And with that, Dr. Eleanor “Tata” Casquejo laced up and started running. When before she couldn’t understand why her husband woke up at such ungodly hours to hit the road, now she was plotting her own training program.

“I told myself that there must be something in this sport that he’s so passionate about,” Eleanor told a group of runners last Friday night. Kenneth started running in college and, after years away from the sport, took it up with such passion that he wears a shirt saying he eats asphalt for breakfast.

DR. ELEANOR CASQUEJO talks on the reasons she run in last week’s Friday Night Run with the ungo runners of CebuRunning.com. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (SUN.STAR CEBU PHOTO BY ALEX BADAYOS used with permission)

“As doctors, we should set good examples for our patients on being healthy,” said Eleanor, an obstetrician and gynecologist.

She first ran in the fun run organized by the Lions Club Lakandula last year.

“I’m a slow runner,” she said. She said it was discouraging to hear race marshals say, “Here comes the last runner” whenever she passes by and then see them pack up the road signs and other race materials.

She was the last runner to finish the Lions Club charity run that when she crossed the finish line, workers had disassembled and packed up the finish line arch.

Nevertheless, she keeps on running.

Eleanor said running helped her deal with the increase in her cholesterol levels, which went up partly because of her sedentary lifestyle. She said she’d do nothing but eat when going on labor watch.

But through running, Eleanor said she lost 20 pounds, weight she wasn’t able to lose even while on diet or taking diet pills. “I have never lost weight this much,” she told the runners.

And just a year after starting to run, Eleanor will join the Chicago marathon in October with Kenneth.

As with regular ungo runs, there are two distances, to accommodate newbies who are still not able to cover the distance of the main route. These are 30K and 12K (but with option to extend a few more kilometers for the latter). Interactive map available at the end of this article.

MACTAN BRIDGE. Tomorrow, ungo runners will run the 3 bridges in Metro Cebu including the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge (above). (CREATIVE COMMONS PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE FLICKR PAGE OF STORM CRYPT)

The 30K group will be led by Kenneth Casquejo and will start from the Capitol at exactly 4 a.m. They will head to Mandaue City and the 3 bridges through Escario St., Archbishop Reyes Ave. then to A.S. Fortuna St. If you’re late, try catching up with them at those locations.

The 30K group will end its run at the Asiatown IT Park. If you’re driving, it’s best that you park there.

The 12K group will be led by ungo runners and Sun.Star Running Club muse Mitch So, the Sun.Star Cebu executive editor and Sun.Star Superbalita editor in chief, and company. The assembly area is at the Shell gasoline station on A.C. Cortes Ave., near the University of Cebu campus. We will start and end at the Shell station. Assembly time is at 4:30 a.m.

The 30K group will rendezvous with the 12K group at the Shell station.

12K runners who want to drive to the assembly might be able to park at Shell. I did not ask the gas attendants ahead but they seem to have ample parking space and we’ll be buying a lot of snack items from them anyway.

If you want to run a longer route, you have the option of extending your run to 15K by going to the old Mactan-Mandaue bridge all the way to the Lapu-Lapu side a second time and then coming back to finish at the Shell station.

Here are a few reminders on the first-ever Sunday long run of the ungo runners:

1.) Keep road safety in mind. Run on the lane opposing vehicle traffic so that you can see vehicles approaching you. Always be aware of your surroundings.

2.) Leave your music players at home. Listening to music while running on the road, especially Philippine roads, is dangerous.

3.) Bring money and change for a.) water and sports drinks, b.) snacks, c.) taxi fare in case you’re not able to complete the run, d.) the highlight of the run—-breakfast.

4.) Bring identification. If you have a RoadID or sports band, wear it.

5.) Run or walk at your own pace. You can find a pace partner at the assembly area.

6.) Put on sunscreen.

7.) If you have a portable point-and-shoot camera, bring it with you. Ungo runs are known for its extensive “documentation.”

Here’s an interactive virtual map of the route. The route I plotted here is only for the shorter 12K run. Kenneth will be briefing 30K runners on the route at the assembly area. Click on the markers on the map for more information.

Garganera pointed out that not only are Cebu City streets not friendly to runners, they are also generally not safe for children. Look, we don’t even have sidewalks, he gesticulated while running sideways.

KAPAMILYA RUNNERS ON THE ROAD. Close to 2,000 runners joined last Sunday’s 10th dyAB KApamilya Run. Above, the runners occupy one lane of Gorordo Ave. near the UP Cebu College. (PHOTO BY TEDDY ESPINUEVA)

At the end of the run, he proposed a novel idea to get more people off their couches and running on the street: close Osmeña Blvd. for a few hours every Sunday and limit it to walkers, joggers, runners and bikers.

Garganera had wanted to pursue it as part of his political agenda in his failed City Council bid.

During the post-run breakfast in last Sunday’s Kapamilya Run, Garganera raised the idea again and got the support of ultra-runner Bro. Carlo Bacalla. But Garganera was preaching to the converted. What is needed is for the converted to start preaching to those in power.

It’s unlikely to happen, what with the implications on traffic and commerce in an area with two malls, three hospitals and at least two churches.

But City Hall would do well to try it. What’s a few hours of inconvenience on a slow Sunday morning to the potential health benefits you can give your constituents? The more people you get walking, jogging, running and biking, the more of your constituents start adopting a healthy lifestyle.

KAPAMILYA RUN

I took a shower on V. Rama Ave. in last Sunday’s 10th dyAB Kapamilya Run. The race, which was organized by the RunCheck team of Kenneth Casquejo and Annie Neric, paid car wash boys on V. Rama Ave. to train their water sprayers on runners.

It was a novel touch and a very welcome respite from the early morning heat.

Most runners I talked to loved that part of the race. The 10th Kapamilya Run was, by all accounts, a well-organized and successful run. It got the basics right: ample water supply and exact race distance. It scored points with runners on the V. Rama water spray. If there was anything that could be improved, it would be the segregation of runners at the starting line.

ACTIVEPHOTOS.PH. A new group of mainly Cebu-based photographers now takes photographs of runners for a fee during fun runs. To be photographed by members of Activephotos.ph, you need to register with the group and wear a special ribbon that will alert its photographers that you have commissioned their service. Above, Activephotos.ph lensman Teddy Espinueva takes a photo of me near UP Cebu College. (PHOTO BY TEDDY ESPINUEVA)

Last Sunday was also the first outing of Activephotos.ph, a group of photographers who take photos of athletic events like running and sell these to the participants.

Among the key members of the group are Casquejo, award-winning blogger and photographer Estan Cabigas, and running and photography love team Teddy and Belle Espinueva. I’ve seen several of their shots and they look great.

To get photographed by the Activephotos.ph team, you just need to sign up in races that they have been commissioned. You will then get a ribbon to wear, which alerts members of the team to take photos of you.

But it’s a double-edged sword, this idea of commissioning someone to take photos of you while on the run. Chances are you’d look ugly running—out of breath and grimacing.

Only Donna Cruz-Larrazabal looks pretty crossing the finish line.

Radio station DYAB, the local AM station of broadcasting giant ABS-CBN, is celebrating its 15th year by staging various events, including the 10th edition of its Kapamilya Run. The fun run will have a 1.6K walk, and a 7K and 15K run. The longest distance is 15K in reference to DYAB’s 15th year anniversary.

RACE PACK. My race pack for tomorrow’s Kapamilya Run. If you still haven’t registered, you still have time. Organizers are accepting late registrants until the morning of the run. CLICK TO ENLARGE.

Race organizer Kenneth Casquejo, of RunCheck, said the actual distance is 15.15K but the .15K falls within the margin of error in GPS reception as well as slight variations in the route so not all will get that actual precise distance.

DYAB’s Leo Lastimosa said in his radio program that proceeds of the fun run will be used to help fix school buildings that are badly in need of repair.

Assembly time of the run is at 4:45 a.m while gun time is at 5:30 a.m.

Here’s an interactive, virtual map of the route based on data I gathered from the race packet and from the organizers. You can zoom into the map and pan it around. Click on the markers to view more information.

The Cebu City Government is also reported to be spending at least P1 million for free barbecue dinner for 40,000 people on May 8.

The SRP Sundown Run will have 3K, 5K and 10K races. Organizers said one lane of the SRP will be closed for the run.

After the disastrous 3rd Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes Run last Sunday, runners are looking forward to a better-organized SRP Sundown Run, which is being managed by the Run Check team of Kenneth Casquejo and Annie Neric.

Here’s the interactive virtual route map of the SRP Sundown Run. You can zoom into the map and pan it around to view other areas. The red line indicates the 3K route; the blue line, 5K; and the black line, 10K.

Starting Saturday noon, the tunnel beside Plaza Independencia will be opened for 24 hours to light vehicles. Mayor Tomas Osmeña told reporters in City Hall on Thursday that with the subway, going to the SRP will be “very easy” from Osmeña Boulevard.

To make it easy for people to attend festivities at the SRP, the City Government is fielding buses to different pick-up points all over the city to bring people to the area. The pick-up points in the north are IT Park (via Ayala), Fuente Osmeña rotunda (via Colon St.) and SM City Cebu.

In the south, the pick-up points are Pardo Church (via Mambaling), Guadalupe Church (via Tisa) and E-mall.

Buses will also be field to the Cebu City Hall.

Registration for the run ends today, May 7, at 8 p.m. You can register at the Cebu City Sports Center and the Holiday Gym & Spa in Banilad. (Update: Casquejo has announced in the CebuRunning Facebook page that registration is already closed.)

Below is the events map of SRP. Click on the photo below to view the larger image.

As I said in my column last week on the ungo runners, we call ourselves ungo after that Bisaya word and its double meaning—the noun for that creature of superstition that comes out in the dark and the adjective to mean addict. We are running addicts who run at night.

WE OWN THE NIGHT. Ungo runners prepare to run to the IT Park from the Sun.Star Cebu office.

Since this week is Holy Week and Holy Thursday and Good Friday are two of the five days in the year when there is no work in the Sun.Star Cebu newsroom, we decided to hold the run on a Wednesday. It will also allow ungo runners to go to their Holy Week break refreshed (we get sick if we don’t run)—not that devotion will stop us from running on Good Friday.

For this Wednesday night run, ungo runners will run from Sun.Star Cebu to the Banilad Town Center, where we’ll have coffee and eat our midnight meal. This is a special run for the ungo because two of our runners have just been recently named as editors-in-chief of the two top newspapers in Cebu—Isolde Amante, the new Sun.Star Cebu editor-in-chief, and Michelle So, the new Sun.Star Superbalita editor-in-chief.

The development means three of Cebu’s five editors-in-chief are runners—Cebu Daily News‘ Connie Fernandez also runs—and two of them are ungos.

For this Wednesday night run, I’m considering two routes. The first one will pass Osmena Blvd., Fuente Osmena, Gen. Maxilom Ave., Ayala Business Park then to Juan Luna Ave. then to Banilad. This is the longer route, about 7 kilometers.

Here’s an interactive map of the route:

View Wednesday Night Ungo Run Route 1 in a larger map

The second one will pass the New Imus Road then to the Ayala access road then to the Cebu Business Park, Juan Luna Ave. then to Banilad. This route is about 6.5 kilometers.

Here’s an interactive map of the route:

View Wednesday Night Ungo Run Route 2 in a larger map

In either route, we’ll have a water stop in the Petron gas station and convenience store on Juan Luna Ave. This will allow runners to refuel while waiting for fellow ungo runners who choose to enjoy the night scenery and take their time.

We are also accepting volunteers to be marshals in the night run. Joe France Canizares and Cadjing Pelicano typically take care of the lead pack, Kenneth Casquejo serves as sweeper while I’ll be a running marshal going from one pack to the next.

Which route should we take? Leave comments below.

At that time, reporters Justin Vestil, Linette Ramos and Rene Martel have finished writing their stories and are now in running attire. Graphic artist Kent Ynot and Ariel Catubig of the Sun.Star Network Exchange are also ready to go.

WE OWN THE NIGHT. Ungo runners in front of the Sun.Star Cebu office before running to the It Park in Lahug, Cebu City. CLICK TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE.

Outside the newsroom, men in tights sit on the steps of the stairs talking to one another. Dr. Raymund “Reel Runner” Bontol accompanies a large group of runners, among them Jefferey Chua and Ralph Noval, from the Cebu Velez General Hospital, and gives tips on running. Aeda Mae Siao, meanwhile, accompanies a friend who is on her first night run.

Higher up the stairs, Eric Agaton of Nike Banilad Town Center leads a group of three men all wearing Nike running shoes.

In the newsroom, Teddy Espinueva and his wife Belle and cousin Bikik Besavilla stand waiting, the reflective patches stitched to their clothes and caps shimmering.

Cebu City Council candidate Joel Garganera, meanwhile, cracks jokes with So and The Freeman community editor Divine Ngujo near the central newsroom library.

On Fridays, you’d have gynecologists Eleanor Casquejo, Humility Igaña and Vilma Pesa fidgeting, waiting for the run to start while praying none of their patients suddenly go into labor.

Joe France Cañizares and Cadjing Pelicano of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel tower above everyone else while mingling with the runners. Rounding up the group are veteran runner and now race organizer Kenneth Casquejo, Ramie Igaña, Charles Su and 17-year-old student Anthony Gabriel Tuldanes.

A few minutes after 10 p.m., the group goes down to the Don Pedro Cui St. exit of the Sun.Star Cebu office and hams it up for the night’s designated photographer, usually Sun.Star Cebu chief of photographers Alex Badayos. Last week, we had Philippine Blog Awards winner Estan Cabigas, a newbie runner himself.

At the word “go,” the runners group themselves according to their running paces. Bontol, Igaña and Abby Ponce are typically in the lead pack. My wife, Marlen, would be in the middle and I’d typically run with her. But I usually sneak in a speed training by serving as running marshal, going from lead pack to the middle pack to the runners who choose to enjoy the scenery and go at a leisurely pace.

FRIDAY NIGHT ROAD PARTY. Runners gather at the Sun.Star Cebu office on P. del Rosario St. for the weekly Friday night run to the IT Park in Lahug. CLICK TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE.

Like most people, we look forward to party on a Friday night, only ours is on the road.

Instead of laser lights setting the mood, we’d have the monotonous blinking of bicycle lights clipped to our waistbands. Instead of tequila, we down coffee.

We run in the rain.

We call ourselves ungo runners after that Bisaya word and its double meaning—the noun for that creature of superstition that comes out in the dark and the adjective to mean addict. We are running addicts who run at night.

The group started with just Marlen and me on our Friday night road dates. We later invited newsroom colleagues. The group later grew larger.

This Friday, we’ll take to the streets again.

See you on the road.

Men can join the run if they register with a female participant, but they won’t be eligible to win in any category. (Correction race organizer Kenneth Casquejo contacted me to say that male runners can win but only the top 3 spots of the 5K and 10K races)

Registration fee is P250 and is inclusive of a race number, route map, souvenir shirt, and a goodie bag. Runners may register at the Mabolo branch of Leona’s Bakeshop from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The run will start at 6 a.m. in IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City.

Here’s an interactive map of the route:

View Pinay In Action Visayas Leg in a larger map

The Pinay In Action team is led by Senator Pia S. Cayetano, a runner and triathlete. The group seeks to empower Filipinas by providing them with information and tools geared towards a healthier lifestyle and a better future.

Among Pinay in Action activities are sports events, fitness clinics, and talks and seminars on women’s issues. For more information about the group, log on to www.pinayinaction.com.

For inquiries, please contact:
Annie Neric
Fitness Program Director
Holiday Gym & Spa
Gov. M. Cuenco Ave. , Banilad Road
Cebu City Philipinnes
Tel No.: (032) 2330386

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.