Great Lapu-Lapu Run to use timing chips for 21K, 10K races; winners to be sent to Hong Kong

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Organizers of the Great Lapu-Lapu Run will be using timing chips for the 21K and 10K races that will be held in Lapu-Lapu City on April 18. The run will also have 5K and 3K races but only 21K and 10K participants will use the timing chips.

The race is organized by the Lapu-Lapu City Government and the Lapu Lapu City Tourism Cultural and Historical Commission.

This year’s edition of the race is being organized by elite triathlete Noy Jopson and veteran runner and race director Raffy Uytiepo.


GREAT LAPU-LAPU RUN. The Great Lapu-Lapu Run will be using RFID chips to time runners of its 21K and 10K races. The website printed above, however, is still not live.

Jopson told CebuRunning that the race will start and finish at the Mactan Shrine in Barangay Punta Engaño. He said they will be using RFID chips that will be deployed by Finishline of renowned runner and coach Rio dela Cruz. Finishline also deployed the timing chips during the Cebu City Marathon last Jan. 10.

The Cebu City Marathon was the first time that timing chips or RFID (radio frequency identification) chips were used to time runners in Visayas and Mindanao. The chips, which are attached to runners’ shoes, activate once these pass special mats placed on the race course. They provide not only the finishing time of the runners but also their split times.

The chips provide organizers quick and accurate finishing times of runners.

Uytiepo said that Hembler Mendoza, Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino general manager, is considering collecting P450 as registration fee. Uytiepo said, however, that it is still being finalized.

Jopson said they are still finalizing the race routes but there is a “big chance” it will include the iconic Mactan-Mandaue Bridge. (Make sure to keep checking this site because we will be putting up an interactive virtual map of the route once it is finalized.)

Jopson and Uytiepo also confirmed that the top male and female runners in the Great Lapu-Lapu Run will be sent to the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.

  • waldax

    kani nindot ni, challenging overcome the two bridges heheheh

  • abby

    this is great news but more than the timing chip, the organizers of this race should re read all the blogs and the negative feedback that 1st lapu lapu run got so that this edition will not see the same mistakes.

    another thing, the website(as seen in the ad) of said race doesnt exist.

  • admin

    Hi, Abby,
    I’m sure they’ve learned a lot from the complaints raised against the first Great Lapu-Lapu Run last year. At least Raffy knows all about the complaints. I’ll ask them about these complaints when they call a press conference on the event.

    On the website, I think they’re still setting it up. Actually, they are still busy in the initial planning of the race, I just forced them into confirming certain details so that I could break the news :-)

  • vard

    450 registration fee? its expensive, they should look for sponsors.

  • admin

    Hi, vard,
    The registration fee is expensive compared with the fees usually collected for our regular Sunday runs but I wouldn’t mind paying it just to get a chance to run with timing chips again.

    For a good race experience, which I am very hopeful I will have with Noy Jopson and Raffy Uytiepo organizing, I will gladly pay P450. But I’ll be asking questions on the complaints raised last year during the event’s press conference.

  • Migs

    Thanks for the info. I’ll start training for this!

  • Don

    Wow this gonna be an exciting run. Truly Cebu is the running mecca of the Philippines, just had my 1st run last 01-10-10,then Run with a Smile and this Sunday (02-21-10) for the Rotary Run. Indeed, running is an inspiring and challenging sports.

  • Rafael Garcia

    All runners should be recognized by sometype of reward. Book to document mileage, patches after walking or running a set of meters, stamp that info in the book. that way young, old, professional will have accumulated mileage. something they can show and motivate all. in Germany where i was station all people received a stamp with mileage recorded on the book that they have to buy. This plan can be motify. if you need more info, i will be glad to show you my books, patches, plate, etc. My number is 2720581 or text me at 09213510666 my name is Rafael Garcia. this idea you wont regret.

  • Denise

    I hope the organizer will tie-up with any airlines (PAL or Cebu Pacific) or hotels so that runners from Manila can join this marathon and can get airfare/ hotel discounts…this will be a goodnews to us runners from Manila.

  • rhea

    we will come from bacolod city. where can we register for the 10k and 21k?

  • elvin

    what’s in the timing chips? people are asking why we need to use expensive timing chips, why not use alternative ways of recording runner’s time, I think we are just so ambitious of making a race popular that we cannot…..

  • http://max.limpag.com Max Limpag

    Elvin,
    Personally, I think the use of timing chips elevates a race to a different level. With a timing chip, you can get your net time—the actual time from when you crossed the starting line and the finish line. It also allows organizers to give everyone accurate race times within the day of the race. With manual timekeeping, organizers typically just keep track of the times of the top 10 runners. Timing chips also allow you to give runners their splits. The best part in using timing chips is that you don’t create congestion at the finish line. If you get the number of runners that organizers of the Great Lapu-Lapu Run are targeting, you are sure to have congestion at the finish line if you manually keep track of times and process finishers.

  • http://Yahoo.com Roger Baronda

    Is really? the champion of this race will be brought to Chartered Hongkong marathon . All expenses will the event Organizer will shoulder or its sponsor ?

  • raul

    can we know the prizes in different categories?

  • Nar

    how can we register?

  • Pingback: Great Lapu-Lapu Run to use timing chips for 21K, 10K races « Cebu Directories Co. Official Blog Site

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  • Floydie Lobo III

    April 15,2010

    organizer,.

    just like in manila, half mrathon ( 21k) should have a soveiner medal for the finisher.

    thank you and more 42k run here in cebu.

    floydie

  • Jack Daniel Morilla

    This would be great! This is the first time that I join an activity which involves alot of runners :) See you all on the road.

  • Concerned Runner

    Instead of focusing on the running chip, maybe the organizers should get the basics down. The organizers seem to never learn from the past chaos and continue to do the same thing in every run. Most runners in Cebu have a high tolerance for the poor organization of runs because they don’t know any better. But come on, you can at least get the basics right:

    1) Water at the finish line
    2) Marshals should protect the runners from vehicles – at least 3 runners almost got hit by jeepneys that were not happy at sharing the road with runners.
    3) The clock was installed 5 minutes before the run. What the heck is that all about?
    4) Nothing like standing in line, dehydrated and tired. for more than an hour in the sun to get something to drink and eat. Why does it have to be this way? Are these organizers runners, or business people?
    5) Corralling the runners in the morning was a total mess. No one knew where to go to start.
    6) Late start is the standard in Cebu. Sun is up, jeepneys are out, and the organizers were still setting up even at the start!
    7) This obsession with going with the chip has detracted from getting a well-organized run. Drop the chip, get more volunteers, have good marshals, and get water at the finish line!
    8) I cannot believe no one has pointed these deficiencies out. Are cebu runners that lame? How can we improve running in cebu if we keep having low standards and using organizers who do not know what they are doing? Are we waiting for more runners to get hit on the race?

    Where did the entrance fee go? Let’s use the fee to get water and bananas! Drop the chip! 1 star out of 5. Poor, poor performance on the Great Lapu Lapu run. Runners you deserve better.

  • japdoll

    is it true that the paper cups were re-used in the water stations??

  • Jack

    One common thing that I didn’t like on the event is the preparation of the food, all the runners are get starved due to dis-organized system on there serving…

  • Betty

    Instead of complaining I think we can asked the organizers what we can do to help prevent problems next time.
    Being part of a solution is a better attitude to adopt.

  • ahmad

    I talked to one of the organizers, he was very apologetic for the failures that occurred . After hearing what happened I totally sympathized with the guy, he was all alone in a mountain of broken promises and no shows. Firefighting with only a couple of hours to spare is ugly. I think in the Philippines this is not an uncommon problem.
    He did the best he could under the circumstances.

  • claire paner

    wow..so nice hope to join this coming april..