Tag Archives: Joe Deresas

Semantics

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Organizers of the Pilipinas International Marathon (PIM) are standing their ground. Not only are they not going to reschedule their event, which, admittedly, is understandable, they insist that a 25-kilometer race, by Patafa diktat, is a marathon. Pataka (nonsense).

“It is already accepted worldwide, even by the International Association of Marathons; they also accepted that they can use marathon as their ‘lingo’ if it goes beyond 21K and there is a 25K marathon,” International Pharmaceuticals Inc. advertising manager Tito Dela Merced was quoted as saying in a Sun.Star Cebu report on Saturday.

The debate on the use of the term might be getting tiresome but it is necessary. Standards are important for any sport. They are the foundation for records on which we gauge performances. A key component of any set of standards is the correct usage of technical terms.

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University Run or Pilipinas International Marathon?

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(This article was written by Bro. Carlo Bacalla, an ultra-marathoner who placed 17th in this year’s Bataan Death March 102-kilometer ultra-marathon.)

I just recently came back from a meeting in Bangkok and Vientiane (Laos). In Laos I had the chance to see the stadium where the 2009 SEA Games were held. It brought back to mind that bad image of the Philippines sending two separate delegations of athletes from two warring groups named PSC and POC. We know the victims when conflicts exist among our sports officials.

This is my take on the controversy brought about by one sports headline which reads “Two major runs in Cebu in 1 day.” At first I was excited that Pilipinas International Marathon (PIM) is being organized in Cebu. I thought it’s a revival of a famous foot race in Manila in the 80s. I ran 4 times in the Pilipinas Marathon between 1988 to 1992. But it was a standard 42.195 km. I posted my personal best time of 3:45 in one of these races. But my excitement turned sour when I realized it’s a sub-standard 25 km race scheduled on August 15, the same day of the University Run which was announced and posted in the Facebook prior to the PIM.

So where to run when 2 runs happen in 1 day?

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Why I’m joining the CDU University Run

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Dr. Yong Larrazabal’s disappointment was palpable during our phone conversation.

The eye surgeon and marathoner had purposely announced in advance in Facebook the date for Cebu Doctors’ University’s flagship running event, the University Run, to inform other race organizers and avoid another conflict in race schedules.

CDU RUN. Dr. Yong Larrazabal helped make running a mainstream sport in Cebu City with his annual University Run and monthly Run for Sight. Click on photo to enlarge image. (FOTO TAKEN FROM RUN FOR SIGHT’S FACEBOOK PAGE)

The run, which serves as opening of CDU’s Intramurals, was scheduled way ahead, when activities in the school’s academic calendar were determined.

University Run organizers coordinated schedules with other race directors to make sure that they would not hold their runs on the same day. But late last week, the buzz started spreading among runners in Facebook—another race has been scheduled on Aug. 15, the date of the 5th CDU University Run.

It’s a 25K international “marathon,” an oxymoron that should serve as warning. Runners know that you only use the word marathon to describe a race that is 42.195 kilometers long. There are no shorter “marathons.”

The Pilipinas 25K International Marathon is backed by International Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IPI) and organized by Joe Deresas, an affable man who was in charge of two of the most problematic races I’ve joined.

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Red Cross Humanity Race routes shorter than announced

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When you run in tomorrow’s 1st Red Cross Youth Cebu Humanity Race, keep in mind that it is a charity event. You’re running to help an important organization that has been at the forefront of providing medical assistance throughout the world.

If you’re running to set a personal record, you’ll be disappointed.

The routes of the Red Cross Humanity Race are shorter than what have been announced. The 5K race route as indicated in the map that came with the registration form is actually just 4 kilometers, based on Google Maps data (see image). The 10K route is just 7.6 kilometers.

Measuring Red Cross Humanity Race route using Google Maps NOT 10K. The “10K” route of tomorrow’s Red Cross Humanity Race is actually just 7.6 kilometers, according to Google Maps data. CLICK TO ENLARGE.

If you’re using a GPS device in tomorrow’s run, I’d appreciate feedback on the actual distance of the routes. (Update: Runner Joe France Rodriguez Cañizares said his Garmin GPS watch indicated the 10K route to be only 8.89K.)

It may sound nitpicking—all this fuss on the actual distance of the routes for a charity run—but exact measurements of race courses are very important. Most runners do not compete with other runners, they compete with themselves. They want to continually set personal records. But to be able to gauge whether they have gone faster, they should be told the correct distance of the races they are running.

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Chaotic timekeeping, awarding mar Go for Green Tourism Eco-Fun Run

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An otherwise good Sunday fun run attended by about 1,500 runners was marred by chaotic time-keeping and awarding of winners yesterday. The Go for Green Eco-Tourism Fun Run awarding dragged on until close to 9 a.m. because members of the racing technical committee took so long to finalize rankings.

Some finishers questioned the result reported by the race’s technical staff. The confusion got to a point that a man was named a top 10 finisher in one of the women’s categories.

Race director Joe Deresas blamed yesterday’s snafu on last minute adjustments and changes by registered runners on their race distances.

Media division winners
CLICK TO ENLARGE. Media category winners (from left) Allain Cortes of Sun.Star Cebu (3rd), Ronald Banugon of Bombo Radyo-Cebu (1st), and Max Limpag of Sun.Star Cebu and CebuRunning (2nd). (PHOTO BY SUN.STAR CEBU’S ARNI ACLAO)

The announcing of winners got so drawn-out that even if people were already leaving, winners of some categories were still not determined. The winners of the special categories for media and the Cebu Association of Tour Operators (Cato) took so long to determine because of the chaos in the technical staff’s booth. The Cato winners, in fact, were no longer named, only the numbers were read and very few winners approached the stage to claim the prizes.

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