#NatGeoRun2014 - Marathon #8

I've always supported NatGeo races and believed in their advocacy. This year's edition is a special one as it is the first time the event introduced the marathon category. It was a very welcome change for runners looking for a 42k event, having been disappointed by the cancellation of this year's Condura Skyway run.

It was marathon #8 for me, and I was targeting at least a sub-5 on this race. I did my usual pre-race preps (massage, stretching and chiro) days before the race but for some reason, I think I overdid it. My body, instead of getting relaxed, became more tired coming into the race. I also regret having worn a race belt during the race, with the sole intention of it carrying my mobile phone for event photos. I was not used to running with this worn on my waist, and I could only sigh as it became heavier and heavier as the kilometers progressed.

At an early KM25, I walled. My left calf was screaming with pain as cramps attacked. It didn't help either that the 42k route is just a loop of the 21k route. And to top it off, the merge with the sea of 21k runners during the 2nd loop became a big headache. The roads of BGC just couldn't handle the sheer number of participants. (Of course it is a different story for faster runners who did not experience merging with the lower categories.)

My finish time? 5 hours, 4 minutes and 1 second. Another blah marathon performance. But I finished it injury-free so I still have something to be thankful for.

So some notes from the event:

• I love the 12mn gun start for the marathon category. It was a hot and humid summer day but at least we avoided the sun.
• Hydration was overflowing.
• The finisher medal is simple and the design is ok. (My runner friend Wyatt's medal was detached from the lanyard by the way.)
• I'm not a fan of route loops but the organizers made the most of what BGC can offer as part of the race map anyway so I'm not complaining.
• The only improvement item for me - the finisher shirt. This is the first time I received a finisher shirt that had 21k|42k both printed on it. It was soooo generic, it doesn't even make the marathon finishers feel special.

And now to some photos to remember the race by:

The "Mamaws" (photo courtesy of JP)

Me and Boki Wyatt

With Cholo, Wy and Rolly

With Ryan and Hazielle (who paced and finished together until finish line) and Rolly

Breakfast at Yellow Cab. Nice meeting you Nik! And thanks, Hazielle for the pizza treat!

Hope NatGeo offers the 42km category on their 2015 race! Great job to NatGeo and Event King!

NatGeo Run 2014 on April 27

As I write this post, most probably only a few slots remain at the in-store registration at SM Aura ground floor booth, or all categories could have been sold out already. So I'll just skip the registration details and post what registered runners need to know for the big day. I'm so excited for this!

WHAT: NatGeo Earth Day Run 2014
WHEN: April 27, 2014 (Sunday)
WHERE: Bonifacio Global City
RACE CATEGORIES: 3km, 5km, 10km, 21km, 42km
RACE ORGANIZER: Event King
RACE BENEFICIARY: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for the Bancas for the Philippines Project
OFFICIAL HASHTAG: #natgeorun2014

NatGeo Run 2014 Assembly Time and Gun Time

 21k and 42k Race Finisher Items:

NatGeo Run 2014 21k and 42k Finisher Shirt Design

NatGeo Run 2014 21k and 42k Finisher Medal Design

RACE MAPS: 

 

 

Press Release: #NatGeoRun2014

*** Press Release ***

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL RUNS STRONG WITH EARTH DAY RUN YEAR 5!

On April 27, 2014, National Geographic Channel (NGC) renews its commitment to the environment by celebrating this year’s Earth Day (which falls on April 22 globally) with another round of its wildly successful Earth Day Run. Now on its fifth year, Earth Day Run is expected to attract 12,000 running enthusiasts of all ages and fitness levels to participate for the good of the environment.

Earth Day Run has consistently been besting its record for number of participants, with last year’s expected number of 10,000 runners demolished by an actual registered 12,000 participants. NGC hopes to replicate that success for Earth Day Run 2014 by registering 12,000 runners in the 3K, 5K, 10K and 21K categories, including a new fifth category of 42K designed to draw the most physically fit and expert runners in the country. The event itself is considered one of the biggest runs in the Philippines.

This year, NGC is working once again with its environmental partner, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), to make a solid difference in the Philippines’ environmental footprint and give sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities. Last year, the two organizations used proceeds of the Earth Day Run to plant P1 million worth of fruit-bearing trees in the Abuan watershed in Isabela, in the Sierra Madre region. Besides partial reforestation of this important resource, local farmers were given the privilege to own and care for the trees as well as harvest their fruits for their income. In 2014, NGC promises to raise money  for WWF’s Bancas For The Philippines project, which aims to train fishermen affected by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) last November 2013 in the making and use of fiberglass boats for artisanal fishing. These boats are designed to withstand the onslaught of typhoons to ensure that the fishermen can continue with their livelihood in any event.

March 17, 2014 - Bloggers at the #NatGeoRun2014 Media Launch held at Vyne, BGC

WWF’s experts will train fishermen on site and help them build the fiberglass boats while reducing the use of sawn timber and plywood, in the hopes that the communities can produce one boat per day. Many fishermen were left with no sources of income when their boats were destroyed by Haiyan, and so this project is a significant step toward the rehabilitation of communities in Palawan, which was ravaged by the typhoon last November but slow to receive relief due to the sheer number of islands in central Philippines that needed to recover from the devastation. Earth Day Run 2014 aims to help these fishermen directly with the sharing of climate-smart technology that will help them recover their livelihood, as well as decrease the fishing pressure on our seas that have been heavily exploited by commercial fishing by promoting artisanal fishing for small-scale fishermen.

Earth Day Run uses recyclable materials for its race bibs and a “Zero Paper” registration process in the form of a Centralized Registration System, which National Geographic pioneered in the country. Participants can support the Haiyan rehabilitation efforts of NGC and WWF by signing up on www.natgeorun.com or visiting the sign-up booth at the Lower Ground floor of SM Aura from March 1 to April 20. Finishers of the longer races of 21K and 42K can not only take pride in their physical victory and willingness to help Haiyan survivors and the environment, but they will also each be getting a medal and finisher’s shirt to commemorate their triumph.

Nearly four months after Typhoon Haiyan, those affected by it still need so much help, and it has become important to sustain the public’s interest in their rehabilitation. Earth Day Run 2014 invites all runners to register and do their part while enjoying the health benefits of good exercise and unity in supporting the survivors of one of the most devastating natural disasters in the country’s history.

See you there! I'm running 42k!