In last Sunday’s 2nd Rotary Run 15K race, I marked as target for overtaking a stocky man who appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties. I spotted him running with a friend in Lahug after I passed a group of about five men whom I have been tailing starting at the old Social Security System building.

PRINCE PAQUIBOT on his way to finishing a 47-minute 7K in last Sunday’s 2nd Rotary Run. (PHOTO BY MARLEN LIMPAG)

When I saw him, my secondary goal of finishing 15K in 1 hour and 25 minutes had grown bleaker by the meter. Before I even reached the turning point near the PLDT office on Osmena Blvd., I had given up on trying to finish the distance in 1:20, my main let’s-see-if-I-can-do-it goal for that day. Nearing the UP campus, I was worried I couldn’t even meet my secondary finishing time target.

Until I saw him.

“Oh great,” I told myself, “another Rening Ylaya moment.”

Rening Ylaya is the 74-year-old runner you see everyday in the Cebu City Sports Center track oval.

When I was still starting out to run in the middle of last year, I nearly killed myself trying to overtake Noy Rening in the Run for Sight 10K race. I was only able to pass him when he had to take a pee by the roadside in the last kilometers.

Last Sunday, I knew the very moment I saw the stocky man that, unlike Rening, he didn’t have a weak bladder.

I overtook him near JY Square and scanned the road ahead to find another target to overtake. I checked my GPS watch and found I was running my target pace.

Several minutes later, however, he passed me again, still running with his friend.

I let him pass but I was starting to dig deep, taking stock of how much I had in me to burn in a final burst of energy to dash to the finish line. Not much.

I ran faster and overtook him near Waterfront Hotel in Lahug but I was close to panic when, after checking my pace, I found I was running faster than what I thought I could maintain.

He overtook me again in the Mabolo area and this time, he was sprinting alone. Talk about fair-weathered running friends.

I struggled to keep up and didn’t bother checking my pace. To defeat him, I had to run with my heart, not with my GPS watch.

I sprinted the remaining distance to finish the race in 1:25, my secondary target.

I saw him again about two minutes later, lining up to claim his hamburger. We locked eyes and almost instantly, both of us broke into smiles. I’ve been trying to decipher what was left unsaid in that trice. “I nearly gave you a heart attack, didn’t I?” “Had this been two years ago, I would have run you down, you punk!”

We exchanged high fives.

I asked him what his time was, he told me he didn’t look at the race clock.

The Cebu City running community is full of people like that Sunday runner: Amazing Old Men (AOM), inspiring seniors. They inspire you to run. They are fitter than many people half their age. And if you make the mistake of racing them without training, they can run you down.

If you’re reading this, you AOM, I want you to know that I will be training even harder. I will be a more disciplined runner. Because the next time we see each other in a race, I will run you down.

Then we can exchange high fives at the finish line.

Punctuating last Sunday’s amazing run, which was organized by Rotarians Kenneth Casquejo and Jet Neric, was the incredible 47-minute 7K finish of 5-year-old Prince Paquibot. The kid from Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City, used to sneak out to join his uncle, architect Cleofas Quijano, in his regular runs. Prince’s first run was in the 3K category in Run With A Smile. Since last Sunday’s run didn’t have a 5K category, he registered for 7K.

Prince finished the run ahead of many people more than twice his age.

Don’t make the mistake of taking this tot lightly and racing him. This kid, he will be the death of you.

The run will also have a 200-meter sprint for 7-year-olds and below and 400-meter race for 8-year-olds to 12-year-olds. The races for children will be held inside the SM City Cebu compound.

The Rotary Run will start and end at the old v-hire terminal near the Northwing of SM City Cebu. (Interactive map found at the end of this article)

ROTARY RUN. Rotary PR Chair Lilu Aliño answers a reporter’s question during the press briefing for the 2nd Rotary Run. Among those who attended this afternoon’s press conference are (from right) Jet Neric, Me’Anne Alcordo and Rotary Run chair Kenneth Casquejo. The run is directed by Raffy Uytiepo (extreme left).

“On top of promoting Rotary and a healthy lifestyle, joining the race is an opportunity to contribute to the End Polio Now, a program of the Rotary Foundation to eradicate polio worldwide,” said race co-organizer Kenneth Casquejo.

“Running is a good way and a very cheap way to be healthy,” said Casquejo.

Co-organizer Jet Neric said that apart from promoting a healthy lifestyle, running also encourages family bonding. He said organizers hope Rotarians “will develop a running lifestyle.”

Casquejo said the 1st placer in the men’s and women’s categories of the 15K race will get P8,000, 2nd placers will get P5,000 and 3rd placers will get P3,000. The 4th to 6th placers will get P500 and the 7th to 10th placers will get P300. All the winners will get medals.

In the 7K race, the 1st placers will get P5,000; 2nd placers will het P3,000; and 3rd placers will get P2,000.

The registration fee for the race is P150, which is inclusive of a race singlet, race bib and a Jollibee snack. The registration center is at the Philippine Sports Commission office in the Cebu City Sports Center. Casquejo said registration will no longer be allowed on race day.

The top-seeds for the run are Mary Grace delos Santos, the top female runner in Cebu, and Kenyan Simon Losiaboi.

ROTARIANS, TOP RUNNERS. Top runners based in Cebu pose with Rotary officials during the launch of the Rotary Run. Among the top runners who attended yesterday are (back row, starting 3rd from left) Kenyan Simon Losiaboi, elite triathlete Noy Jopson, tope female runner Mary Grace delos Santos and her trainer, Sherwin Managil.

Race director Raffy Uytiepo said that although some runners have complained against Losiaboi, the “presence of top runners also make you fast.”

“If you want to win or to beat me, just train hard,” Losiaboi said yesterday. He told the press conference that he doesn’t do anything special and that he trains hard with local runners. He said he is thankful with the warm welcome of Cebuanos.

Asia Brewery Inc., one of the sponsors of the race, pledged ample water supply and said 100 Plus isotonic sports drink will be distributed in the finish line.

Casquejo said they have coordinated with the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) to make the race route secure for runners. He said they will be fielding enough marshals to help secure the routes.

Since the race is in February, organizers said they will be giving awards to the top running couple. They said the couple need not be married and they only need to finish together. They said they will not discriminate and same-sex couples are welcome to join the couples’ race.

Uytiepo also said pacers and bikers will not be allowed on the race route. He said the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation will be providing medical support for runners.

Below is an interactive virtual map of the race route based on data given by the organizers.