TakBOOOO Bayani

Takbo Bayani is an upcoming race organized by the City of Marikina and the Marikina Sports Commission through Hon. Marides Fernando and Hon. Vic Sabiniano.  There are two things terribly wrong about this race:

1) Bayani Fernando’s head superimposed over his clipart physique on the registration form.  Que horror!  A graphic designer’s worst nightmare…

2) The exclusion of women in the 21k race.  Yes, you read it right.  Only men are allowed to participate in the half marathon.

I was bothered by this last week but I gave the race organizers the benefit of the doubt thinking that they must have had a good reason to ban women from the half.  Apparently not.

From Marga’s blog, she quotes a runner friend who questioned the race organizers about the gender bias and this was the response:

“It was a decision made by the Marikina Sports Commission to limit the 21k to male participants only because they felt that there might be very few or no female participants at all. We’ll take note of your concern and maybe in our succeeding events we will consider all genders in the 21k category.”

I think that’s the lamest excuse. Have these race organizers ever attended a race? Are they implying that we women can only run as far as a 10k? Do they not know that some women can even outrun men? And, one last question, are they living in the 21st century?

I am certainly not joining Takbo Bayani.  And I hope no one else does.  That’s why I’ve scrapped it from my list of races.