasted. Joel Garganera was beside me. Same with Jesse. And Bro. Carlo Bacalla of Don Bosco in Labangon, Cebu. We entered U.P. Diliman in darkness as students slept. Next, we exited and ran along Commonwealth Avenue—all of eight lanes-wide per lane. Cars were barred. It was perfect.

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QCIM Photos

Thanks to Mike Enriquez and Annie Neric for the photos…

Minutes before the start, (from left) Joel Juarez, John Pages, Mike Enriquez, Boyek Galang, Annie Neric, Luisita Jadulco, Bert Banzon and Msgr. Siongo Tan

Team Guardo: Atan (in black) with (among others) Dr. Ray Bontol, Joel Garganera, Raffy Uytiepo, Jeson Guardo

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QCIM: A short video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAcuZ7raz1c&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Thanks to Jaymie Pizarro, “The Bull Runner,” for this short clip

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Cebu City Marathon And The Running Fever

There is a virus that’s plaguing our city. It’s not the A-H1N1 strain or the Dengue fever scare. It’s more widespread and thousands are afflicted. All types of bodies have been stricken: 73-year-olds, college girls, Sun.Star online editor Max Limpag, CEOs, doctors, Donna Cruz-Larrazabal, lawyers…

The good news is, this virus is healthy and invigorating. Running, it’s called, and, for the past three years, dozens upon hundreds upon thousands have bought New Balance shoes, worn Nike Dri-Fit wear, purchased Garmin GPS watches, laced Adidas Supernova soles, traveled to Singapore or Chicago or Hong Kong to pound their two God-given legs from Start to Finish Line.

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Excellent Rening Ylaya piece by Max Limpag

Rening Ylaya is 73 years old. Nothing unusual about that. There are plenty of senior citizens walking around town. But Rening doesn’t walk… he runs. He runs 10Ks, he runs 21Ks, he runs fast, and, come January, he’s planning to join the Cebu City Marathon and run for 42 kilometers. Read this great write-up by Sun.Star Cebu online editor (and fellow runner) Max Limpag… “At 73, Ylaya keeps beating runners half his age.”