Delos Santos, who has dominated Cebu races ever since she relocated here from Zamboanga, finished her 21K run in 1:26:13, 3 minutes behind the winner, Kenyan Eunice Nyawira Muchiri, who finished with a time of 1:23:20.

MARY GRACE IN KL. Top Cebu-based runner Mary Grace delos Santos at the starting line of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon. (CONTRIBUTED FOTO)

Delos Santos finished ahead of Malaysian Noor Amelia Bt. Musa (1:28:58), Kenyan Jepleting Maiyo (1:29:30), Kenyan Irine Jeptoo Kipchumba (1:29:49) and German Janna Hinz (1:32:03).

Delos Santos’ trip to Kuala Lumpur was sponsored by specialty running store Runnr, which has been supporting her. Runnr founder Roberto “Toby” Claudio, Jr. first met delos Santos when he went to the store to show it to Cebu reporters and bloggers during last year’s soft opening.

GRACE, RENZE. Mary Grace delos Santos with Renze Banawa of Runnr. (CONTRIBUTED FOTO)

Since that meeting, Claudio has been sponsoring delos Santos.

Through Claudio, delos Santos became an endorser of Newton Running shoes, which is exclusively distributed by Runnr.

In last Sunday’s KL Marathon, serial marathoner and Tinago Barangay Councilor Joel Garganera finished his 7th full marathon while businessman Jonathan “Atan” Guardo completed his 5th full marathon.

The clinic is sponsored by Newton Running, Runnr Academy and Ayala Center Cebu.

Macasieb is an exercise physiologist and holds a masters degree on exercise sciences from the Montclair State University. He was the Philippine National Triathlon chapion in 2001, 2005 and 2006. He is also a 6-time Ironman finisher.

The topics in the seminar include:

• Common running errors among recreational runners
• Attributes of elite runners
• Running posture
• Running tools, drills and skills
• Formula for speed

Nicole Limon, Toby’s Sports and Runnr marketing supervisor, said the clinic will be held in two days: March 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and March 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

In an interview with Cebu journalists and bloggers last year, Runnr founder Toby Claudio said running is an advocacy for his company and he wants to encourage more people to take up the sport. Claudio also said he would be scheduling clinics to guide runners on such things as improving their form and technique and staying away from injuries.

The opening has been widely anticipated by Cebu runners. RUNNR stands out among sports shops because of its Footworx, an integrated system that helps runners pick the correct shoe for their foot-type and gait.

CLICK TO ENLARGE. A customer undergoes gait analysis through RUNNR Cebu’s Footworx system. The running specialty store finally opened its Cebu branch in Ayala Center Cebu last Saturday.(PHOTO BY MAX LIMPAG)

The system has three components: 1.) Footdisc Analysis System, which uses thermodynamics to determine foot types; 2.) high-speed video gait analysis where customers are made to run on a treadmill while a camera captures the way they run to check for their pronation angle; and 3.) Flashfit custom insole molding process that creates customized insoles while the customer waits.

I underwent testing by the Footworx system and found that I over-pronate and would therefore need Stability shoes.

CLICK TO ENLARGE. RUNNR Cebu sells items that were previously unavailable or hard to find in Cebu City.

RUNNR Cebu sells items that were previously unavailable or hard to find in Cebu City. The store sells Hammer power gels and bars Sport Beans. It also sells Fuel Belt and Nathan hydration packs.

The store also sells its own line of running socks, which are the best pair of socks that I’ve used while running. The store also sells Polar watches and heartbeat monitors.

RUNNR Cebu also has a good selection of running shoes and apparel. A prominent part of the store displays Newton Running Shoes, which are specially engineered for running. Toby Claudio, RUNNR founder, told Cebu journalists and bloggers in a recent briefing that he only runs in Newton shoes.

But he later found out that with the proper form and correct pair of shoes, he could run despite his bad back and knee injury. Now, the eponymous eldest son of Toby’s Sports founder Roberto Claudio, Sr. regularly runs and has even finished the half-marathon. He’s still planning to run his first full marathon and is considering doing it during the Cebu City Marathon on Jan. 10, 2010.

ONLY IN A NEWTON. Toby Claudio explains to Cebu bloggers and reporters what sets a pair of Newton Running Shoes apart from those of other brands. Claudio, who runs only in Newtons, is the founder of the running specialty store RUNNR, which will open in Cebu in the first week of December. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (PHOTO BY MARLEN LIMPAG)

“Running is not as easy as it looks. It’s hard on the body,” Claudio said in a briefing last Saturday for Cebu journalists and bloggers on the opening in the city of his running specialty store RUNNR.

From “zero running,” Claudio said he was able to regularly run relatively injury-free after learning the proper running form, particularly ChiRunning, and wearing correct shoes.

“Many still use improper footwear for running. That and the lack of proper technique can cause pains. Then they stop,” Claudio said. “The solution is to get the right shoes. Choosing the wrong shoes can cause a lot of problems.”

Problems caused by wearing the wrong type of shoes are something RUNNR can help people avoid.

The store is known for its Footworx, an integrated system that helps people pick the right pair of shoes based on their foot type and the way they run.

The system consists of the Footdisc Analysis System to determine foot type. After that, the customer is then made to run on a treadmill for a high speed video gait analysis. Using a camera, the system checks the customer’s pronation angle as he or she runs. The customer can then compare different pairs of shoes to find out which works best for him or her. After that, the store can then craft a custom insole using its “Flashfit” molding process while the customer waits.

Claudio said RUNNR’s custom insoles, which are really custom-made and not like the generic orthotics being sold elsewhere, costs between P3,000 to P4,000. And if the insoles start to get out of shape, they can be re-flashed in the store for free.

STORE EXPERIENCE. RUNNR founder Toby Claudio says that apart from offering top-of-the-line brands, RUNNR offers a total store experience that inspires people to run and educates them on the sport. RUNNR Cebu will have information kiosks and the distinct environmental panoramic graphics that dominate the RUNNR store on Bonifacio High Street. CLICK TO ENLARGE. (RUNNR FOTO)

“These customized services ensure that whatever one’s requirements as a runner, the shoes and optional insoles minimize foot instability for better shock absorption, and minimize fatigue while reducing the chances of injury,” the company said in a statement.

Claudio said the gait analysis system will be offered to customers for free.

“It will always be for free but we’ll be setting up a queuing system especially for busy days,” he said.

To discourage the practice of groups of people deciding to have their gaits analyzed just because one member of their group had it done, Claudio said they might require token purchases like buying socks for those who won’t buy shoes in busy days.

Claudio said that when he went to New York City, the world’s running mecca, he checked out running stores and found a few that had treadmills on which customers can run to test out their shoes. He said he found at least three with video gait analysis systems but none with the advanced software that RUNNR uses. He said no store offered the integrated system that RUNNR offers its customers.

Claudio said RUNNR had the gait analysis system custom-made in Germany for running. Using the system, RUNNR employees can determine which pair of shoes works best for a certain customer.

He said his company’s goal is to train its workers to a point that by merely looking at a customer take three steps into the store, he or she would know the shoe type for that person.

Claudio said that they decided to open their second RUNNR store in Cebu because they see it as an underserved market.

“Every major city in the world has a running store. Cebu is a major city,” he said.

RUNNR Cebu will open in the Active Zone of Ayala Center Cebu in the first week of December.

He said RUNNR offers more than just a good lineup of products but a total store experience. He said a distinguishing design element of the store are panoramic environmental graphics that inspire people to run.

RUNNR will carry premier brands including Adidas, Asics, Fuelbelt, Hammer, Nathan, New Balance, Nike, Polar, Newton Running Shoes, and CW-X compression apparel.

Apart from these, RUNNR also sells books and educational materials on running. It will also have information kiosks to guide people on running.

“RUNNR will have everything that you need to enjoy running to the fullest,” Claudio said.

But when asked by broadcaster, lawyer and runner Haide Acuña what he would recommend to someone who has never run and who finds his or her way into the store, Claudio said, “I won’t even recommend that they buy a pair of shoes. Buy a good running book.”

RUNNR BRIEFING. Toby Claudio with (from second from left) The Freeman columnist Raffy Osumo, Marlen Limpag and Max Limpag of Sun.Star and CebuRunning, Dr. Raymund “Reel” Bontol, and Haide Acuña, the Marathon Foodie.

More than just a market, running is an advocacy for his company, Claudio said.

“Some people still have not discovered the joys of running,” he said. They plan to spread running through regular clinics in the store. He said RUNNR is looking for a local running coach who can be tapped for the store and for the clinics.

He said the mission of RUNNR is to get people into the sport and to help those who are already in it.
Claudio, who runs only in Newton Running Shoes, stressed the importance of the local government supporting the sport as a way to improve tourism.

“When you run, you realize how much you are capable of,” Claudio said.

He said he uses running to de-stress and “when I have a bad day, I really need to run.”

On Nov. 19 (UPDATE: RUNNR will now open in the first week of December), Cebu runners finally get their wish as RUNNR opens its second branch at the 2nd level of Ayala Center Cebu.

Nicole Limon of RUNNR marketing told CebuRunning in an interview that the company “felt the need to branch out in other areas outside the Metro and what better place than in Cebu, especially now that the sport is also starting to pick up there.”

FOOTWORX. RUNNR Cebu will be offering Footworx, a shoe-fitting process that is a combination of three technologies: FootDisc, High-Speed Video Gait Analysis and Custom Insole Molding. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

RUNNR Cebu, according to a press statement, will offer its line-up of premier brands, including
Adidas, Asics, Fuelbelt, Hammer, Nathan, New Balance, Nike, Polar, Newton Running Shoes, and CW-X compression apparel. Other running gear and accessory brands that will be offered in RUNNR Cebu include Sennheiser, Halo head bands, Body Glide, Speedlaces, Finis, Equipe, Mueller, Spenco and Oakley among others.

RUNNR Cebu will also be offering Footworx, a shoe-fitting process that distinguishes the store from its competitors. Footworx is a combination of three technologies: FootDisc, High-Speed Video Gait Analysis and Custom Insole Molding.

RUNNR “is the first and only store in the country (and possibly the world) to offer all three technologies under one roof,” the company said in the statement.

“A team of highly trained staff can take each customer through the Footworx fitting process to be able to offer accurate and comprehensive recommendations based on an individual’s foot type and gait characteristics.”

“First, foot morphology is analyzed using the RUNNR “Footdisc” Analysis System, which uses a thermodynamic system to determine foot type. Second, using the high-speed video gait analysis, customers will run on a treadmill while the camera captures the way they run, checking their pronation angle as they go through their normal gait cycle. Then, they can compare different shoes to find the one that works best for them.”

“Lastly, RUNNR offers the ‘Flashfit’ custom insole molding process where insoles are heat-treated to make the perfect insoles in while you wait.,” the company said.

RUNNR said the system “ensures that whatever one’s requirements as a runner, the shoes and optional insoles minimize foot instability for better shock absorption, and minimize fatigue while reducing the chances of injury.”

Later this week, CebuRunning will be interviewing RUNNR founder Toby Claudio. If you have questions you want us to ask him, post it at the CebuRunning Facebook fan page. For more details on RUNNR, you can visit their site at www.runnr.com.ph, or check out their Facebook and Twitter accounts.