711 Run 800: A Photo Blog

Everyone's ranting about how the 711 Run 800 race got postponed a number of times, with participants refunding due to race and schedule conflicts or just for the loss of interest and trust that the organizers will still be able to push through with the event. In my humble opinion, the organizers behind this race more than made up for the postponement hassles. It was a great start-of-the-year race for me. New route, overflowing hydration and more importantly, a number of volunteers, race marshals and medic along the course.

This is my first race this 2013, with my last running event way back October 2012's Run United Philippine Marathon. I rested for two months to nurse my injured right ankle. Come to think of it, what a crazy comeback run doing 21k! I made sure though that this will just be an LSD, so I told my running blogger friend CJ (Run Adobo King) that I'll just pace with him all throughout.

And since we're on LSD-mode, I brought my phone with me and be on photographer-mode as well. So I'll share my race experience through the pictures I captured during the event. Here goes:

I arrived and had a bit of trouble finding a parking slot, but alas, the road near DFA became one big parking space. I met CJ and Thirdy and passed by the race kit claiming area/on-site registration booth.

The stage is set! We were surprised that the starting area of the race was still far from the race village. We had a bit of warm-up and realized we were already a few minutes late for the gunstart. 21k runners were already off. Running host greeted us as we crossed the starting line area.

As we started the race, I was excited to be running on new ground. Along Coastal Road, road cones were placed  to give runners an entire lane for safe running. Kilometer markers were aptly placed as well.

With the recent incident in PSE Bull Run, I was not surprise to see a lot of medical personnel along the route. They particularly paid attention to this critical part of the race.

I had to have a photo in the Coastal Road toll gate area. This area is prohibited for runners so this day's a first!

The race progressed and we got to the pivotal part of the race route which is in Cavitex. I got to see a number of familiar faces already going back. At half-way point is another photo opportunity! Haha!

Sorry, blurry shot by tired CJ! Running in Cavitex is fun!!!

Here's the end of Cavitex. We're about to go back to Coastal Road to retrace our way back to the finish line. The sun is rising! Oh no, heat! Haha!

At the flyover, we had to take a picture with Cavitex as the background. That's where we ran!

Another shot at the flyover. Vehicle volume now increasing as we were heading back.

Can't get enough of the toll gate. LOL!

Medics treating a runner who was suffering a bad case of cramps.

Almost at Macapagal! The shadows of walkers - me and CJ!

With a few meters separating the hydration stations, it was really great to see different hydration brands in one race event. I think 711 is the only one that can pull this off. FIRST STOP: POWERADE!

SECOND STOP: GATORADE!

THIRD STOP: POCARI SWEAT! I don't see any possibility of someone dehydrating with the overflowing hydration.

We crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 48 minutes. The last wave of 3k runners were just sent off as we finished the race. There were a lot of runners going around the race village. There were a lot of sponsor booths and freebies!

Among a number of sponsor booths, there's only one that caught my attention: ENERVON HP! This is my favorite recovery drink. I think I had four cups of their delicious chocolate drink here. :)

Happy Runners! Everyone had a blast in 711 Run 800!

Me, CJ and Thirdy having our post-race breakfast at McDonalds.

With the event's success, I'm sure there'll be a repeat of the 711 Run, and I'll be one of the first to register for it. Congratulations to the organizers! 

15k Turned 21k at the Ensure to Endure Run

True enough, Entraineur's Ensure to Endure Run is like any Runrio-organized race event - high quality. The only difference is it's a smaller and a more intimate event, which I really enjoyed.

Last May 20, me and Barefootdaves agreed to extend our 15k race by doing a pre-race run (and a post-race depending on our after-race mood :p), and targeted to run a total of 25k to 30k.  We met around 4:30am and started running around BGC and McKinley. The 15k gunstart is at 5:15am but since we're on LSD mode (or kwentuhan mode), we knew we will not make it back on the starting line on time.  We were not on race mode anyway so it's ok. After 40 minutes of pre-race run, we approached the starting line arc. We heard the hosts doing a countdown for the 10k race participants so we just joined them as they were sent off. It was easy to squeeze our way in the crowd since it was not too big of an event.

Me and Barefootdaves at the Buendia flyover (photo c/o Spongebob Runner)

My last run was April 21, 5k at Boracay. I had no mileage so fatigue came early. We were just doing an average of 7 min/km pace but I felt my body could no longer attain our target distance. We decided not to continue with a post-race run amid the great weather; we already did 21k anyway, which was good enough. Hungry and tired, I was also too excited to have a hearty post-race breakfast.

Here are some observations on the event:
- Hydration is overflowing - both water and Powerade. Hydration station locations are also well-placed. There are more stations on areas where 5k, 10k and 15k participants merge.
- There were a lot of race marshals manning turning points and U-turn spots.
- Less crowd, more road space for running, more fun!
- Mom's happy with the Ensure product giveaway for the race finishers.

Great event from Entraineur! Everyone's happy! Looking forward to more events like this.

Me, Speedy and Barefootdaves (photo courtesy of Rolly Pangilinan)

Pre-run and race stats (c/o my Soleus GPS watch)

Powerade Ion4 Product Launch

I've been fortunate enough to be invited to the launch of Coca-cola's latest product geared towards fitness enthusiasts: The Powerade Ion4, the complete sports drink. What makes this hydration drink complete is that it has the four key electrolytes typically lost during sweat:
Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium. That's Na, K, Ca and Mg for the chemistry geeks (like me!).

Coincidentally, there are also four big names endorsing this new product: fitness expert Chinggay Andrada, basketball player David Semerad, football player Neil Etheridge, and of course my running idol Coach Rio dela Cruz. Chinggay, David and Coach Rio graced the occasion with their presence. Neil was out of the country but still left a video message for everyone.

Mountain Blast, Orange Burst, Silver Charge

Powerade Ion4 comes in three variants: Orange Burst, Mountain Blast and Silver Charge and they come in easy-grip 500mL bottles. The latter two flavors are available in bottles with sports caps, for easier re-hydration during exercise.

We received an invite requesting us to come in our favorite sports attire, so we expected some sort of activities wherein we could participate (and perspire). The venue had four major sections: an area for running, a section for cycling, a half-court for basketball, and a zone for football. Guests can join any of the four and receive some cool freebies from Powerade. Of course, I joined the treadmill challenge (but unfortunately wasn't fast enough to grab the big prize).

The runner's challenge: the most hi-tech NordicTrack treadmills I've seen!

Fellow bloggers Ma'am Vimz, Eman and Let battling it out at the cycling area

The three-point challenge dominated by the basketball players in attendance

Kick and shoot! A lot of guests tried their luck at the football zone.

Happy bloggers!

Thanks Powerade!