Bigger Cebu City Marathon set

CEBU, Philippines - Over 8,000 runners are expected to converge for one of the biggest and most-acclaimed running event of the country – the Cebu City Marathon 2012 – on January 8 starting and finishing at the Asiatown I.T. Park, Apas, this city.

Runners from around the country and the world are expected to come to the Queen City of the South as Cebu City Marathon goes back to its Sinulog roots, bringing the festive vibe to the sport and highlighting the race as an added reason to join the city’s biggest festival.

Last year’s run attracted close to 6,500 runners including foreigners from 17 different countries, over 300 from Manila and more than a hundred from the Visayas and Mindanao areas.

“We are expecting that the number of participation will increase this year as we will also encourage students from the different colleges and universities to participate and we would like to attract more foreign runners and locals as well,” said Meyrick Jacalan of Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC) during the event’s press launch yesterday at the Active Zone in Ayala Center.

The race will once again feature three categories – the 42K full marathon, 21K half marathon and 5K fun run.            

For the safety of the runners, most of the race route will be closed to traffic.

The South Road Properties (SRP) will be completely closed and for the rest of the route, only one lane of the road will be open to vehicular traffic while the area for the runners will be cordoned off.

Roads will open to full traffic at 9:30 a.m. or five and a half hours after the start of the 42K race.

After 9:30 am, runners may continue with the assistance of traffic enforcers and marshals.

Water will be provided at the finish line and every two kilometers along the course. Medical aid will be available at certain points along the route and at the finish line.

Runners will also enjoy the festive atmosphere during the race day with games, raffle with grand prizes and entertainers from start to finish.

Days prior to the race day, Jacalan said that they will do a couple of sessions for those who are planning to run the 42K event.

“We will be giving tips for the newbies on what are the things to do in order to finish the ultramarathon,” he said.

Registration fees are pegged at P500 for 5K, P700 for 21K and P1,000 for 42K until November 20 while late registration fees are P600, P900 and P1,200 for the three categories, respectively, from November 21 to December 15.

Registration will entitle the runner to a limited edition New Balance singlet, finisher’s medal for all 42K runners, timing chip powered by Sprint Race Timers, race bib, post-race refreshments, post-race massage (21K and 42K runners), finisher’s loot bag, opportunities to win in the raffle, product sampling and giveaways from sponsors, access to the Marathon Expo, access to the Carbo-Loading Party and big discounts in Ayala Active Zone stores.

The top finisher in the 42K race will get a guaranteed cash prize of P50,000 while the top finisher of the 21K gets P15,000 and that of the 5K gets P5,000.

Only the first 5,000 registrants will receive the New Balance Singlet, that’s why the organizers encourage the running enthusiasts to send registration forms earlier.

There will be a lot of pre-race activities in store for all runners including the Marathon Expo at on January 4-7 at the Active Zone, Ayala Center with amazing promos and exciting discounts on all running gear, sportswear and other accessories.

Race packs may also be claimed during the Expo.

On January 6, all the registrants are invited to join the Carbo-Loading Party at The Terraces, Ayala Center where they can meet and mingle with other running enthusiasts and experts.

There are two ways to register – online through www.cebumarathon.com which opened last October 7 or on-site at the Active Zone, Ayala Center Cebu from November 2 to December 15.

The Cebu Marathon is presented by Castrol, co-presented by New Balance, Ayala Center Cebu and Cebu I.T. Park. The race is organized by the Cebu Executive Runners Club, the City of Cebu and ASAP Advertising Services and Promotions, Inc. (FREEMAN)