14,000 Nike runners race for ‘Yolanda’

MANILA, Philippines - It was a sea of red as 14,000 runners pounded the streets of Marikina City last Sunday for the Nike We Run Manila race held in honor of the countless victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

The competitors stood in solidarity at the Marikina Sports Center in a big display of the Filipino spirit and unity. Traffic was a standstill around the venue for the 4 p.m. race.

But it was for a very good reason.

It’s the third staging of the Nike We Run in the country after previous legs at the Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City and Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

And things are just getting bigger for the event which is part of the global Nike We Run series expected to lure over 350,000 runners in 26 key cities by the end of the year.

Before hitting the streets of Manila, this year’s Nike We Run series had been to Sao Paolo, Seoul and Singapore.

The Nike We Run series thrives on a buddy system with winners in the all-male, all-female and male-female categories.

“The Nike We Run Manila 2013 serves runners by offering them a unique platform to run alongside a global community of runners,” said Courtney Cole-Faso, country marketing manager of Nike Philippines.

“This year, we fueled the samahan spirit by encouraging runners to sign up and run the race together with a buddy for their fellow kababayans,” Cole-Faso added.

Nike Global later donated $50,000 to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

In the all-male buddy, Alley Quisay and Rene Desuyo topped the field with a time of 33 minutes 28 seconds, followed by Anthony Nerza and Michael Ian Constantino (34:18) and Orson Quisay and Crifrankreadel Indapan (34:50).

For the all-female division, Luisa Raterta and Cinderalla Lorenzo won in 40:47, towing Cynhia Jaro and Victorina Calma (48:36) and Joan Galang and Jeneth Silvestre (58:04).

For the male-female class, Benjamin Kipkazi and Susan Jemutai reigned supreme with a time of 38:01, followed by Ronald Salgado and Janette Lumidao (40:08) and Alexander Arabit and Christabel Martes (41:07).