711 Run 1000: A 21km "Recovery" Run

Sick before Cebu Marathon (January 12) - STRIKE 1.
Sick after Cebu Marathon and before 711 Run 1000 (January 19) - STRIKE 2.
Sick after 711 Run - STRIKE 3.

After STRIKE 3, I got confined in the hospital for three days.

I've been ignoring my on and off fever, sore throat, cough and colds with all the running mileage I've been collecting this January. I was self-medicating with lots of Bioflu and Biogesic and even decided to intake 1-week worth of antibiotics before the 711 Run. All these took their toll on my body which never fully recovered, thus the morning of the 25th of January, I was rushed to the ER. My tonsils were swollen and I had high fever. It was difficult to even swallow and I can barely talk.

My CBC results indicated my white blood cell count was beyond the normal range - WBC count is at 23,500 versus the normal range of 5,000 to 10,000 only. The doctor explained this was already in septic level, or sepsis of the blood, and the bacteria in my blood is way too much that it had to be treated with a very strong antibiotic which will be injected directly to my veins. Slowly, I felt better and after 3 days of confinement, I was discharged. It was recommended by my doctor for me to take a week rest, while continually taking the prescribed antibiotics for another 5 days. Next week, I'm hoping and praying for a full recovery. I miss running and I miss the gym and I miss the company of friends.

Well enough of the drama. I just wanted to justify the delay of my 711 Run post-race blog. Haha!

So let's flashback to the events the day of January 19:

I arrived at a very early 3AM at Aseana and to my surprise, no more slots at the parking lot across McDonald's. I settled to the next available parking area which is across DFA. Met Team Banana Becky Runner, Syril and Wyatt. Agreement was to wear the Cebu Marathon finisher shirt but Wyatt did not follow instructions. Haha!

We were hanging around and relaxing at McDonald's, confident that the starting area was just nearby (We assumed it was similar to Sante Barley Domination Run's starting area) but we were dead wrong! It was probably a 500-meter distance away from our assumed starting line. Our warm-up jog became a fast-paced run as we heard the gun start from afar. It took us about 3 minutes before crossing the starting line arc.

It was a never-ending zigzagging, overtaking fellow 21k runners left and right. But with 4500 registered 21k participants, overtaking was just plain hell. Becky Runner and I lost Syril as he sped off.

Halfway through the race (at the Cavitex Road), Becky Runner told me to go ahead. I was still eyeing a sub-2 finish but I was not that expectant given I know that going back would mean multiple merges with lower distance categories would make it more difficult to run. 21k runners had to battle it out for road space with 16k, 10k, 5k and 3k runners on their respective U-turn spots.

Action shot courtesy of Faces of the Race. Thanks for the capture!

The good thing though, is that amidst the sheer number of runners, the weather was cool and hydration is abundant (though the variety of sports drinks could mean trouble to runners' tummies). Disappointing for me though is that a number of participants (who might be newbies) are not following basic running etiquette - runners doing abrupt stops, walkers walking side by side eating up road space, runners overtaking and eating up the lane of runners already on their way back. Well, with 17000 total runners, this is probably something difficult to control.

I crossed the finish line with a chip time of 1 hour, 57 minutes and 31 seconds, meeting my sub-2 target. This is actually the first time I did a 21k a week after doing 42k. I used to think people who do this are crazy. So I'm crazy after all. LOL!

Simple yet nice looking finisher medal. 

Team MAMAWS! From L-R: Cholo, Jaycee, Archie, Wyatt, me, JP and Rolly (Photo courtesy of Cholo)

Team BANANA! Team CEBU! Hahaha! Or Team BLACK (Photo courtesy of JP)

Team LOYCE! Celebrity Barefoot Runner Loyce and fans (Photo courtesy of JP)

Team BIRDIES / Team SURVIVOR - Thirdy, CJ and Junjun (Photo courtesy of JP)

Post-race breakfast at KFC with Team SCR (Photo courtesy of Wyatt)

Results were released a couple of days after, which is a quick turnaround given the large number of participants. Official results may be viewed at http://www.myrunti.me/race/Run1000/

Top 9.5% ain't bad!

Kudos to 711 for staging an organized, massive event such as 711 Run 1000. Congratulations as well on your 1000th store. We're all looking forward to next year's edition!

711 Run 1000 on January 19, 2014

WHAT: 711 Run 1000
WHEN: January 19, 2014 (Sunday)
WHERE: Aseana City / Cavitex
RACE CATEGORIES: 3km, 5km, 10km, 16km and 21km

711 Run 1000 Assembly and Gun Start Times

ONLINE REGISTRATION ONLY at: http://www.run711.com/

REGISTRATION FEES:
- 3km: P400
- 5km: P500
- 10km: P600
- 16km: P700
- 21km: P800

INCLUSIONS:
- Singlet
- Race Bib with timing chip

711 Run 1000 Singlet Design

POST-RACE:
- Finisher Medals for ALL categories
- Finisher shirt for ALL categories

711 Run 1000 Finisher Medal Design

711 Run 1000 Finisher Shirt Design

RACE MAP:

711 Run 1000 Race Map

Sante Barley Domination Run on November 24, 2013

Sante Barley Domination Run 2013 is a premiere sports event with a wide range of participants, from top athletes to celebrities, executives, regular and first time runners.

WHAT: Sante Barley Domination Run 
WHEN: November 24, 2013 (Sunday)
WHERE: Aseana City, Paranaque
RACE CATEGORIES: 3km | 5km | 10km | 21km
RACE ORGANIZER: Without Limits
RACE BENEFICIARY: Philippine Eagle Foundation 

Sante Barley Domination Run 2013 Assembly and Gun Times

REGISTRATION DETAILS: 
Online (Starts on August 9):
Link: http://www.santedomination.com
* Note: For online registration, there is a  delivery charge of Php150 (anywhere in the Philippines).  Shipment starts on September 15, 2013.

In-Store (From September 1 onwards):
Sante Barley Branches
- 9/F Galleria Corporate Center
- Las Pinas
- Starmall, Muntinlupa
Chris Sports
- SM Mall of Asia
- SM Megamall
- SM North Annex
- Glorietta 3
Fitness & Athletics, BGC

REGISTRATION FEES:
- 3km – Php400
- 5km – Php500
- 10km – Php600
- 21km – Php700

Sante Barley Domination Run 2013 Race Kit Inclusions

Sante Barley Domination Run 2013 Color-coded Singlets for the different categories!

Sante Barley Domination Run 2013 Finisher Medals (except for 3K category)

Sante Barley Domination Run 2013 Finisher Shirt Design (Exclusive for 21k)

WINNER AWARDS:
Top 3 per category:
- Overall Male Winners
- Overall Female Winners
- Overall Team Champions
Per Age Group Categories
Best in Sante Barley Green outfit/costume, MALE Category
Best in Sante Barley Green outfit/costume, FEMALE Category
Youngest and Oldest Participants

Dare. Overcome. Dominate. See you there!

711 Run 800: Running Cavitex

In celebration of 711's 800th store, our favorite convenience store is bringing runners to a different race location: Cavitex! With 5 different categories to choose from, everyone gets to traverse a route not normally open for running.

WHAT: 711 Run 800: Takbo Para sa Kalusugan
WHEN: August 26, 2012 (Sunday) - NEW DATE: October 14, 2012 (Sunday) - NEW DATE: January 20, 2013 (Sunday)
WHERE: ASEANA, Paranaque (Race route at Cavitex)
CATEGORIES: 3k, 5k, 10k, 16k and 21k

REGISTRATION PERIOD: July 6 to September 28
REGISTRATION METHOD: ONLINE at http://www.run711.com/registration/start/

Three Steps:
1. Register online.
2. Pay at your chosen 711 store within 24 hours of registration.
3. Claim race kit at the date indicated on your registration receipt.

Registration fees

With a targeted 50,000 runners, gun start will be organized in waves, with assembly time and gun start times indicated on the table below. (WAVE DEFINITIONS: COMPETITIVE – you are going for speed, ADVANCED – you've done races before, BEGINNER/CASUAL – its your first or second time to race)

Assembly and Gun Start Times

Each race category has an assigned color. It would be fun to see runners donning different colored singlets on race day.

Singlet design and color assignments (subject to singlet size and availability)

All race finishers get a free shirt and drinks.

Finisher shirt design

RACE MAP

A new and exciting race route for all runners!

With high prizes at stake, I'm sure a lot of elite runners and Kenyans will be running this event. And with the mostly flat course, I smell new PRs brewing! The winners of the 21k category get to run in Macau International Marathon on December 2012 for free!

Cash prizes for top 3 winners of each race category

ADVOCACY:

"Takbo para sa Kalusugan", wherein cities within Luzon (where 7-Eleven stores are located) have a chance of receiving support for its feeding programs and medical missions. During race registration, registrants are required to input the location they would want to help. The top three cities will receive support - P400,000, P300,000 and P100,000, respectively. 

RACE TRIVIA:

This will be the first time different hydration partners have sponsored one running event. Pocari Sweat, Powerade and Gatorade sports drinks will be on various parts of the race route. Good luck to our tummies! Haha!

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UPDATE (August 9, 2012)

OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF EVENT POSTPONEMENT

********************************

7-Eleven Run 800 has been postponed to October 14, 2012. Heavy rains brought about by the recent typhoon have delayed ongoing maintenance works on the CAVITEX. 

We ask for your understanding as the safety of our participants is our foremost priority. In addition, it we intend to stay true to our promise to give our runners the best possible race experience  they deserve. 

Rest assured that those who cannot join the race on the new date will be refunded their Registration Fee. To apply for a refund, please visit www.run711.com/refund

Participants who have already paid for registration will remain registered unless a refund is requested. However, if you can no longer join the race because of the new schedule, you may opt to get a refund on your Registration Fee. 

Please note that Race Kits will be distributed as planned. The schedule for claiming is as follows: 

RACE KIT CLAIMING SCHEDULE:

PAID BY START OF CLAIMING             

July 31 August 13

August 1 to 10 August 20

August 11 to 31 September 10

September 1 to 28 October 8 

********************************

UPDATE (September 23, 2012)

OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF EVENT POSTPONEMENT

********************************

Run 800 Postponed to January 20, 2013

With the recent rains that brought about floods and road damages in many parts of Manila, 7-Eleven Run 800, set on the Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), is postponed to Sunday, January 20, 2013. This is to ensure that all roads to be used are safe for all participants.

Registered runners (paid) are Invited to join the run on this new date. If the new date is not favorable, please see Refunds page for procedures.

Thank you for your understanding.