MANILA, Philippines - Around 15,000 runners are expected to participate in the Condura Skyway Marathon 2012: Run for the Mangroves – the Philippines’ first-ever midnight marathon – on Feb. 5 beginning and ending at Filinvest in Alabang.
Now on its fifth edition, the game-changing annual footrace raises the bar once more by challenging marathoners to do their stuff in a midnight race that will have them traverse the cities of Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Taguig, Pasay and Makati via the Metro Manila Skyway.
Five other events – 3K, 5K, 10K, 16K, and 21K runs – will be held in this year’s Condura Skyway Marathon, which is committed to support the group’s mangroves reforestation project in Sibugay Bay, Zamboanga.
“We are proud to celebrate our fifth anniversary as we run through five cities in one go with all race categories going up the Skyway for the first time,” Ton Concepcion, founder and organizer of the Condura Skyway Marathon said during yesterday’s PSA Forum.
One of the most anticipated running events in the country, the Condura Skyway Marathon has distinguished itself as a supporter of efforts to protect and care for the environment. Since 2008, the event has raised over P2 million for projects aimed to protect marine environment, such as Tubbataha Reefs, the whalesharks of Donsol and Dolphins of Bohol.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to run in the race. Take this opportunity to see the country in a different way,” said Concepcion.
Registration is ongoing at Riovana, Bonifacio Global City, Riovana in Regis Center, Katipunan and Festival Supermall Alabang with deadline set on Jan. 29.
For on-line listup, log-on to www.conduraskywaymarathon.com.
Concepcion said for each runner, there will be three mangrove trees donated to the 10-hectare Condura Skyway Marathon Mangrove Forest in Sibugay Bay, which covers three barangays and will benefit thousands of families in the coastal areas.
Medals, cash prizes, trophies and gift items are in store for the top finishers in the Open and All-Filipino categories in the 2012 race, organized by runners and co-presented by Skyway Operations Management Corp., Summit Water, 100Plus, Asics and Filinvest Alabang.
The annual footrace will also put emphasis on the safety and security of the participants by providing well-spaced and well-stocked hydration stations, professional medical teams and seasoned race marshals.
As a treat after the race, the event, backed by Coors Light, QuestWorks Production, Festival Supermall and the Rotary Club of Paranaque, will culminate in the Condura-Filinvest Village where runners, together with their families, can enjoy loads of entertainment, fireworks and product sampling. A mangroves wall will also be painted and decorated as a symbol of the runners’ commitment to save the Philippine mangroves.