The Great Lapu-Lapu Run Race Review Part 2: Great Expectations, Great Disappointment

The Marathon Foodie ran the 20K route at the Great Lapu-Lapu Run (GLLR).
In order to make a review of the race as a whole, the Marathon Foodie solicited the opinion of the following:

1.) Abby Ponce, serious running enthusiast. She travels to join races and trains for events such as the GLLR. Like the Marathon Foodie, she is Polyanna on the road and gushing about the great sport of running, but not today. She ran the 6K route;

2.) Mary Valero and Arlene Acuna, new recruits to the great sport of running. Even though my two recruits were running “only” 3K, these two newbies trained seriously and even bought new gear, shoes and outfit for the GLLR.

3.) Raymund Reel Bontol, running medicine man. Reel finished the Milo 42K just three weeks ago and broke his half marathon PR at the GLLR.

4.) Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, sports writer and former gymnast. Caecent has been covering the Cebu sports and running scene since 1996.

Additional inputs for this review were also taken from Facebook status updates (a.k.a. rants and raves) of those who ran today’s GLLR.


Twinkle Ignacio as Lapu-Lapu

When the Great Lapu-Lapu Run was announced in June this year, runners were abuzz with great expectations and excitement.

Excitement because, except for regular and seasoned runners who may have run on Mactan island during LSD’s, Lapu-Lapu City is very new territory that has yet to be conquered by recreational runners from Cebu and Mandaue.

Great expectations because the Great Lapu-Lapu Run “is the first project of the Lapu-Lapu Sports and Events Bureau in cooperation with the Lapu-Lapu City government which is marking its second anniversary as a highly-urbanized city.” The city is said to be embarking on an ambitious program to promote LLC as a major sports tourism destination in the country and in Asia. (Good luck!)




Inside the Hoopsdome

The organizers chose the LLC Hoopsdome as start and finish area for the GLLR. LLC’s press releases touted this 280-million peso air-conditioned basketball court as the “cornerstone of Lapu-Lapu City’s Sports Program”.

This turned-out to be a monumental mistake.

First, these two areas (Gun-ob and Basak) are home to two of the busiest and most congested roads in the City thus making it most unsafe for runners. I visited the status updates of all my friends who ran the GLLR and the comments and updates were unanimous – the tricycles and the multicabs and not a few private vehicles posed serious hazards to the runners. The drivers were disrespectful to the marshals to say the least, while some drivers totally ignored the marshals altogether and ran the runners to the side of road onto a ditch and a non-existent sidewalk. My runner friends feel lucky to be alive after the ordeal of the 3K and 6K route.


Second, Gun-ob and Basak (or at least the portions of these two barangays) which span the race route for the 3K and 6K runners are the most non-scenic at all. In fact, to be blunt about it, it was an ugly part of LLC – no offense to the residents of Gun-ob and Basak. The roads are dusty during summer and muddy in the monsoon months, there are no sidewalks, many buildings look run-down or if new, they look out of place and pretentious.

What's with the Hoopsdome anyway? It was just another (over-glorified) basketball court, nothing world-class or even highly urbanized about it. Even my humble town of Bien Unido, Bohol has an edifice just like it. This touted “cornerstone of LLC’s sports program” was inappropriate for this race as it did not reflect the essence of Mactan at all. If not for the sign boards on the multicabs, I swear I could have been running in some congested street in Malabon or Caloocan.

The organizers could have done better if they chose the Shrine or some beach or even the park underneath the Fernan bridge as the start/finish area. These are the true iconic images of Mactan not the generic 280-million-peso Hoopsdome, which by the way is not really a dome but a concave structure. Just look at the pictures or ask any of the Shutter8 camera club members who were on hand to document the event. The Hoopsdome did not make for good photo op before and after the race. Bad picture = bad advertisement for the city.




Finish Line crowded by runners, kibitzers and sheep!


It was disorganized at the finish area. The 3K and 6K runners shared only one exit/ shute, thus causing traffic. It was also too crowded at the finish area. There were moving vehicles and people were walking all over the place. Also, apart from the clock on top of the lead car, there was no clock on top of or at the side of the finish area. The 3K and 6K runners had no way of knowing their official time.

The Marathon Foodie would like to make special mention about the race organizers treatment and handling of the 3K and 6K runners. Apart from the bad route for the shorter distances, my BFF Mary and sister Arlene who ran in the 3K also noted the technical team and race organizers’ condescending attitude towards the runners of the shorter distances. Arlene in particular asked from the organizers at the finish area if there was any memento or certificate for the 3K runners. Arlene was told that there was none. Ok. That’s fine. But then the organizer went on to say – “Wala day kay lingaw-lingaw ra man nang 3K di man na serious. Pwede ra gani mo maglakaw.”

What the hell?

You never say that to a runner. Regardless of whether you’re an elite runner, newbie, a walker, jogger , you never belittle an effort based on the distance he or she ran. These newbies invested time, money and effort for the race day. I’m telling you, there is as much dedication and hardwork put in by a newbie training to run his first 3K as that of an elite runner training to win in the 20K – both runners care about their respective official race time. Besides, the newbies make up the bulk of the registered runners. The entrants in the shorter distances are crucial especially if you gauge the success of an event based on attendance.




Marathon Foodie sprinting to the Finish Line



However, it wasn’t all that bad, because the 20K runners had it good.

The route was scenic and clean. My favorite parts were the long stretch of asphalt in Barangay Ibo fronting Magellan Bay and the Marigondon stretch. You can actually smell the sea breeze. Plus you get a glimpse of the resorts and condos, or at least its façade.

There were 10 stations in the entire 20K route. Not one of the 10 stations I passed ran out of water. Approaching the stations was an enjoyable experience. The runners knew the stations were near because of the drum and bugle corps that played non-stop at each station. There were majorettes and cheerers who did an excellent job of boosting the morale of tired runners. Although it was an obviously “hakot” crowd, the community spirit was palpable nonetheless.

I have only two complaints – the dismal traffic conditions at the Basak area and the lack of kilometer markers along the 20K route. We did not know if we had 8KM or 3KM to go. The Marathon Foodie tried asking the by-standers along the route – “Duol na lang ang Gun-ob Manong?” and the bystanders replied – “Layo pa day!” I suddenly felt a ton of bricks on my legs. Serves me right for asking, and darn those missing kilometer markers.

Oh, by the way, it rained during the first 30 minutes of the race and it felt great.

The Marathon Foodie finished the 13 miles or 20K in 2:24:33, with a running pace of 10:00 to 10:15 per mile.

Not bad for a training run.

What did the Marathon Foodie learn from this race?

Politics and the great sport of running should not mix. The former only corrupts the latter, which is most unfortunate.

To run or not to run the Great Lapu-Lapu Run? That was the question that hounded the Marathon Foodie for weeks. You might find this odd considering that the Marathon Foodie is always hungry for road races.

I’ve always felt wary of anything Lapu-Lapu City. It started some two years ago when the firm I work for was engaged to do battle with City Hall. It was a very bitter fight involving an illegal mall closure, an illegal demolition and lawsuits left and right.

In the end, the runner in me won. I thought that running 20K in Mactan would give me more insight and a fresh perspective about this city and its people. I genuinely wanted to see the GLLR succeed. But despite the greatly disappointing debut of the Great LL Run, I still want it’s sequel, if any, to succeed in the future.

Running 20K of Mactan roads – both good and bad – has shown me how proud Oponganons are of this huge piece of limestone rock we call Mactan Island. They truly deserve better governance.

For starters, I wish Lapu-Lapu residents get an honest-to-goodness sports facility complete with a rubberized oval, soccer field and Olympic size pool. I wish they had real pedestrian-friendly streets and sidewalks and better traffic management.

I wish.



Photo Credit: The Photo of the Hoopsdome is by Chono of the Sugbu Tri team.

Confessions of a Late Bloomer

On 19^th July 2009, St. Theresa’s College Alumnae Association (STAA) hosted a fun run – a first in this convent school’s history.

My alma mater was never known for its sports program. In fact, we only had soccer-baseball, softball and volleyball once a year during intramurals.

Now it makes me wonder why, despite having such a spacious campus in uptown Cebu City, the ICM nuns never thought of having tennis, running or swimming as part of a convent girl’s sports training. This is ironic since STC has through the years taken pride in molding strong Christian women leaders.

A strong sports program would have honed discipline and competitiveness among the convent girls and running would have been a good outlet for those who could not make the cut in the team sports.

I remember how I desperately wanted to be a part of the soccer-baseball team but could not make the cut. Perhaps it was because I was way too thin then and because I was not friends with the girls on the team. Or maybe because I was so T-H as in trying hard, and T-H, in any generation, is never cool in high school.

I tried to ingratiate myself by begging my dad to buy a professional-grade leather soccer ball. I thought maybe they would finally let me in the soccer team with my shiny new Mikasa.

Fat chance.

Despite the new ball, the Marathon Foodie, then a gung-ho wannabe soccer player was to be left out of sports for the rest of her growing-up years at STC.

But fifteen (15) years after high school graduation, the Marathon Foodie (H.S. ’94, Coll. ’98) came back with a vengeance and what a homecoming it was. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

At five in the morning of Sunday, my sister Arlene (H.S. ’95) and best friend Mary Valero (H.S. ‘94, Coll. ’98) car-pooled to the race venue. Like true blue Theresians we complained, in so many words, about the regulation singlets (the way we always complained about the regulation blue and white uniforms in high school and College) and how unflattering and huge it made us all look.

Mary decided to chuck it altogether after she was given the wrong size, while I decided to debut the Marathon Foodie’s new signature race look -- running skirt and matching shirt. Arlene, who never got into any kind of trouble in high school, was the only one who stuck it out with the singlet.

Until the last minute I was undecided whether to run in the 5K open and compete with the pros like Mary Grace Delos Santos or run the 3K category and compete with STC alumnae and the current crop of high school and college Theresians. I decided to run the 3K because there was absolutely no way that the Marathon Foodie could win over Mary Grace Delos Santos and I desperately wanted to win!

Unsure whether I chose the right battle, I surveyed the 3K runners and did not see Millet Chiongbian nor Perl Jacalan. Triathlete Amale Mendezona-Jopson was running in the 5K category so I felt relieved. Then I realized that the biggest threat to my dreams of a podium finish would come from the much younger contenders – girls 16 to 25 years old. Girls who were lighter, faster, healthier and probably have yet to have their hearts broken. I told my BFF Mary that I suddenly felt so old. She then asked -- “Why, did you come here to win?” The Marathon Foodie replied – “Absolutely.”

The starting gun for the 3K run went off and true enough, the younger girls sprinted so fast that they managed to cover 100 meters even with just 5 seconds into the race. As I navigated towards the first of four hills of the 3K route (in front of National Bookstore on Mango Ave.), I saw a dozen girls 200 meters ahead of me and I felt crushed. There was no way I could beat them. But you know what the cliché says – it ain’t over till it’s over.

Madelyn Carter, the back to back champion of the Cebu leg of the Milo 21K, met me at the Caltex Station across Jollibee Mango. The week before, Madz promised to be my pacer at the STC run. She said she needed to do her recovery jog before plunging into serious training the following week. So Madz Carter’s slow jog was my racing pace! Harhar!

For long distance runners, the problem with running a 3K is this – it doesn’t give you the luxury of starting slow and steady. After the first 800 meters, it should be a fast run all the way to the finish if you want to win the race.

Madz and I overtook a runner at Fuente Osmena. It was a good sign. When we reached the public library I could see the bunch of young girls making a right turn at the Capitol towards Escario. To narrow the gap between myself and the bunch of runners ahead of us, Madz and I did maximum bursts of 50 meter sprints and steady runs of 25 meters.

We ran this way until we reached Maxwell Hotel on Escario Street. Then we saw the bunch of girls stopping by the water station across Grand Hotel, we sprinted past them and never looked back. Another three girls were panting their way up the hill across the Camputhaw Brgy. Hall – the 2^nd of four inclines in the race. The girls were visibly spent and there was still a mile to go.

One by one we overtook the girls who were either slowing down to a jog or were just walking from sheer exhaustion. Madz and I were still running strong. I was drooling from exertion on both sides of the mouth but I did not even bother to wipe the spit. I had to win this race no matter what.

The 3^rd hill, which was the most difficult incline of the 3K route was the one in front of Iglesia Ni Kristo. Although it was just 600 meters from the finish line, this hill prevented us from sprinting to the finish. At last there was no one else in front of me except Elmer Bartolo who was going to be the first male in the 5K category.

Madz and I made our way up the last hill up STC’s Mango gate driveway. I saw the finish line and I couldn’t hear anything else except the race marshal telling me to go to the left shute for the 3K.

I won the race. First place in the 3K STC category. Even if I had decided to run and compete in the 3K open I would have placed second which isn’t bad either. But I wanted to take home the champion’s trophy not the runner’s up.

What did I learn today?

First, it takes more than brute force to win a race. In order to win, it also takes savvy, strategy, technique and an intimate familiarity with your own limitations as a runner – a wisdom that can only be gained from hours and hours spent running on the road.

Second, I learned that it is both lonely and eerily quiet at the front of the pack. Apart from Madelyn’s prompting for me to run faster, there was no other sound. There was no other runner to say hello to and cheer on. A single-minded pursuit to win against a pack of competitors can be a lonely endeavor.

Third, and not least of all, I realized that as a kid I may not have had the chance to play sports even if I desperately wanted to because I did not belong; but as an adult, I have proven that age, health, time and monetary considerations are no barriers to the pursuit of the great sport running. I know I should have started when I was much younger and more limber, but just like in real life, true love can be found sometimes so late in the game.

I could not possibly do a review about the organizers handling of the race logistics and marshaling. One of the true tests of a well organized race is how the organizers deal with the runners and walkers at the end of the pack for they are the usual victims of water stations running out of water or intersection marshals that are missing in action.

From my own perspective, it was a good race. Not only did I win, I also got to spend the morning with my sister Arlene a new convert to running, my BFF Mary and the famous Cattski Espina (Coll. ’97) of the band Cattski.

We were laughing and reminiscing and celebrating our individual victories of finishing yet another race.

Suddenly we were young again, even for just a day.

Photo credit: The photo of Marathon Foodie with Madelyn Carter is by Amper Campana. It appeared in the July 20, 2009 issue of Sun Star Daily Cebu. Thanks to Sun Star Editor and fellow runner Max Limpag for allowing me to grab this photo from FB