Nike+ Human Race – Part 1

Together with the rest of the world, over 200 runners showed up at McKinley Hill to take part in the Pinoy version of the Nike+ Human Race. This local race, as I’ve been told, was Nike’s “gift” to all users of the Nike+ ipod SportsKit and SportsBands. It didn’t matter if one was a loyal user or one of those who scrambled to purchase (or win—haha) a kit a few days before the race; as long as you registered and wore the Nike+ on your arm or wrist, you were in.

- Nike Team headed by Country Director, Coco Mauricio wearing No. 1 Race Bib (of course!) and Neville Manaois of Pinoy Ultra Runners (No. 83) -

The atmosphere was light, fun, and festive—so unlike the larger major races that can get overcrowded and messy. Parking was easy, restrooms were clean (almost hotelish, if you get what I mean), and most runners were running loops around the assembly area to warm up. By 5:30am, my good friend Annie climbed up onstage to lead some light exercises and stretching to get everyone race ready. I decided to go for a jog and some light stretching instead, I’m anti-social that way.

- Fun fun fun! -

I felt strong and ready for this race. My upper body was slightly sore from a 600m swim the day before, but apart from that, I was raring to go. I switched on my ipod shuffle to hear my favorite song for the month, Cold Play’s Viva La Vida, as the 1st song on shuffle mode—just what I needed to climb the steep uphill we were about to face. At exactly 6 a.m., we were off.

It felt like a slow mountain trek up that hill, but we all survived. (Thank you for your prayers!) In the middle of the climb, I saw Foreign Runner speeding down the opposite side of the road (Philip, ang bilis mo!) followed by Annie. Yes, I just saw two people at that time, the rest of the runners were a blur.

Before I knew it, I too had gone downhill, up again, and out of McKinley Hill towards Lawton Avenue. I maintained a pace of 5:30 thereabouts from Lawton to Bayani road, which left me feeling tired and thirsty. I believe I took advantage of every single water station available, and believe me, there were a lot of them. (Great job, Coach Rio and Jo-Ar!) One cup to drink, another cup to wash my face. That second cup of cold water did wonders, I tell you.

As in our reconnaisance mission last week, the run inside the flat roads of Heritage Park was a welcome treat. I think it was the only long stretch of road that allowed me to breathe again. It was during this time that my bull horns started popping up. I saw a few male runner friends (who shall not be named) ahead of me and thought “I sure could outrun them” but then, I controlled myself by repeating my new mantra “Complete, not compete.” over and over and over…

It worked—for half a kilometer or so. As we exited Heritage Park and made our way up Bayani Road, the same guys were still within my vision, just a few meters ahead of me. I still maintained my pace and felt like I got my second wind somewhat. I maintained my pace, enjoyed my music, and didn’t focus on racing. Then, climbing up the last hill before making a right towards Lawton, I felt my bullhorns growing out of my head (you didn’t see them because they were concealed by my cap); I felt strong and I started increasing my pace during the ascent. One by one, I outpaced the guys that were once ahead of me. By the time I made a right turn, I was ahead of them. I increased my pace even more, striding through the flat roads knowing I was nearing the finish.

I only slowed down in the steep downhill close to the finish (my shin splints are aggravated by running downhill) and, unfortunately, that’s where Guy #1 outpaced me. Then, as I closed in on the finish line, Guy #2 ran ahead of me too. I think Guy #3 & 4 were still behind me when I crossed the finish.

These guys are my friends and I know they detest getting “chicked,” but hey it was all fun and friendly competition. Right, girls?

According to my Garmin, I finished 10.4 km at 59.11 minutes. I reached my conservative goal of finishing my first “comeback” 10k race below 1 hour. I was satisfied with my performance considering it was such a tough course.

- Finishers immediately upload their runs on laptops available onsite. How cool is that? -

ANNIE

First thing I did after the race was to search for Annie. I expected her to have placed 1st. She was nowhere in sight. I chatted with friends first thinking Annie was probably changing until I bumped into Drew A. who brought some bad news: Annie had collapsed.

Annie was 1.5km away from the finish line. She was the first among all women. Her closest competitor was a far 600m behind. She was definitely going to win this. But, little did she know that she was dehydrated already (she didn’t have time to drink water after her warm up onstage and went straight towards the race start.) Her vision started blurring while she was running, but she disregarded this and went full blast. She wanted to win this for her daughter who was celebrating her 14th birthday. The prize, P16,000 worth of Nike GCs, was going to be a surprise gift for her daughter. She wanted it badly but her body couldn’t take it. She blacked out.

When I spoke to Annie over the phone, she was already in a hospital in Bonifacio and was hooked up to a dextrose. She was in tears over her daughter’s “lost” birthday gift—and so was I. Annie is a strong woman—one of the strongest I know—but, like any other mother, she just turns into a marshmallow when it comes to her children. Annie is now fine; she’s going to teach a yoga class today. To all those who sent SMS and expressed concern for Annie, my partner-in-running-crime, thank you!

TOP FINISHER

So, I was home, sitting on the floor near our bed telling my hubby about the awesome experience of running a 10k again as I munched on my banana and peanut butter combo when I receive an SMS from a friend. She told me that it was too bad we didn’t see each other in the race and, she adds almost in passing, that I won. I sent a message back asking “Won what?!” I seriously thought I won the cruise to Coron that I was pining over for the past few weeks (but Armand won that one, congrats!). Then she says that I won top finisher in my age category! What a surprise! The Bull Runner—complete with bullhorns plus P3,000 worth of GC’s from Nike—is back!

Next post: More race photos…This post was just way too long wasn’t it?

Posted on 09.01.08 to 02 Race Reports. Tags: Nike, Nike Human Race, Races. Subscribe to follow comments on this post. 30 comments. Add your thoughts or trackback from your own site.

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30 Responses to “Nike+ Human Race – Part 1”

Good job Jaimie, i pray for annie and im glad she is doing better. She is and will always be 1 greatr runner

I forwarded your SMS to Annie. She sent her thanks.

runningshield said on Sep 01 08 at 10:14 AM Reply
hi, ms jaymie, there is no problem if your post is too long..the longer & more detailed, the better! congrats for winning in your age category and i am happy that you are back in the 10K road races. the nike’s human race here in los angeles will start at 8:30 PM (tonight). my kids & i were supposed to run as “bandits” (the whole family does not use nike + shoes!) but we are going out for my son’s birthday celebration for a dinner. hope to see you soon!

Hey BR, you should’ve ran then enjoyed a post-race dinner haha. See you soon!

kingofpots said on Sep 01 08 at 10:16 AM Reply
Congrats Jaymie! We were looking for you when your name was announced. It was a fun race although my worst this year. I was sore and couldn’t breathe well due to a bad cold. I even had a hanky to wipe off my dripping nose while running. Thanks for the pre-race race. It was lots of fun!

Marvs, you didn’t look like you were suffering at all!

marvs said on Sep 01 08 at 10:20 AM Reply
hi jaymie! great to see that ur (almost) back in top
running form

more AG podium finishes to come!… starting with
animo tri (right?)

I’m not even hoping to win a tri. Just getting my feet wet for now

backpacker said on Sep 01 08 at 10:46 AM Reply
Hi bullrunner,

Congrats to your sub 1hr comeback run + age cat win…

Pls. extend my regards to Annie, one helluva woman I know, the mind-over-matter-personified. Get well soon…

Thanks georgieboy!

georgieboy said on Sep 01 08 at 10:49 AM Reply
Congratulations!

At last, I got to meet TBR / Top finisher and future Tri star.

Chris, yes it was nice meeting you

chris said on Sep 01 08 at 10:52 AM Reply
Am so glad to hear that it appears that you’re out of the woods as far as injuries are concerned Medyo napaiyak din ako doon sa nangyari kay Annie Congratulations again!!! BTW, do visit Coron….just go

virginia

Virginia, i’ll wait for Coach Rio’s next race. Baka may coron trip ulit. Next time magpakita ka sa race ah!

levyang said on Sep 01 08 at 11:02 AM Reply
Libre!!! =p

I thought you were the first one to cross the ribbon? Ikaw mang-libre!

marga said on Sep 01 08 at 11:07 AM Reply
congratulations on running that difficult route… and to have won also… amazing! Time to slow down again though, give your body a chance to recover, before going full blast again in training

It’s good Annie’s already ok

Congratulations once again!

Thanks loony

loonyrunner said on Sep 01 08 at 11:23 AM Reply
congrats on finishing this race and on winning the prize! Felt bad for Annie but glad to hear she is okay.

Thanks

Runningfatboy said on Sep 01 08 at 11:25 AM Reply
Annie… dehydrated? Wow, I was looking for her name in the final results. It’s a good thing she has recovered.

Congratulations on your win.

Regards Mark & Tiffin

Thanks! Glad you were able to run, Mark!

Mark P said on Sep 01 08 at 11:36 AM Reply
so that explains it.. i was kinda surprised annie (uhm, can i call her by her fist name?) didnt make it to the top 3 (female) finishers. but we sure are gald she’s okay now

sorry for the hi-and-bye encounter in nike high street. was running late for our family lunch. but anton was not there.. still have to thank him for drawing my name in the raffle! haha. but it was nice to have finally met you

Anton was just parking with my husband. Sayang, when Anton picked your name and until later that day, he kept on saying “Winna is the winner!” hahaha. Nice meeting you too

winna said on Sep 01 08 at 11:51 AM Reply
hi jaymie! i saw you yesterday but was not able to greet you because i saw that you were always in the middle of a crowd…daming fans congratulations on the run. what a feat too, considering the heat!

’til the next run/race!

Hey lisa, hindi yun fans. Friends lang yun. Hope to see you again!

lisa said on Sep 01 08 at 12:34 PM Reply
by the way, thanks again to your little bull runner for without him i would not have been able to join the race (and a well-organized race it was) and run my first “hill-y” course! in as much as i conquered the runs uphill, for now, the flats remain to be my best friend

lisa said on Sep 01 08 at 1:01 PM Reply
Congratulations! The Bull Runner is back with a vengeance! Good to meet you again and glad to hear that Annie’s ok too.

DATC said on Sep 01 08 at 1:03 PM Reply
congrats tbr! glad your friend annie is feeling better now.

i missed the race. was probably too tired from being overly excited in preparing for the race. when i woke up, its already 5:30 am at umuulan pa. i decided to run 10k in the afternoon, went to nike high street after but rio’s staff is no longer there (was there at exactly 5:00 pm). im chasing rio to get my finisher’s bracelet, the nike staff said they had some more left.

cRuel said on Sep 01 08 at 1:07 PM Reply
hi bull runner,

i was searching for my conclusion on how is annie doing now, and found out from you that she’s good right now, thank you God. i believe though that she’ll be fine coz i know she’s a winner. i know because even in her ordeal yesterday, she kept on whispering that she will win that race. a true winner for me and a dedicated individual.
my warmest regards to her and best wishes.

vfroldan said on Sep 01 08 at 1:46 PM Reply
Dear Ms. Bullrunner,

Thank you very much for bringing this inspiring story to my attention. Athletes like your friend Annie are what inspires us here at Nike. We laud her determination and wish her a speedy recovery.

I would appreciate it if you could inform her daughter that we at Nike Park applaud her mothers effort and in turn would like to give her a 16K Gift Certificate. Please provide me the name of her daughter so I can make arrangements for her to pick it up at Nike Bonifacio High Street. She can then avail of it at any Nike Park Store. You may get in touch with me at my email address.

Best regards,

Miguel Celdran

Miguel Celdran said on Sep 01 08 at 2:49 PM Reply
Hi TBR. Congrats on the race. Wasn’t around to see the event but the recaps in the blog showed how everybody enjoyed it.

jinoe said on Sep 01 08 at 2:57 PM Reply
Hi jayms! guess need to write and say Thank You for everything! Gulat ka? Jayms sorry if i will use your blog ha i know sobrang sikat to! hehe! Million thanks to the runner/s (dnt know what happened talaga e) who brought me to the hospital. To all my friends/runners who wished me well and expressed their concern-SALAMAT!! I’m 100% ok now…i’l start my training tom…love running!! To coach rio u did a very good job yesterday. And to coach Jo-ar congrats and thank you!

annie agoncillo said on Sep 01 08 at 5:20 PM Reply
Pahabol: to NIKE people u’r the BEST!! Excellent race!! thanks!

annie agoncillo said on Sep 01 08 at 5:29 PM Reply
Didn’t know that a runner blacked out during the race. The way you narrated what happened to Annie was very inspiring. She’ll be back to race again…

It was my first ever 10K run and honestly, I never would have joined it if you did not reply to my text message I sent you the day before the race. It was a great race! Thanks to Nike and the organizers

Didn’t have the chance to meet you ‘coz by the time I crossed the finish line in 1:17:01 according to the final tally, you probably have already gone home. Hope to see you na lang at the 2008 Philippine Blog Awards event.

Spikeithard said on Sep 01 08 at 8:30 PM Reply
Hello Bullrunner! Aug 31, What a glorious day! Was surprised to see of a picture of myself in your blog, hehehe (the one with the red cap and blue rudy projects).
Tried to convince marga to run too but she’d rather be a cheetah first before joining anything with the word runnning in it.
Annie did give us a hearty warmup–but it really was warm that morning. Glad to hear she has recovered.
Congrats on your win! That means youre back in form!
I do hope Nike makes sure the Philippines will be a race city next year (no need to go to Singapore right? hehehe!)!

George Thomas L. Bodegon said on Sep 01 08 at 9:25 PM Reply
hi bull runner,

good to know that annie’s back. let’s get kickin’ back again. btw did she get her pair of shoes back?

vfroldan said on Sep 01 08 at 10:33 PM Reply
It’s George! In the Fun fun fun photo! George, parang bikeout ang punta imbes na takbo ah! Hehehe.

marga said on Sep 02 08 at 6:59 AM Reply
Hi bull runner,
Congrats! it was really a great race! I also had a great time! I thank the Lord that Annie is in good shape now. God bless!

Bro J said on Sep 02 08 at 12:44 PM Reply
Congrats (and sori) Jaymie! Glad that Annie is now ok. till the next race! thanks Jaymie.

odie said on Sep 03 08 at 11:34 AM Reply
Hi Jaymie! Congrats!

Mitch said on Sep 04 08 at 11:07 AM Reply