Color Manila Run 2013 - just a few pictures

Here are a few pictures from the Color Manila Run 2013. I know, I know - I have been totally remiss in posting my races. I do apologize for that. But I still hope you enjoy these pics, though. :-)

By the way, I have yet to cite my sources for these pics. I know I wrote them down somewhere - will search for it first. Otherwise back to square one for me. But know that I WILL give credit to the people who took these pics.

 At the gun start, still looking fresh and clean..

Rescue Run - December 23, 2012

Rescue Run was organized by the Filipino Running Community in response to the devastation brought about by typhoon Pablo in Mindanao. This run was organized in just twelve (12) days. Considering the complexities involved in organizing such an event, I'm impressed!

I registered for this event at the Sin Tax Run - they had a booth outside Starbucks One E-Com center. For a minimum donation of PHP200, you get a race bib. It's a donation because you can give more if you wish. There are two categories: 5K and 10K. I registered for the latter. There are also barefoot categories - I think it's also either 5K or 10K, only you have to run barefoot.

Here's my review of the Rescue Run 2012:

Strengths

The cause - Typhoon Pablo caused a lot of deaths (over 1000), destruction, and loss for millions of Filipinos in Mindanao. Although there were a lot of rescue and relief operations that took place (UNICEF, Philippine Red Cross, among others), this run is the Filipino Running Community's way of helping our brothers and sisters whose lives were affected by the typhoon. I have no idea how much funds were raised because of this event - but I have faith that the proceeds will reach the right people.

Sin Tax Run - December 16, 2012

The Sin Tax Run was organized by RunRio (probably the country's most popular race organization company, of Coach Rio de la Cruz fame) in support of the Sin Tax Bill (which eventually became the Sin Tax Law, click here to view the article).

The registration fee for this event is ridiculously low: you only need to pay PHP16 to get a race bib and a timing chip. As if that wasn't enough, you also get a free visor after finishing the race. So, why 16 pesos? It's simple - see RunRio's explanation below:

Photo credit here

In addition, Coach Rio says: “This race is part of our CSR (corporate social responsibility). It is our way of giving back to the running community. Our goal for the running community is to make it bigger and to sustain it. There are races almost everywhere, but the quality and the experience (is not always topnotch). When someone has a bad experience in an event, he or she will no longer encourage his or her friends or family to join the race. But if they have a good experience, they will keep on going." Click here to view the article.

Nike We Run MNL 10K - December 2, 2012

This post is overdue - been over ten days since the event took place. This was such a huge event. As mentioned in my previous post, a lot of people joined this event because for only PHP1200, you get a Nike racing shirt, plus a finisher's shirt if you finish the 10K within two and a half hours.

So, here is my take on what happened, from the registration all the way to the event day itself. :-)

Registration
My friends and I went to the Nike store in Glorietta on October 28 to register. We came from the Unilab Run United Philippine Marathon, where we ran 10K. So naturally, we were already tired when we got to the store at around 10:30 am. However, much to our dismay we discovered that the registration booth won't be open until 1:00 pm that day. So we just left and decided that we will register individually.

Million Hectare Challenge - November 25, 2012

This morning was Haribon Foundation's Million Hectare Challenge. This year marks the 40th (Ruby) anniversary of the environmental group, and to celebrate they held its annual run.

Upcoming running events

I am psyched to be joining the following races over the next several weeks:

Million Hectare Challenge - November 25, 2012. Liwasang Ullalim, CCP Complex, Pasay City. This is Haribon Foundation's annual event. No idea how long this has been going on, though. The main thrust is to restore 1 million hectares of rainforest by planting native trees. Their theme is, "I care. I nurture. I shape the future." - very catchy, don't you think?