Running madness

CEBU, Philippines – As I mentioned in a previous column, May is a merry running month where practically all Sundays are booked with a running event. With races all over, it’s really reaching fever pitch just like the hot weather nowadays. But wait, I’m changing my mind I’ll call the phenomenon, running madness. On April 25, the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation Inc. will hold a non-competitive 10K run starting at the Cebu Provincial Capitol called “Earth Run 2009”. This must not be confused with the Earth Run 2009 organized by the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), that fires off at the same venue on May 10. The following day (April 26) the Altitude Run will be staged at Kalunasan. Again this is not the same race as the Arthro Cebu Mountain Trail Run that unfolds on May 31, also in Kalunasan. The Trail Run is now on its fourth year. Kicking off the races for May is the Mandaue 10K Run on the 3rd. And to sum it all, the Running Madness 10K will be staged on May 24 at UP Cebu in Lahug. The Running Madness is organized by the Lahug Barangay Council to promote fitness and wellness among the neighboring barangays but it is also open for everybody. Well, if you don’t call this madness, then what is? By the way registration to the PMAP Earth Run 2009 is now ongoing at the PSC office at the Cebu City Sports Center.

The Road To Kona

One-legged triathlete Rudy Fernandez rang me up at 4:30 AM last Friday to inform that we have survived the first cut-off for the Ford Ironman Triathlon set on October 10, 2009 in Kona, Hawaii. Rudy said we will have to wait for the final cut-off on August but asked me not to accept running commitments as it might be in conflict with our trip to Hawaii in the event we survive the final cut-off. Rudy emailed me a letter from Diana Bertch, Ironman event director that he is entered in the Physically-Challenged category wherein the distance for the above-the-knee participants are 1.9 km swim, 90km bike and 20km run. That’s half of the Ironman distance of 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42km run. “Kayang-kaya Raf,” said an excited Rudy who is strong in the swim having swam the Guimaras Strait to Bacolod City in 1996, covering 26 km in 8 hours. Rudy also covered 240 km in the bike during the Hero for Heroes Bike for Hope in 2000. The problem would be in the run segment where Rudy is a bit slow. But the fighter in him, I’m sure Rudy will give his all as this will be our last hurrah. Aloha!

Notes:

Good luck to Dr. Yong Larrazabal, and Dr. Peter Mancao who will be running in the Big Sur Marathon in California. Also to Donna Cruz Larrazabal who’s participating in the 10K Category. Did you know that American Idol David Cook is also into running? David is running in the Race for Hope 5K on May 3 in Washington D.C. The race is to raise funds for cancer research. (FREEMAN NEWS)