Monday, June 29, 2009

Kapamilya Run Timekeeping Clarified



In my earlier post, the Marathon Foodie raised questions about possible inaccuracies in the timekeeping during the 9th Kapamilya Run. I asked Annie Neric of Holiday Gym and Spa whether or not Veronica Ong was ommitted from the winners list. Annie immediately replied to my query on FB.

Marathon Foodie wrote:


"Hello Annie! Congratulations for being on the top ten of the Kapamilya Run. I'm writing a race report/ review for my blog and there are two things I want to point out to the organizers -- dismal water stations and mistakes in the time-keeping. I noticed that Victoria (Veronica) Ong was with your group, but I did not see her name in the top 10 finishers in the 10K women's open."

I was wondering if there was any discrepancy here. Would you know anything?


Excerpts from Annie's Reply:

"Thanks Haide. If it was Veronica Ong (She is the sister Of Jane-Jane Ong) you were referring to she registered under Executive B and not in the open category. Also, we saw the list of the top ten winners and she didn't make it talaga to the top ten. Jane Jane Ong and I registered under Executive A and not under the open category. Also, one of the executive runners (Executive A) named Steve Ferraren should have been included in the top ten winners but they called another runners name but we immediately called the attention of the race organizer and informed them of their mistake so it was settled right away."

So there it is. There was no mistake in the timekeeping. I will try my best to get the final race results and the individual time for all runners and post it here.

Thanks Anne! Congratulations too to the Cebu Executive Runners and the runners from Holiday Gym. Thank you Holiday Gym for leading us in the warm-up. See you all again next year.

Photo credit: Kenneth Casquejo

Race Review: 9th DYAB ABS CBN Kapamilya Run



Race Review : 9th DYAB Kapamilya Run
Date & Venue : 28 June 2009, 6AM, Sumilon Road, Cebu Business Park
Organizer : DYAB 1512 and ABS CBN Cebu
Race Director : Joel Baring

Except for the participation of the Shutter 8 Camera Club, there were no new things introduced during the 9th Kapamilya Run. The organizers used the same race course for the 3K, 5K and 10K events and there were the same problems encountered as in previous races.

First, the good stuff.

Using the same route is good because a familiarity with the race course can make it easier for runners to predict their pacing throughout the entire run and improve on their previous records. For example – because of my familiarity with the 10K course, I knew I could speed up and pick up on the fast portions of the route namely: from JY Square to UP Cebu Campus, from SSS to Capitol Church, from Capitol Bldg. to Fuente Rotunda and from Robinsons to Camp Sergio Osmena. I also knew that I would slow down on the inclined portions of the route such as corner TESDA to USP, the steep rise near Maxwell Hotel on Escario St. and the uphill climb from STC to Iglesia ni Kristo along Mango Avenue. However, it would be good if the organizers can introduce a new distance next year -- perhaps a 15K event for DYAB’s 15th year anniversary, which means a new route and a new challenge for loyal Kapamilya runners.

Thumbs up to the marshals and barangay tanods who assisted the runners in crossing the busy intersections at Escario, Capitol and Fuente Rotunda. But there were corners without any marshals such as corner D. Jakosalem and Mango Avenue, and on Gorordo Ave. corner Mango Ave.

The ubiquitous presence of the ERUF paramedics and ambulances was a reassuring sight. You know you’ll be attended to with dispatch in case runners have medical emergencies along the race route. Thanks ERUF.

The participation of the Shutter 8 Camera Club was a welcome addition. Runners really have no chance of capturing themselves in running action, so basically, they have no photographs that could memorialize their efforts along the race route, except for the poses with friends at the start/finish area. Action shots are always better than firing squad shots. Thank you Shutter 8 Camera Club for capturing poetry in motion! Hope to see you again next year.

The awarding program was relatively faster this year. Primarily because the technical team was also faster in coming up with the results.

Now for the rap sheet.

There were two things that really bothered me during the race—the dismal conditions at the water stations and the time-keeping.

The 10K course had a total of five water stations – one station for every 2 kilometers. The first station located across Waterfront Lahug was OK. There was plenty of water and enough cups for everyone. However, when the runners reached the second water station at the UP Cebu campus, there were no more cups left. The runners were forced to take turns drinking from one pitcher, while others had to drink directly from the huge five-gallon bottles. Imagine my horror when just as I was about to take my turn to drink from the pitcher one male runner dipped his hand inside the pitcher to get water to splash on his face! But when you’re really thirsty wala nay arte-arte – inom ka na lang! It was the same story at water station number three located near the Public Library. The fourth water station located near Robinson’s Place had enough cups but the water was running low. Thank goodness for Coach Precing who came after me on his bike with an ice-cold bottle of mineral water. Thanks Coach! You were a lifesaver. I noticed other runners who had their own support group such as Dr. Peter Mancao and the Guardo brothers – Jerry and Jeson. But runners who can afford their own water support groups are rare. In fact, runners should not have to bother having their own support group if the organizer does its job well.

Not providing enough cups and water at water stations is a cardinal sin for race organizers. It shows an utter lack of care for the welfare of the runners. Determining the number of water cups needed for every water station is no rocket science. It only takes simple arithmetic -- number of runners equals number of cups multiplied by two or three since runners sometimes take 2 cups at a time. The organizers could have provided cooling sponges dipped in ice-cold tap water. This way, the runners need not waste mineral water for drinking for cooling their faces, heads and bodies. I did not see any coordination at the water stations at all. The volunteers manning the stations were left to fend for themselves and had clearly no idea what to do when their supplies ran out. Race organizers should designate at least one race official to make sure all water stations have enough supply of cups and water and are handing out these provisions as efficiently as possible to the runners.

I have a few questions about the time keeping. I noticed that Veronica Ong was running with Annie Neric’s group who was a good 15 minutes ahead of me. But when the announcement of winners came, Veronica’s name was not called. Could there be a discrepancy at the time-keeping? Just asking.

DYAB and ABS CBN Cebu’s Kapamilya Run has had a loyal following year after year. Proof of this is the fact that the 9th Kapamilya Run still managed to gather some 1,200 runners, even though the organizers gave participants barely two weeks to register. There could have been more runners but the organizers ran out of registration forms five days before the run. I know of running events that can only gather 500 to 700 runners even after four weeks of registration. Running events exist because of and for runners. Therefore, organizers should at least try to make it as painless as possible for the runners who support their events year after year after year.

There are many things that the Kapamilya Run organizers can work on in order to come up with a bigger and better race next year. Here are some of Marathon Foodie’s suggestions:

- Better pre-race organization. Announce a race date at least one month before and commit to it. Runners train seriously for an event such as the Kapamilya Run. Being wishy washy abut the schedule will turn off participants.

- More venues for registration. The ABS CBN Complex at Jagobiao Mandaue is like 100 light years away from where the participants come from. WOW Travel and More and Holiday Gym and Spa are good venues for registration, but the organizers can also partner with Ayala Center Cebu and athletics shoes stores as registration venues.

- Set a deadline for registration. No more on site registration. This, to avoid
discrepancies in the time keeping of late registrants.

- Set a date for the pick up and distribution of race numbers and singlets. This
to avoid the last-minute distribution of race numbers and singlets on race day which always delays the start of the race. Better yet, maybe the organizers can device a way of distributing race packs upon registration. This is doable. I’ve seen this done before.

- Baggage counter. Not all runners have cars where they can leave their things. Here’s how it works – tape the bags with the runner’s race number written on the tape. The runner can only claim his bag using his race bib.

- Instead of a runner’s certificate with runny ink, the runners can have finisher’s pins and buttons as memorabilia of their running achievement. Not only does this create goodwill with the runners, this is also good marketing strategy for the organizers. This is good for the longer distances – 15K and above.

- Please please, do not ever run out of water and water cups ever again.

Photo Credit: Kenneth Casquejo

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Beginnings



After months of procrastination, I finally found the time to write my first blog entry.

I chose Marathon Foodie for a blog name because it encompasses two of the things I am truly passionate about – good food and running a marathon.

I would have wanted to name this blog “Foodie on the Run”, but I’ve been beaten to the punch by an American blogger based in Reading, Pennsylvania – a triathlete who loves to cook, loves to eat and competes in races in order to give her a guilt-free indulgence in all these loves. Just like Foodie on the Run, the Marathon Foodie runs because she won’t give up her “humba” (Cebuano term for pork stew).

In Cebu we have Dr. Yong Larrazabal’s “Run for Sight” but this is not a blog. My favorite sports blog, John Pages’ “Cebu Sports Blog” has become a vital source of information for updates on the local sports scene, but John’s blog is written entirely in English and is not solely dedicated to running.

Being a diary of sorts, the Marathon Foodie will track
in Cebuano and English my torrid love affair with running. I thought that writing a bilingual running blog would not only be a unique idea, but will hopefully reach out to bisdaks (bisayang dako) who are passionate about running too. Admittedly, writing in Cebuano is so much harder than writing in English, but I will try my best to write in elegant conversational Cebuano.

The creation of this blog was inspired by The Bull Runner – Jaymie Pizzaro’s wildly-popular and award-winning blog, which has become an authority on anything running. After four months of following TBR’s blog, I am convinced that a blog or a web diary can become an effective tool in tracking my progress as a runner. But the bigger vision is for this blog to become a place where newbie runners in Cebu can converge for helpful information about training, race schedules, race reviews, products, and practically all things relevant to running. This blog will also feature stories about runners, both veterans and novices that will hopefully inspire runners to persevere and become better at the sport.

The Marathon Foodie is my humble contribution to Cebu’s running scene.



Paghimugso


Human sa ta-as nga panahon nako nga paglangay-langay, nakakita na gyud ko ug higayon pagsuwat sa labing unang tampo ning maong running blog.

Marathon Foodie ang akong napili-an nga ulohan sa akong blog tungod kay ma-o ni duha ka butang o bisyo nga akong gikabuangan karon – pagkaon ug mga lamian nga pagkaon ug ang pagdagan ug marathon.

Ganahan unta ko nga ang ulohan sa akong blog “Foodie on the Run” apan naunhan na ko sa usa ka Amerikana nga nagbase sa Reading Pennsylvania. Sama kanako pwerte pud siya ka hinganon apan ang iyang sport mao ang triathlon.

Unsa man ang nakapa-aghat nako pagmugna ning maong blog? Sa tinud-anay lang naibog ko sa sikat kaayo nga blog ni “The Bull Runner” a.k.a. Jaymie Pizzaro. Alang ni-adtong mga hardcore runners, nagsunod pud tingali mo sa blog ni TBR. Gani mabasa nako sa comments section sa TBR ang mga bantugan na nga runners sa Sugbu sama nilang Dr. Yong Larrazabal ug Dr. Peter Mancao.

Sa upat ka buwan nako nga pagsunod sa TBR akong nabantayan nga ang usa ka blog mahimong pinaka-paspas ug up-to-date nga tinubdan sa mga importanteng impormasyon kalabot sa mga race schedules, running clinics, running tips ug uban pang mga butang nga kapahimuslan sa mga mahiligon sa dagan.

Ang usa ka blog mamahimo sab nga agi-anan paghi-usa sa mga mahiligon sa sport nga running. Si TBR naa magbase sa Manila hinungdan nga ang iyang mga lindog kalabot sa mga race updates ug race reviews nga maka-agni lang sa mga tu-a ra pud magbase sa kaulohan ug mga silingang probinsya.

Dinhi sa atu-a, duna untay “Run For Sight” website nilang Dr. Yong apan dili kini blog. Ang akong paborito nga “Cebu Sports Blog” sa columnista sa Sun Star nga si John Pages mahimo sang kadangpan sa mga runners apan ang maong blog natagik sa pinulongang English.

Ang ako unta to nga duna say blog nga sinuwat sa pinulongang Cebuano alang sa mga bisaya nga mahiligon sa running. Ug usa, pa unique ang concept sa bisaya nga running blog. (LOL) Di baya lalim ang pagsuwat ug bisaya. Gani, mas sayon alang nako ang pagsuwat ug iningles. Apan di nako pugson ug bisaya ang tanan nakong entries kay basin ma trying hard ang akong dating. Maningkamot hinuon ko nga mahimong bi-lingual ang akong blog nga mahimong kasaw-an niadtong gusto ug bisaya lakip na kadtong mas hanas sa pinulongang English.

Apan labaw sa tanan, mas personal ang hinungdan nganong naenganyo ko pagmugna sa “Marathon Foodie”. Gusto ko nga mao ni mamahimong buhing saksi sa akong love-affair with running tungod kay sa tibu-ok nakong kinabuhi, karon pa ko mahigugma ug susama ni-ini. Ingon sila nga ang tinud-anay nga nahigugma andam mo-sakripisyo ug di igsapayan ang paghatag sa tanan. Ma-o ni akong gibati sa running. Dako ang akong namatikdang kausaban sa akong kaugalingon sukad ko magseryoso ning maong sport apan ato na lang nang istoryahan sa laing higayon.

Unsa may mapa-abot gikan ni Marathon Foodie? Daghan. Akong paningkamutan pagpa-ambit kaninyo ang akong mga nakat-unan ug kasinati-an isip runner; mga schedules sa mga running events dinhi sa Sugbu ug mga silingang dapit nga mahimo natong kaapilan; eview sa mga running events nga akong ma-apilan; mga running ideas ug tips nga akong ma-diskubrehan ug uban pa. Apan labaw sa tanan ipa-ambit pud nako dinhi ang mga sugilanon sa mga everyday Cebuano runners nga mahimong tinubdan sa inspirasyon natong mga bag-o pa lang ning maong sport. Hinaut unta nga ang Marathon Foodie mahimong kadangpan sa mga bag-ong runners, ug mahimong agi-anan sa pagbinayluay nato ug mga kasinatian.

Mao ni akong gamayng tampo sa running community sa Sugbu.