Category: Running

Manny Villaruel lost 42 lbs. He used to weigh 235. Now, six months after he started running, he weighs 193. Manny used to drink beer. LOTS of beer. One party we attended, the annual Press Freedom night, I kept on ordering the free San Mig Light and, like a plant who’d swallow water from a gardener’s hose, Manny gulped and gulped. Not today. Not last Sunday. Not anymore.

“I haven’t taken a single sip since January,” said Manny, the sports editor of The Freeman. It shows. Running the 12-km. distance during the “Hunat Subgu 2 – Dagan Para Kay Maning” race two mornings ago, Manny did drink—from the water stations. (He runs… away from beer.) Amazing transformation.

From the hundreds who participated, I saw plenty of familiar faces: Dr. Marivic Tan, Joe Soberano with his son Franco, Allan Choachuy, Dr. Vic Verallo with his son; Roy and Dr. Rosan Trani, my idol Steve Ferraren, speedy Jun Remo (who finished the 21K in 1:41), Kenneth Casquejo, Dr. Edward Gaisano…

Thanks to race director Joel Baring, the event had few hitches. Water stations, stationed every 1.5 kms., overflowed. The race started on time. Each category—6K, 12K and 21K—had its own overhead digital clock. The jersey, color blue with sleeves, was of high quality. A Pocari Sweat energy drink station stood. A bottle was given to each 12K and 21K finisher. The food at The Terraces was plenty: two puso, one hard-boiled egg, a stick of longanisa, a banana and juice. The 21K finisher’s medal was large and made by Suarez.

My only complaints? It would be nice to see a complete set of kilometer markers. There was zero entertainment on the road. This is what excites the wearied runner: music or dancers along the route. During the 21K start at 4:30 A.M., there was no loud, heart-stomping music that accompanied Jiggy Jr.’s countdown.

Still, these are few and minor. What I liked best: the venue. The Terraces of Ayala Center is the best start/finish area in our island. The location is central. There are plenty of parking slots. Comfort rooms abound. And, during the awarding, where everyone converges at the sunken portion—it’s perfect. (See you there again this Sunday for the MAPFRE Insular-organized “Go Run For Road Safety” race.)

ORDINANCE. My colleague Cheska Geli wrote an article last Sunday entitled “Running code downside.” Since the new ordinance was implemented in February, fewer runs are being organized in Cebu City. Many have moved to Talisay or Lapu-Lapu or Mandaue.

While I agree with the one-race-a-day policy (though organizers can still hold simultaneous events in other cities), there are plenty of questions to ask:

Where does the P15,000 payment go? Does it help the run? Or does it help the city run these events?

This amount (for the 21K) excludes the thousands (for overtime pay) that must be paid to CITOM. This amount, if I’m not mistaken, will not even go to the personnel of the Department of Public Services because, according to the new rule, the organizers themselves have to clean all the garbage.

No doubt this ordinance has plenty of good. But, four months after its implementation, it appears to have one bad outcome: fewer Cebu City races.

As an organizer/sponsor, why pay P15,000 when you can pay P500 for a Mandaue City-located run in Parkmall?

WIMBLEDON. If you switched on your cable TV last night and watched sports, your eyes must have been attracted to green grass.

As is the tradition, Wimbledon’s defending champion plays first. And so, at 8 P.M. (PHL time) yesterday, Novak Djokovic stepped on the manicured lawn of Centre Court.

Like any tennis fanatic, my dream is to watch the event that’s been visited by Monsignor Achilles Dakay.

“My first Wimbledon visit was in 1999 with Monsignor Eliseo Gamallo. We saw Lindsay Davenport beat Steffi Graf to win the trophy,” Msgr. Dakay told me in an earlier interview. His next visit was in 2003 when the William sisters met in the finals. “There’s no place like Wimbledon.” he said, adding, “You’ve got to try those strawberries and cream!”

WOMEN’S ULTRA. Each year, the date “March 8” is celebrated worldwide as the International Women’s Day. Very fitting that, just two days after last Thursday, on March 10, the women ran. A total of 181 women joined the 50K Ultra-marathon that started at 10 P.M. and finished at sunrise on Sunday.

To Merlita Arias Dunkin, whom we awarded the weekend before in the 30th Cebu Sports Awards, congratulations for being No.1, clocking 5:28. Who says women are weaker? Now, these ladies have beaten most of the long-distance male runners.

“Running has reinforced discipline,” said Joy Polloso, who started running only a couple of years ago but now has several marathon medals hanging in her closet. She finished the 50K in a very respectable 7:44.

“For an event that was conceptualized over a few discussions with the small group of ‘elders’ in Ungo and CUC in December, we didn’t have enough time to prepare and yet we were able to generate participants from Singapore, Japan, etc aside from those from Manila, Albay, Davao, Bohol,” said Joy.

Take a bow, ladies!

First, the convenience. All you need is a good pair of running shoes and you’re off and running, literally.

Compare this with our experience yesterday. About 30 of us trooped near the lighthouse of Liloan at 7:00 A.M. to have a test bike run on the upcoming XTERRA race. From our homes, we loaded the bikes unto various vehicles. Helmets, gloves, water bottles, biking shoes — we prepared them all. Biking is fun. But it’s also a “production number.”

Running? It’s simple and pure. You can run early morning or late at night. If it’s raining, you can hop on the treadmill. When you go on a trip, it’s easy to pack a pair of shoes and discover the sights of Singapore or Cagayan de Oro by foot.

TWO. I don’t think any form of exercise beats running. On average, you burn 600 calories per hour of running. Just look at the physique of the runners. They’re lean, slim, fit. Here’s a guarantee: If you run four times each week, you will lose weight.

My favorite example is Steve Ferraren. He used to weigh 228 lbs. He could barely complete one round in the Abellana oval. But, through determination, he pushed one leg in front of the other and, now, he’s lost 83 lbs. and is one of the fastest runners among the Cebuano executives. His 42K time: 3 hours, 43 minutes.

THREE, I enjoy the company of friends while running. I recall training for the Singapore Marathon with our Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC) group. We’d run 20 to 30 kms. and, the entire way, I’d be chatting with friends like doctors Vic Verallo or Albert Santos. Running is a time to bond with friends.

Councilor Edgar Labella’s favorite motto is this: “If you run alone, you run fast. But if you run with a group, you run far.”

Want to become a long-distance runner? Find a group of friends and run together. Especially when you’re training for a 21K or a 42K, when hours on the road are a necessity, it’s important to run with friends. Time passes faster and the experience is more enjoyable. Running is the “Facebook of Sports.” It’s social sport.

My mom Allen, looking 40-ish but already a Senior Citizen cardholder, has convinced her teachers at Bright Academy to join her running. Every Friday afternoon after school, they circle the campus as a happy, smiling group… running together.

To me, running as a group is the same as a barkada in a bar gulping San Mig Light and talking for three hours. It’s hours of quality time spent chatting with friends while getting fit!

FOUR: the opposite of No.3, it’s your time alone. Said the great Jesse Owens: “I always loved running…it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.”

FIVE: There’s that next goal. I cannot find this in any other sport. I’ve swatted the badminton shuttle cock, competed nationally in tennis, biked to Ayala Heights and done numerous other sports, but none compare to running.

What I mean is this: We all start with a 3K or a 5K. After, as your body gets fitter, you attempt the 10K. Then, months pass and you do a 15K. Then, the half-marathon. And, for the brave, the ultimate challenge: 42.195 kms.

In running, there’s always that next race, that farther challenge, that bigger medal. In fact, the 42K has been eclipsed in Cebu today by the 50K.. 65K.. 100K. Atty. Haide Acuña finished the 160K! And, just last weekend, Joel Garganera ran 100 kms. in mountainous terrain and freezing-cold weather in Hong Kong.

Of running, the actress Sasha Azevedo sums it all up: “I run because it’s my passion, and not just a sport. Every time I walk out the door, I know why I’m going where I’m going and I’m already focused on that special place where I find my peace and solitude. Running, to me, is more than just a physical exercise… it’s a consistent reward for victory!”

One of my all-time favorite songs is Tarzan Boy. To whose who lived through the 1980s, you know the tune: it’s universally-recognized as the most “baduy” song ever recorded. That’s according to my roommate Maria Jasmin.

But I had the best memories of Tarzan Boy. I was in elementary when, as a basketball point guard, that song played over and over again via the loudspeakers in many games.

Playing for La Salle Bacolod, my fondest recollection of Tarzan Boy was as a frail yet energetic Grade 5 student. I must have been only 10. One of the youngest in our varsity squad (La Salle had Grade 7), we were scheduled to play in Silay City, a 20-minute drive away from Bacolod. It wasn’t an ordinary encounter: we were to play the first game, in front of a packed coliseum, prior to the official PBA game.

You could not believe my excitement. I couldn’t sleep for 21 nights. In school, I daydreamed about Silay. Finally, the day arrived and, after wearing the white-and-green jersey and donning my Promodel Adidas high-cut shoes, I entered the arena to the loudest cheering I’ve heard in my one decade of life.

The music? Of course… Tarzan Boy.

Last Sunday, fast forward 29 years later, I ran. It was the Animo La Salle Run, celebrating the 100th year founding of one of the nation’s best schools. While jogging, I was tuned-in to my iPod and my song selections were a mixed assortment.

The music? Of course… Tarzan Boy.

It was unexpected. I set the iPod to “Shuffle” mode and, like God perfectly wanted to remind me of those youthful days, the perfect song appeared.

During a La Salle Run. Two days ago. Just like three decades ago.

La Salle today is a century old. Beginning in 1911 in Paco, Manila with 125 boys whose classes were conducted in all-Spanish, La Salle today has 17 schools nationwide, including, nearest to us, the De La Salle Andres Soriano Memorial College in Toledo City.

I studied in La Salle for eight years from Grade 1 until First Year High School. Our family relocated to Cebu beginning my 2nd year HS. Looking back, I consider those the most important years of my life.

The first dozen years of one’s life are the most essential. Like a 12-story building whose footing and foundation are the key to it’s stand and strength, so it is with us: We often become who we are based on who we were when we were young.

Confusing? Simply, it means our days learning ABC’s are the bedrock, the groundwork, the basics of our adult life.

I am proud to be a La Sallian. The school is named after St. John Baptist de La Salle (born in 1651), a priest who founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

In what I recall of my primary years, we were taught discipline, respect for others, service, excellence in all endeavors, and, above all, love of God.

Together with 350,000 alumni who’ve passed through the green-colored corridors, I owe a big part of my life story to La Salle.

Two days ago, it was a perfect race. The Animo La Salle Run had 3K, 6K and 12K distances. In the dozen-kilometer distance that I joined, marshals were plenty, water was sufficient, and, thanks to race director Raffy Uytiepo, from La Salle Bacolod, the route (from CICC to Salinas Drive and back) was ideal.

Nimrod Quiñones snapped photos at the finish line. Rico Navarro, whose son Popoy won 3rd place in the 3K sprint, was the emcee. About 500 joined. Edwin Salazar’s daughter, Wren Marie, won 3rd place. She’s only 11 and is on vacation from Gold Coast, Australia. Cousins Bobby and Mariano Martinez, die-hard La Sallites, ran.

My only complaint? The sky. It was all. . . . blue. A telling sign after losing the last three UAAP seasons to a certain team from Katipunan Ave.?

Mendel Lopez is a bemedalled track athlete. He’s won dozens of races. In a field of long-legged, international runners at the Hong Kong Marathon, he finished third place in the 21K. I spoke to Mendel yesterday. He was upset. Last Sunday, he joined a footrace and the winners were promised prize money.

“I won second place in the 5K category,” said Mendel. “They announced that the 5K champion would receive P4,000 and the runner-up, P2,000. But instead of getting P2,000, they only gave me P300.”

This is a scam. It’s an embarrassment. Based on the article of fellow writer Iste Sesante-Leopoldo, “‘1st Cebu Run Run’ turns into winners’ nightmare,” last Monday, the organizing group is the “C 24/7 Food Supplement and Nautra-Ceuticals.” A certain Rose Soltones is the head of the organizing committee.

What happened, Rose? This is humiliating. A promise is a promise when it comes to sporting events. When you guarantee the contestants prize money, it’s a commitment to fulfill that pledge.

The 5K champion, Jordan Bacong, the son of a fisherman who relies on the cash prizes for his food and expenses, was to receive P4,000. This was announced. He got P500. Josepha Kiptanui of Kenya won the 10K. His time was an astonishing 30:48. But what did he receive as reward for such quickness? P500. Instead of the P6,000 promised the 10K champion.

The organizers are blaming the lack of participants — only 700 reportedly joined instead of the 2,000 singlets that they produced — as the reason for their disobeying their obligation. Well, is that Jordan’s problem? Or Josepha’s? No, it’s not. Their job is to run and finish first. They ought to be rewarded by beating everybody else.

With this incident, I hope for two things. One, that the organizers pay the remainder of the prize money this week. They must. It doesn’t matter how they’ll raise it — it’s non-negotiable. (I suggest, if they fail to do this, that the Cebu City Sports Commission and Ayala Center blacklist them from organizing future events.) Two, I hope this doesn’t happen again. Road-running races happen every Sunday. Sometimes, two or three are held every weekend. Though some complain that this is too much running — I say it’s good. These events have gotten everybody healthy. But, please, promises are promises.

The Cebu Filipino-Chinese Volunteers Fire Brigade (CFCVFB) is set to hold the Cebu Fire Run 2011 slated for March 6, 2011, Sunday at the Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu Business Park grounds.  This is in line with CFCVFB’ 30 years of dedicated service. Aside from the Run activities are lined from March 4 to 6 mall hours at the Activity Area of Ayala Center Cebu.  CFCVFB will hold a photo exhibit featuring the volunteer firefighter in action.  The photos were taken by friends and volunteers during the line of duty.

Alongside the photo exhibit are booths like a photo wall where you can have your picture taken with fire gear and hose, a lecture area and fire drill / simulation area where people can experience the proper procedure to follow in case of fire emergencies.

All these activities are geared at promoting the Learn not to Burn Program in a fun way.  Firemen in complete fire uniforms and gear will be around along with the mascot Sparky the Fire Dog.  Leaflets, bookmarks and certificates are given to the first 1,500 visitors.

The Learn Not to Burn® (LNTB®) fire safety education program that is available to elementary school children worldwide. Based on the USA’s National Fire Protection Association’s curriculum, it includes songs, stories, puppets, games and other activities to teach fire safety behavior in a way that children can understand and remember.

The Cebu Fire Run will be managed by Runcheck.  Registration details are: 15k P300.00; 7.5k P250.00; 3k P250.00.  There is also the Kiddie Dash 100 meters and 200 meters.  Run starts at 5:00 am and assembly is at 4:30 am.  Prizes are: 1st prize P7,000.00; 2nd prize P5,000.00; 3rd prize P3,000.00 plus medals.  Registration centers are: Runnr (Ayala Center Cebu); Philippine Sports Commission Office (Cebu City Sports Center); Holiday Gym; CFCV Fire Brigade Office.  For more inquiries call Mobile No. 0933-339-9111.

Since 1980, the Cebu Filipino-Chinese Volunteers Fire Brigade with its group of volunteer firemen has helped fight fires in the City and Province of Cebu.  Funding and volunteers come from the members of Cebu’s Filipino Chinese community.  These men render their service on a purely voluntary basis without thought of reward, compensation or recognition, but guided by a sense of civic duty and responsibility for the good of the community blazing a trail in the “Spirit of Volunteerism and Service “.  You may also visit www.facebook/cebufirerun.com or ask any fire brigade volunteer.

Calling on all awardees of the 29th SAC-SMB Cebu Sports Awards: the annual honoring of our island’s best is this Saturday, Feb. 19, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Activity Center of the Ayala Center Cebu. Everyone is requested to be at the venue by 2:15 p.m. Attire is semi-formal wear or, if that’s too formal, honorees can come in their athletic uniform (except the swimmers!).

San Miguel Brewery is the lead company helping. Also, this 2011, the following have come forward to support: Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Smart, Rudy Project, Citigym, Air 21 and M. Lhuillier. If you’re an awardee, please call Sandy or Emma at 4161122 local 100 or 112 for more details. See you.

SM2SM. I immensely enjoyed last Sunday’s SM2SM Run. The top officials of SM City–led by Marissa Fernan–were there very early two mornings ago. SM top honchos Joel Andres, Sherry Tuvilla and Tata Mempin I also had a chance to speak with.

Joining the 12K distance, there was plenty to commend with the event organized by Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III. The full closure of both lanes of the SRP. The P30,000 first prize for the 21K winners (which was just as large as the Condura Run in Manila). The passage beside Plaza Independencia and the Malacañang sa Sugbu. The unlimited water supply every kilometer. Best of all, the God-given weather. Late Saturday evening and early Sunday, it poured. But, as God smiled down upon those who took good care of their bodies through exercise, He gifted the runners: no rain until past 9 a.m. when the participants had finished.

Steve Benitez ran his first 12K. The owner of Bo’s Coffee had never previously joined a 10K race. The appeal of running the SRP–plus the prodding of Mike and Joyce Fernan, who also comfortably ran the dozen-kilometer distance–convinced Steve to run. Congratulations also to the tandem of Noy and Amale Jopson, the first-placers in the 12K couples category. Another SM Run is targeted for October.

To doctors Yong Larrazabal and Peter Mancao–and to the entire SM team–well done!

With the Manila-based Kenyan runners after the SM run

CERC. Roy Trani is the new president of the Cebu Executive Runners Club. After many years at the helm of the running group founded in 1997, Jesse Taborada (now the Vice-President) turns over the leadership to a fellow marathoner. The other officers include Kenneth Casquejo (Secretary), Steve Ferraren (Treasurer), Dodong Sulatre (Auditor), Jacs Jacalan (Sgt-at-Arms) and myself as PRO. The “Council of Elders,” not chosen because they’re the oldest, include Dr. Abraham Manlawe, Roel Militar, Dr. Albert Santos and Dr. Vic Verallo. The main project of the CERC, of course, is the Cebu Marathon–slated on Jan. 8, 2012. Congrats, Roy!

BIEBER OR BRUCE. Plenty have commented that, with his new, full crop of hair, Manny Pacquiao looks like Justin Beiber. Is our Pinoy trying to copy the looks of the heartthrob of American music?

“That is a very good question,” Rep. Manny answered in response to a press conference query. “Bruce Lee is my idol. That is why I have this haircut.”

I agree with Pacman. His looks–more so, his quick bursts of punches and flurry of ra-tat-tat blasts–resemble that of the King of Kung Fu.

OPERATION SMILE RUN. If you’re targeting both to get physically fit and to help the needy, join this weekend’s Operation Smile Charity Run. The proceeds go to support the Operation Smile Cebu Mission Year 14–which begins the next day, Feb. 21, at the V. Sotto Hospital when free reconstructive surgeries will be performed to correct cleft lips, cleft palates and many other facial deformities.

Mariquita Salimbangon Yeung started Operation Smile in Cebu more than 12 years ago. Since then, over 3,000 children and young adults have had positive changes to their lives.

This Sunday is the run to both celebrate Operation Smile and to raise funds. Distances (in kms.) are 1.6, 3, 5, 10 and 21. (For the 10K and 21K, RFID timing chips will be used.) Register today at Runnr!