Lopez will leave for Singapore tomorrow, Thursday. He will compete in the 5K and 10K events in the hopes of qualifying for the Southeast Asian Games or SEA Games. Lopez said his best 5K is 15:15 and to qualify, he will have to run at least a 14:50. He said his best 10K is 33 minutes and to qualify he has to run at least 30:59.

OFF TO SINGAPORE. Mendel Lopez (3rd from right) is competing in Singapore over the weekend with the support of the Cebu Executive Runners Club. With Lopez during the press conference in Mooon Cafe are (from left) Dr. Raymund Bontol, CERC president Roy Trani, Jesse Taborada, Kenneth Casquejo and Michelle So. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

Lopez said during a press conference in Mooon Cafe in Ayala Center Cebu just this noon that he is confident on qualifying for the 5K but not so much in 10K.

New CERC president Roy Trani said supporting runners is part of his group’s advocacy.

“CERC is a group formed because of running and we want to support Cebu-based runners who deserve the support of the community,” Trani said.

He said the support for Mendel’s plane fare and accommodation came from the personal funds of CERC members. Trani said he hopes to make the support of deserving Cebuano runners part of the CERC mandate next year.

“Not many runners know this but part of our CERC constitution and by-laws calls for the support of running and the support of runners,” Trani said.

Trani said he hopes Lopez will do well over the weekend and inspire other local runners.

He told CebuRunning that he is thinking of holding qualifications for elite Cebu runners so that they can choose whom to support in runs outside Cebu and the country. He said he hopes CERC can support more runners next year.

Lopez said he is very thankful of the support offered by the CERC.

“We at the CERC are very proud to pledge our full support for this environmental running event. In our own way, we would like to contribute and help,” CERC president Jesse Taborada said.

“The CERC will be donating at least 1,000 PET Bottles and more than 30 members will be running,” Taborada added.

CERC president Jesse Taborada (left) and Meyrick Jacalan of ASAP Cebu Advertising Services & Promotions with some of the plastic bottles they will be donating for the Bottle School Project.

Meyrick Jacalan of CERC and ASAP Cebu Advertising Services & Promotions is calling on other running groups to join in to support the cause.

“The Eco Dash Run is something worthwhile for runners to join. This is a start of a movement that will make a difference. Perhaps, the other running groups can embrace this advocacy that Ayala Center has started,” Jacalan said, “Our group, CERC and all employees of my company (ASAP Cebu) have committed to join the run.”

The Eco Dash: The Bottle School Run event is geared towards building Cebu’s first bottle school, a structure that makes use of recycled 1.5 and 2-litre PET bottles to replace hollow blocks. The groundbreaking project is a sustainable solution for the country’s shortage of classrooms as well as an eco-friendly way of reducing landfill waste.

The mental image of the lone wolf trudging on while racking up miles by his or her lonesome is increasingly replaced by running packs of happy people on the road—hippies in running shorts singing “ah, look at all the lonely people.”

HAVE GROUP, WILL FLY. Running groups make the sport more fun. One of the best ways to make running a habit is to join a running group. On your own, it’s easy to turn off the alarm and postpone a run; it’s harder to do that with a group run. (PHOTO BY SYDNEY DELOS REYES)

Runners are among the happiest people you’d know. I realized that mid-air Sunday—in the third of the Ungo Runners’ series of jump shots after the Pink October Run. Look at the photos on Facebook. The smiley in our Ungo shirts is redundant.

But apart from being fun, membership in a running group keeps you motivated and offers you much-need support as you train to run longer and faster. If you run alone—and especially if you’re still starting—it’s easy to turn off the alarm clock and postpone a run. It’s harder to do that with a group run.

To make running a habit, form your own group of runners or join existing running clubs in Cebu. The most prestigious running group in the province is the Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC), which organizes the Cebu City Marathon. Jesse Taborada is CERC president and among its members are pillars of the sport in Cebu like John Pages, Dr. Vic Verallo and Meyrick Jacalan.

There is also the Danao Runners Club and Liloan Runners Club.

Many companies have organized their own running groups. Among these groups and their contact persons are the Timex Runners, Teletech Runners with Coleen Digman, Sykes Runners, Aegis PeopleSupport Black Panthers with Amale Jopson and Lexmark Running Club with Martin Ibañez .

The medical profession is probably among the most represented in the sport, with medical workers fully aware of the physical benefits of regular exercise. Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal is a pioneer in the sport with his Run for Sight Foundation. Among groups with medical roots is the Physician Runners Club with Dr. Raymund Bontol and Alex Junia as contact persons. Bontol also founded the Cebu Institue of Medicine-Velez General Hospital (CVGH) Runners, which now has Dr. Norwin Detalla as key contact. Junia is also the organizer of the Code Blue Running Team. There is also the Luba Rinnan of Alvirg Busa.

Running groups based in the Cebu City Sports Center include the Lasang Runners of Sherwin Managil and Kenneth Toledo and the Take It Easy Runners that include Mimi and Tessie Escasiñas, Manolito and Marivic Yu and Jeppy Lumongsod. Don’t be fooled by the name, even if they “take it easy,” it is still at a pace that will kill running mortals like you and me. Another group based there is the Run Belly Run of Hazel Sanchez and Lovena Guardo, who are running and belly dancing enthusiasts.

In southern Cebu, you have the Naga Flying Bats of Raul Orcullo and the Talisay City Runners Club with Dale Alicaba. Other groups include the Guardo Runners, Sugbo Road Runners Club with Blaze Hipulan, Nocturnal Running Club, Team Cebu Striders of Mark Laus and Team Yellow Jersey of Manny Camacho.

Gyms and fitness centers also have their own groups, among them F1 (Fun One-ers), a group of Fitness First members with Inking Villo-Yu and Mai Mai Villo-Hermosilla as key contacts. Holiday Gym & Spa also has a running club with triathlete Annie Neric as organizer.

Hotel-based groups include the Parklane Runners of Ervin Limpag and Stephen Taylaran and the Be Fit team of Be Resort Mactan with Imee Marinduque as contact.

Ungo runner Ryan Lauren Gonzaga, meanwhile, leads runners of Istorya.net. Academia del Christifidelis—Liloan organized the Christifidelis Runners, which is led by Mizraym Capangpangan.

Another key running group is Team Boyek, named after the dapper runner Boyek Galang, which has Jose Francis Cañizares, Michael Enriquez, Galang, Msgr. Siongo Tan and John Go as key members.

Barefoot runners, especially those who use Vibram Five Fingers, also have their own group, the VFF Runners of Jacob Ong and Edward Tan Ting. Don’t let their bare feet fool you. They are faster than you are, way faster.

But probably the biggest and liveliest group of runners in Cebu is one that is closest to my heart—the Ungo Runners. The group has probably close to 200 members with about 50 regularly joining group runs. Our members span a cross section of society—students, doctors, nurses, lawyers, journalists, tech workers, managers and entrepreneurs.

There are also Ungo sub-groups like the TTB of Richard and Richelieu Ho, a group that adores running tights, RH Runners of Dan Morales and Dindz Bartolabac and the SK (for sexy kuarenta) group of Cora Quiamco, Nora Rosete and Phindy Honasan.

Ungo Runners hold weekly night group runs, usually on a Friday, and occasional Sunday long run. The group will also be organizing an exclusive heritage marathon from Capitol to Carcar next year.

For an individual sport, running is so much more enjoyable when done with people who share your passion for it.

Losiaboi, who has won all the races in Cebu that he joined since he arrived here late last year, will be running his first full marathon this Sunday. Being the only Cebu-based top Kenyan runner, organizer Meyrick Jacalan of the Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC) said they will be assigning race bib no. 1 to Losiaboi.

CEBU CITY MARATHON organizers with Cebu’s top runners (from left): Perl Jacalan, Meyrick Jacalan, Mary Grace delos Santos, Simon Losiaboi, John Pages and CERC president Jesse Taborada. (PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARLEN LIMPAG)

Losiaboi told reporters gathered in Mooon Cafe in Ayala Center Cebu yesterday that he is “not really confident” with winning the race because he is not used to the distance. He said he has no target time to finish the race.

Losiaboi said he only trained for the distance in just one month—running on the roads in Cebu and the two Mandaue-Mactan bridges and doing speed work in the Cebu City Sports Center track oval.

Losiaboi and top Cebu-based female runner Mary Grace delos Santos were presented by organizers Meyrick Jacalan, Perl Jacalan, John Pages and CERC president Jessie Taborada to reporters in a press conference yesterday afternoon.

Delos Santos, who has won all the races she joined in Cebu since she started running here in October 2008, returned to Zamboanga over the holidays to train in the mountains with her trainer Mohsherwin Managil.

Managil said they decided to go home because had they stayed in Cebu, they would have been tempted to join the weekly fun runs in the city and get diverted from their training.

Delos Santos, whose best 42K time is 3 hours and 11 minutes, will be facing stiff competition from Aileen Tolentino, who finished in top spot in her back-to-back outings in the Quezon City International Marathon and the Subic International Marathon. Tolentino was the top Filipina finisher in Quezon City in October while delos Santos was second. Six days later, Tolentino finished third in Subic.

TOP RUNNERS. Reporters interview Cebu’s top female runner Mary Grace delos Santos and Kenyan missionary Simon Losiaboi during a press conference in Mooon Cafe in Ayala Center Cebu. (PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARLEN LIMPAG)

Among the top Kenyan runners expected this Sunday is David Kipsang, who finished 8th in the Subic International Marathon. He will be running the 42K event with compatriots Willy Tanui and Kimber Keberes. Susan Chepkwony will be running in the women’s 42K event.

Kenyans Willy Rotich and Jonathan Cheboi will run in the 21K event.

Jacalan said that as of yesterday, 500 runners have signed up for the full marathon while 750 have registered for the 21K event. At least 1,900 runners have registered for the 5K event.

Organizers have extended the registration for 5K because they don’t need to close it early since runners in the event will not be using timing chips, Jacalan said.

Pages said the 42K race will start at 4 a.m., the 21K at 5:10 a.m. and the 5K at 5:30 a.m. Pages also said a pre-race pasta party will be held at The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu on Friday at 6 p.m.

Jakosalem also said the run will use RFID chips to time runners. “I think timing chips are the way to go,” said Jakosalem, chairman of the Cebu City Council’s committee on games, amusements and professional sports.

He said they still have not decided what distances to hold races on but if the Cebu City Marathon on Jan. 10, 2010 is successful, Tri-City Run will have a full 42K route. The Tri-City Marathon got its name from the fact that its route passed the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu. The route of previous stagings of the run covered 25K.

Jakosalem said the Tri-City Run will be held on the weekend of the Cebu City Charter Day on February 24.

During the press conference to announce the closure of roads that are part of the Cebu City Marathon route, Jakosalem told reporters the Cebu City Government was interested in organizing more races.

Jakosalem said the Cebu City Government will work with the Cebu Executive Runners Club to organize the race. He said they will also consult runners on aspects of the race, including the distances.

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 clinic falls on the week that specialty running store RUNNR is scheduled to open at the Active Zone in Ayala Center Cebu. (Update: RUNNR said it is targeting to open its Cebu branch today, Nov. 28.)

As with the two earlier marathon clinics, the clinic on Dec. 5 is open to the public for free, said CERC’s John Pages.

RUNNING CLINIC. Cebu Executive Runners Club president Jesses Taborada asks a question during the open forum of the 2nd marathon clinic for the Cebu City Marathon.

For the clinic, RUNNR will be flying to Cebu two coaches from Manila—Jim Saret and Julius Giron.

Saret will be talking about running and training techniques and the preparations necessary to take up running as a sport. He will also provide tips for different levels of runners—those still starting out, beginners, advanced runners and marathoners.

Saret will also talk about how to determine readiness and know when to move from 3K to 5K to 10K to 21K and 42K.

Giron, on the other hand, will talk about benefits of using a heart rate monitor, compression wear and forefoot/mid-foot running.

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.

Kenneth Casquejo, Roy Trani and doctors Rosan Trani, Alex Junia, and John Clifford Aranas will be running a few hours from now. Casquejo is optimistic that the CERC runners can finish the full 42-kilometer race in less than five hours.

Casquejo said he is optimistic because the course is “relatively flat” and they will have no problems on the heat because they will be running late in the afternoon until the evening. He said majority of the surface they will be running on is aphalt.

Kenyans, led by last year’s champion Nelson Kirwa Rotich, are favored to win the race that will fire off at the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. Among local runners, Allan Ballester and Bernardito Desamito are favored to do well.

In the full marathon, those who finished included Dr. Albert  Santos, 5:03:34; Nika Ong, 4:29:54; Jane Ong, 4:29:12; Andrew Ong, 4:24:23; Meyrick Jacalan, 4:21:14; and Dr. Vic Verallo 4:20:50.

Perl Jacalan finished the 21km event in 2:17:36.

CEBU RUNNERS IN AMSTERDAM. (From left) Dr. Albert Santos, who finished in 5:03:34; Nika Ong, 4:29:54; Jane Ong, 4:29:12; Andrew Ong, 4:24:23; Meyrick Jacalan, 4:21:14; Perl Jacalan, 2:17:36 (21K); and Dr. Vic Verallo, 4:20:50. Click on photo to view larger image.

Runner’s World lists the Amsterdam Marathon as among the world’s top 10 marathons.

According to Runner’s World:

“This is the Netherlands, so the course is flat and therefore fast. The only bump you’ll see is when the course crosses one of the many canals. It’s a two-loop course, starting and finishing in the 1928 Olympic Stadium.”