Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) chief reputation officer Sebastian Lacson said this year’s run will be bigger because the event is co-organized by the Cebu Provincial Government as a highlight of the month-long celebration of Cebu Province’s 442nd founding anniversary.

RACE SINGLET. Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia with the race singlet for the Capitol-Aboitiz Race to Reduce Challenge on August 14. With the governor in yesterday’s launching are Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco (left) and Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) chief reputation officer Sebastian Lacson. Click to enlarge. (PHOTO BY MARLEN LIMPAG)

In their staging of the event last year, Aboitiz was able to gather more than 2,000 runners. In this year’s staging of the run, Lacson said they are targeting 5,000 runners to join.

The run will be held on August 14 at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) at the North Reclamation Area in Mandaue City. It will have 3K, 5K, 10K, 21K and 42K categories.

For the first time in a race, organizers will be offering several registration options that include the choice of not having a singlet, which Lacson said they are encouraging. “Most runners prefer to wear their own running shirts because they are already comfortable with it,” he said in the press conference.

Registration fees, options

For the 42K, runners will have to pay P700 if they want to have both the chip and race singlet. If they choose not to get the singlet, they need only to pay P550 as registration fee and they will get only the timing chip.

For 21K and 10K runners, participants who want to have both the chip and singlet need to pay P600. If they choose to only get the timing chip, they need only to pay P450.

The 5K race offers the most options. For the full racing kit of chip and singlet, participants need to pay P500. If they’ll choose only the chip, they need only to pay P350. Those who want only the singlet and not the chip, can pay P300. Those who want only to join the distance’s Fun Run category need only to pay P150.

Participants in 3K who want to have a singlet can pay the full registration fee of P300. Those who want to join the run but not pay for the singlet can register under the fun run category for P150.

Organizers, however, said only those with timing chips are qualified to win in the different categories.

Registration is ongoing at the One Cebu Expo Secretariat at the Capitol, Runnr in Ayala Center Cebu, Toby’s in SM City Cebu and at the Cebu City Sports Center. Runners can also register online at www.aboitiz.com/race2reduce, www.aboitizpower.com/race2reduce, or at www.facebook.com/race2reduce. The deadline of registration is on Aug. 6. Organizers said the deadline “will never be extended.”

Biggest prizes so far

Lacson said the Race to Reduce Challenge will offer the biggest prizes so far in a race in Cebu. The 1st placers in the male and female categories of 42K will each receive P70,000 cash. The 2nd placers will each get P40,000; 3rd placers, P20,000; 4th placers, P5,000; 5th placers, P3,000; 6th placers P2,000 and the 7th to 10th placers will get P1,000.

In the 21K, the male and female winners will each get P20,000; 2nd placers, P10,000; 3rd placers, P5,000; 4th placers P3,000; 5th placers P1,000; and the 6th to 10th placers, P500 each.

In the 10K, the prizes are: male and female 1st placers, P5,000; 2nd placers P3,000; 3rd placers, P2,000; and 4th to 10th placers, P300.

In the 5K race, the male and female winners will each get P3,000. The 2nd placers will receive P2,000; the 3rd placers P1,000; and the 4th to 10th placers, P200.

Timing system

Race director Raffy Uytiepo said the event will be using the Strider timing system which uses a strip of paper that you attach into your shoelaces. Jovy Tan of Aboitiz said the system comes with a range of data for each finisher, including their finish time, split times and place in their categories.

Uytiepo said they will observe a 7-hour cutoff time for 42K runners in the interest of road safety. Those still on the road after 7 hours will no longer be allowed to finished the run.

Lacson said they will publish the names of all finishers with timing chips in a local newspaper. The publication of finishers was started in last year’s initial staging of the run. Lacson said they are the only race in the country publishing the names of finishers.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said Capitol is extending full support for the event because her government “recognizes this need to encourage activities for health and wellness.” She said she is confident that the “can-do and indomitable will of the Cebuano will be shown” in the race.

Activities that promote healthy lifestyle and protection of the environment “is something we all must embrace,” the governor said.

Race organizers said they have gotten the assurance of full support from local officials in areas where runners will pass such as Mandaue City, Consolacion, Liloan and Compostela.

Lacson said finishers will get a foot massage, breakfast and photo opportunity at the Race to reduce photo wall near the finish line.

As with last year’s race, a photo contest will again be held for this year’s event. Photographers, however, have to register for the contest at the Aboitiz Corporate Center on Gov. M. Cuenco Ave. in Banilad, Cebu City.

The gun times for the different distances are 42K – 4 a.m.; 21K – 4:30 a.m.; 10K – 5 a.m.; and 3K/5K – 5:30 a.m.

Here’s the map of the route. Click on the image to view a larger version of the map.

The 42K and 21K race packs will be released starting Wednesday at the Active Zone in Ayala Center Cebu. Race packs for 5K registrants will be released starting Thursday.

If you have questions or concerns on the registration, please contact Sandy or Emma during office hours at (032) 4161122 local 100 or 112. Or at 0917-6244853. Or send an e-mail to: register@cebumarathon.com.

Here are the names of the registrants (found after the jump). The listing is searchable. To look for your name, use the search form at the bottom right of each listing.

42K registrants

21K registrants

5K registrants

Runners of the 42K and 21K routes will also be passing by the scening Malacañang sa Sugbo, Fort San Pedro and Plaza Independencia on the way to the tunnel.

Organizers, however, are still determining the 5K route. They said they might not use an out-and-back route because of the volume of registrants.

Here are virtual maps of the 42K and 21K routes. You can zoom into the maps for more details. Do check back once in a while because I will be adding more details on the map, including photos.

CCM 42K route

CCM 21K route

Kenyan Willy Tanui dominated the 42K race by finishing the race in 2 hours 30 minutes and 57 seconds. Kenyan missionary Simon Losiaboi, who is currently based in Cebu, placed second with a time of 02:30:57. Eric Panique finished as the fastest Filipino by placing third with his time of 02:32:23.

Kenyan David Kipsang was fourth with his time of 02:35:41 while Elmer Sabal placed fifth with a time of 02:37:23.

On a personal note, I finished my first 21K in 02:04:59. I aimed for a sub-2 finish but couldn’t pass up witnessing the drama in the race between Aileen Tolentino and Mary Grace delos Santos in the last few kilometers.

Here are the official race times:

The results are searchable, to get your time, go to your category and use the search bar at the lower right portion.

42K Male

Cebu City Marathon 01-10-10 Results 42k Male

42K Female

Cebu City Marathon 01-10-10 Results 42k Female

21K Male

Cebu City Marathon 21K Male result

21K Female

Cebu City Marathon 21K – female

In the photo below, Cebu City Marathon organizer Meyrick Jacalan, the owner of ASAP (Advertising Services and Promotions), holds the medal that he designed. It’s great work. At first glance, you can immediately connect the medal to Cebu, which takes pride in its export-quality mangoes.

I hope organizers will use the same medal design in succeeding Cebu City Marathons. I want one. The medal talks to me in my dreams. It keeps saying “run 42K, run 42K, run 42K…”

Jakosalem and officials of Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC), which is organizing the Cebu City Marathon 2010, said they decided to close the road to ensure the safety of runners.

RUNNERS’ SAFETY. Organizers Meyrick Jacalan and John Pages of the Cebu Executive Runners Club and Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem discuss the closure of the entire SRP route and half of the Cebu City roads that are part of the marathon route on Jan. 10, 2010. Organizers said they pushed for the closure of part of the road to ensure safety of runners. (Photo by Max Limpag)

John Pages of CERC said that although there are runs every Sunday in Cebu, roads aren’t closed and runners have to contend with at times impatient drivers angered by the traffic jam. (On a side note, I actually punched the side of a jeepney that cut me off in Mandaue City during the Rock and Run, not to be recommended, believe me.)

In other developments announced in yesterday’s press conference at the City Sports Club:

• Ayala Center Cebu has confirmed that a pre-race pasta party will be held on Jan. 8 at The Terraces. Ayala Center Cebu division head Joy Polloso said there will be free food for the first 500 runners.Polloso also said they are working with Ayala Center Cebu merchants, especially those in Active Zone, to offer registered runners discounts during the marathon expo, which will be held the week before the marathon.
• Timex will be giving free watches to the top three finishers of each division, said coach Rio de la Cruz, a Timex endorser and race director of FinishLine, which will be deploying the ChampionChip that will be used to time 21K and 42 runners of the Cebu City Marathon.
• De la Cruz said the use of RFID transponder chips will allow organizers to publish race results a few hours after the event. Pages said the results will then be uploaded to the Cebu City Marathon website.
• Globe Telecom’s Jerry Yntig also pledged to provide phones to the winners of the different categories.
• Holiday Gym and Spa will be deploying masseurs to give free massages to 21K and 42K runners after the race.
• Perl Jacalan, also of CERC, said race packs will be distributed on Jan. 6-8. She said only out-of-town runners will be allowed to claim their race packs on Jan. 9.

COACH RIO. Rio de la Cruz holds a sample of the RFID chip that will be used to time runners of the 21K and 42K races in the Cebu City Marathon. De la Cruz said the finishing times and ranking of runners will be available hours after the marathon is finished. (Photo by Max Limpag)

Jakosalem assured runners that their safety is on top of the concerns of authorities. He said they will be deploying a large number of traffic enforcers. Pages said active CERC members have been assigned to oversee a 1.5-kilometer stretch and recruit people to help man it. He said they were told to come up with ways to motivate runners like playing music or getting a band.

Organizer Meyric Jacalan, of CERC, also said that he hopes that in the coming years, the Cebu City Marathon will become an institution and people will come out to watch and participate, in the same way that residents of cities abroad do during their own marathons.

Jakosalem said that Cebu City is planning to organize more runs, depending on the success of the Jan. 10 event. In a brief talk after the press conference, he said Oct. 10, 2010 or 10-10-10 falls on a Sunday and might be a good date to host another marathon.

The maps are interactive. You can zoom into and out of it and pan it around to check the other parts of the route.

I will also be adding information on key tourist and historical spots, for the benefit of out-of-town runners.

Here’s the map for the full marathon course:

Here’s the map for the 21K race.

And here’s the map for the 5K fun run:

If you want to publish these maps in your blog or website, feel free to copy the codes below. Make sure that when you paste the code into your blog’s post editor, you are on HTML mode and not the Visual or WYSIWYG mode.

Code for the 42K map:
<iframe src="http://www.quikmaps.com/ext2/124494?t=1&ln=0&sn=1&zb=0&d=1&o=0&lat=10.3289154898305&lng=123.90568614006042&zl=18&mt=0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="500" height="441" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0"></iframe>

Code for the 21K map:
<iframe src="http://www.quikmaps.com/ext2/124682?t=1&ln=0&sn=1&zb=0&d=1&o=0&lat=10.329068536884344&lng=123.90572905540466&zl=18&mt=0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="500" height="441" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0"></iframe>

Code for the 5K map:
<iframe src="http://www.quikmaps.com/ext2/123231?t=1&ln=0&sn=1&zb=0&d=1&o=0&lat=10.328704390323633&lng=123.90530526638031&zl=18&mt=0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="500" height="441" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0"></iframe>

If you need help publishing the map in your site or blog or you need custom maps, feel free to contact me.

The development was announced in a press conference this noon at the Casino Español.

“We all decided to take the risk and get the ChampionChips,” said Meyrick Jacalan of the Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC).

RFID CHIP. The ChampionChip (above) that will be used to time runners during the Cebu City Marathon. Race organizers said the chip will work under all weather conditions and the process of sending data would take just 60 milliseconds.

Jacalan, together with fellow Cebu City Marathon organizers John Pages and CERC president Jessie Taborada, said they wanted to make a good impression with the runners.

With the development, the Cebu City Marathon is just the third race in the Philippines and the first outside Manila to use the RFID chips to time runners.

The ChampionChip, according to organizers, will work under all weather conditions.

“The ChampionChip is a high-tech, identification device used to time athletes in a race. The technology consists of a miniature transponder in a specially designed housing, marked with a unique identification number. The transponder is a waterproof glass capsule that contains a silicon chip and an energizing coil. The ChampionChip can be used under all weather conditions, wet and dry, cold and hot,” organizers said in their press statement.

Organizers said the chips do not have batteries and the process of sending identification data takes just 60 milliseconds.

“There are no batteries in the ChampionChip. The transponder is inactive until moved into a magnetic field, generated by a send antenna in a mat. When the ChampionChip enters the magnetic field, the energizing coil produces an electric current to power the chip. The transponder then transmits its unique identification number to a receive antenna in a mat. The entire process takes approximately 60 milliseconds,” organizers said.

The use of the chips will give organizers immediate and accurate times of the runners. It will also allow organizers to immediately post results in the Cebu City Marathon website, Pages said. It will also allow runners to check on their split times, he said.

Organizers said the use of the chips will prevent dishonest participants from taking shortcuts. They said the chips will also help organizers manage the finish line and make it free-flowing.

With the use of the system, organizers have decided to slightly increase registration fees. Those who want to join the 21K race will now have to pay P450 from the previous fee of P350. Those joining the full marathon will now need to pay P650 from the previous P450.

Registration for the Cebu City Marathon will formally open on Nov. 27. Cebu City residents can register at the Cebu City Sports Center and Active Zone in Ayala Center Cebu. Organizers said runners will get the chips with their race packets. Those from outside Cebu can download the registration forms at the Cebu City Marathon website and email the filled-up form to register@cebumarathon.com.

Organizers said only those who finish the 42K race will get a finisher’s medal.