No pacers in Lakandula Lions Club run event

CEBU, Philippines - For the first time in a local running event, no pacers will be allowed when the Cebu Lakandula Lion’s Club stages the Roar to Grow Run on November 15 at the Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu.

This was the consensus of the Cebu Lakandula Lion’s Club officers led by their president Ritche Mendoza during the launching of the event at Zone 360 behind Park Mall yesterday.

Earlier, the said event prevented the top five runners from joining until it was decided to make the 10-k run an open action and the 3-k run for the neophytes.

Disallowing the top runners from joining is being set to give way for the new runners to shine.

 However, based on past running events, when top runners are barred from joining the race, they instead go as pacers of their teammates defeating the purpose of discovering new talents.

With that, it had been decided instead to implement a no-pacer rule for fair play especially those who are yet starting out and those without coaches.

Compared to other 10-k runs, the November 15 event offers bigger prizes with P5 thousand going to the champion in both men and women’s division while the second placers get P3 thousand and P2 thousand for the third placers and the fourth to 10th placers get P500 each.

Trophies and medals will also be given away.

The top three runners of the 3-k run, on the other hand, will receive P3 thousand, P1,500 and P1 thousand respectively while the fourth to tenth placers get P200 each.

Aside from giving the upcoming runners a venue to showcase their skills, this event is also a fund-raiser activity of sort with the proceeds of the event to be used for the different projects of the Cebu Lakandula Lion’s Club.

Registration fee is pegged at P200 and participants will get singlets.

Registration is now ongoing at Zone 360 at Park Mall and Mango Avenue, Philippine Sports Commission-VII located at the Cebu City Sports Center and at Casa Ilongga at Robinson’s Place-Cebu. –Caecent No-ot Magsumbol (THE FREEMAN)