Century Tuna Superbods Run 2010

TBR RACE REVIEW: Century Tuna Superbods Run 2010
ORGANIZER: Run Rio
RATING:

LEGEND:
5 TBR medals – Excellent | 4 TBR Medals – Very Good | 3 TBR Medals – Average |
2 TBR Medals – Poor| 1 TBR Medal – Terrible

THUMBS UP:

gigantic event with 11,000 plus runners
timing chip
spectacular set-up: wide open spaces for post-race event, supermarket, go-see, freebies, program, etc
plenty directional signs along the route
marshals lined the route
abundant water and Gatorade in long tables (given out by Brazilian models!)
organized parking and assembly area
LCD screens for the start/finish
display of finisher’s name on LCD screen upon finish
challenging 10k route
convenient and easy registration and race packet redemption
immediate release of results (Click HERE for results)
Run pix and Photovendo

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME:

early start of 10k
cars along the route (runners were literally running through traffic)
dark areas despite floodlights
many runners lost their way despite marshals directions and directional signs (or some due to wrong directions of marshals)

SPECTACULAR. GRAND. UNBELIEVABLE. All the superlatives were rolling out of my tongue as I viewed the gargantuan stage set-up, LCD screens in the starting line, and all 11,000 plus runners sprawled across the expanse of road across Bonifacio High Street. This was definitely the biggest, most high-tech, and world-class race I had the pleasure of joining.

Early on, due to the magnitude of the event, I quite frankly expected the worst. I expected traffic, chaos, crowds, and a runner’s worst nightmare: a whole lot of pushing and shoving during the race leading to the slowest performance ever. Yes, there were reports of misdirected runners, close-call road accidents, or advanced gun start of the 10k, that some runners complained about. But, fortunately for me, mine was a near-perfect experience.

This was THE race to be in. This was the kind of race that brought surprises, made my heart race with excitement, and gave me a thrill over the entire running experience. As I stood there amid the organized chaos after the race, I thought: How far running has come in the Philippines…and I can’t wait for even more surprises!

Bravo to Century Tuna and Run Rio for staging, for me, was one of the best race events of the year!

– So many runners at the finish line. Amazing! -

– Huge fair after the race. Raymund, Vimz and I were like highschool kids in a school fair -

————————————–

LIMBO LAND

What do you do 2 weeks after Condura marathon and one week before HK marathon? Can one race in a training shoe (New Balance 1225) that’s just being broken in? I had no clue. I just knew I registered for 10km for Century Superbods run and I was in the mood to race.

I stood at the assembly area with Atty. Raymund (Everybody Loves Raymund) and his friend, Jolon and waited only a few seconds before the race started. Here’s the funniest short clip about our foolish mistake! You have to see it…Click HERE.

FAST…TOO FAST!

We sped off into the dark along with all the other 10k runners. It’s been so long since I joined a 10k event that I completely forgot about warming up (something I do during 21k runs). We were running at sub-5 min/km pace and my legs felt stiff and heavy. Argh. We were running way too fast.

A couple of kilometers after, I reminded Raymund that we should slow down. We kept a steady pace at 5:30 min/km instead. Still, the pace kept me challenged all throughout the run. I realized how the past week’s workload and late nights had taken a toll on my body.

LONG UPHILL

There it was again. That long uphill near I.S. that tormented me during the last 2kms of Condura Marathon. The same one I’ve run over and over again during training runs. I mustered up my strength and pretended I had fresh legs and went at it. For a while, I zoned out again and kept a strong pace climbing up. Before I knew it, the hill was gone and the roads were flat again.

FUN FINISH

That 10k was fun and fast. It’s been so long since I raced that way; I didn’t know how much I missed it! According to my Garmin, my time was 53:54 for 10.14km. Average pace: 5:18 min/km.

Official time was 54:11. And, for another surprise to end a wonderful run, I placed 12th overall for females out of 628 runners. Woohooo!

Cick HERE for results.

– with pace buddy Atty Raymund (Everybody Loves Raymund) -

– In a sea of 11t runners, we managed to bump into the fastest of ‘em all: Eduardo Buenavista with Raymund, Vimz (The Kulit Runner), and myself -

– Poor hubby didn’t reg for the race thinking he’d be camping out with Lil Bull Runner. Plans changed and the sched freed up but it was too late. Hubby ran around BHS instead during the race -

– with Raymund, Vimz (The Kulit Runner), and Edward -

– with Renze of Newton, his friend, and Raymund -

– The day wouldn’t have been complete without a photo with the giant Century Tuna can! -

* Thanks to Vima (Kulit Runner) for some of the photos.

Posted on 02.22.10 to 02 Race Reports. Tags: Century Tuna. Subscribe to follow comments on this post. 20 comments. Add your thoughts or trackback from your own site.

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20 Responses to “Century Tuna Superbods Run 2010”

Century Run was.. an OK race. I enjoyed last year’s TIMEX RUN more.

johnnnnnyboy said on Feb 22 10 at 12:30 PM Reply
- Hi johnnynnnnboy, timex was another great race. Definitely.
  
  thebullrunner said on Feb 22 10 at 3:04 PM Reply
i agree. it was a grand and well thought out event. unfortunately, i was one of the 10K runners who didn’t get to run the full course because the marshal pointed us to the wrong direction. turns out i finished the race around 2K shorter and 15 mins earlier than expected. it could have been a whole lot better if it wasn’t for mr. marshal. grrrr…

giddyyap said on Feb 22 10 at 12:39 PM Reply
congrats! and good luck in the HK marathon next sunday.

goldie said on Feb 22 10 at 1:46 PM Reply
Hello Jaymie! We have the same shoe — and didn’t it perform awesome yesterday? I didn’t have the stellar race experience you did, but it would have been a near-perfect race for me if I’d been able to start on time.

Noelle De Guzman said on Feb 22 10 at 2:11 PM Reply
Definitely world class! Thanks to the guys at Finishline and Runrio for organizing this race.

mickymac said on Feb 22 10 at 2:38 PM Reply
Hi giddyap, aaack…that’s terrible! Same thing happened to a friend

thebullrunner said on Feb 22 10 at 3:11 PM Reply
Hi Jaymie! Looks like you are all set for HK! Sayang didnt see you in the sea of humanity yesterday. Now, make sure you catch up on your sleep this week for another Marathon PR!

Noy said on Feb 22 10 at 4:36 PM Reply
Just wondering….
How can it be world class if it people got lost,if the race didn’t start on time (too early).???

Albu said on Feb 22 10 at 5:26 PM Reply
ei jaymie, had a great (non-running) time with you and raymund and migs and the rest of the guys yesterday… see you at dinner later!

vimz said on Feb 22 10 at 5:53 PM Reply
well it is the BIGGEST race ive joined so far but i was a bit dissapointed because i intended to run a 5k race but ended up running more than i bargained for…whats worse, i dont even know the exact distance i ran (some of my pace buddies say it was around 8 to 9.5k). pero dahil sa inalmusal kong puro tuna all is forgiven hehe.im really looking forward to rio’s next leg…ciao!!! and conrats everyone!!!

brianc said on Feb 22 10 at 10:09 PM Reply
What was the explanation given by the organizers for the early start of the 10-k? I was casually walking to the assembly point, knowing the race would start in 20 minutes, when the big screen started counting down. I also witnessed a near-accident at one of the intersections. The marshalls should have been reinforced by policemen–hindi kasi sumusunod yung ibang motorsists sa marshalls

Jojo said on Feb 22 10 at 11:04 PM Reply
This is a good review of the Century Tuna Superbods event, I’m always looking forward to your unbiased and detailed event summary after every race. My wife and I definitely enjoyed the race and the whole event as well. Your short clip on the assembly line was really funny! Have a great time on your HK marathon!

Mike J. said on Feb 23 10 at 7:12 AM Reply
Hi Jaymie,

We reached the finish line almost at the same time. I would have wanted to meet you and have your autograph, he he he. You are my idol! Because there were so many 10k runners, I didn’t have a chance to see you. Maybe during the UNILAB run? I am going to do my first 21k at the UNILAB. See you there.

Mary June

Mary June V. said on Feb 23 10 at 9:34 AM Reply
By the way, I saw you at the NUVALI trail run. Just wondering why you and your hubby didn’t join. It was real fun and excitement. My partner and I joined the couples run. That was our first trail run. Our plan was just to reach the finish line with all the parts of our bodies intact. But with my partner’s unforgiving pace and enthusiasm, endlessly egging me on to keep the pace, we ended up at 5th place at the couples run. Keeps me thinking though as to when we could join a 42k race.

Mary June Villamor

Mary June V. said on Feb 23 10 at 9:41 AM Reply
Hi Jaymie! Just an observation, you gave this race 5 TBR medals while you gave Condura 4 TBR medals. This race was so problematic that Coach Rio himself had to issue an apology. There were a lot of good things with this race but I dont think it deserves 5 TBR.

Patryk said on Feb 23 10 at 2:26 PM Reply
it was a great event, it’s just too sad that in another running website, even it’s own moderator bragged about banditting this race and even consumed water/electrolyte drinks and gels intended for the registered runners and still feel really proud about it. tsk, tsk,tsk…

arnel said on Feb 23 10 at 8:44 PM Reply
The residents in the area are complaining of the extreme noise from the Century Run. Other runs were held in the same area but they were not noisy. This one just takes the cake.

lizlemon said on Feb 25 10 at 4:19 PM Reply
Hi Jaymie,

NICE PICS, Jaymie.

Allow me to make a comment on the post race results. One thing that caught my attention is the inclusion in the overall list of runners who do not have complete split times. Such inclusion would pull down the rankings of those who submitted complete split times. Ordinarily, I would not have mind the change if other runners really deserve to be up there in the list. What I mind is the inclusion of the runners I mentioned.

In the timex 21k run, one runner ranked No. 389 with a time of 02:21:51 and with complete split times. This same runner was included in the century tuna overall list with incomplete split times. Now, this runner is in the top 20 with a time of 01:21:50. It would be hard to fathom that this runner cut more than an hour of his time in the timex run. It would be harder to fathom that this runner would be, in a span of two months, be as good as coach rio.

Another example is a runner who ranked in the Century tuna 21k top 40 with a time of 01:29:46 but with incomplete split times. This same runner joined the timex 10k fun run and submitted a time of 01:12:25 with complete split times, enough for a No. 613 ranking. How in heavens can a 10k time of 01:12:25 translate into a 01:29:46 21k finish time? If there is such an excellent strategy, medicine, potion, tablet, gel or any other supplement that could catapult an ordinary runner to the class of elite runners like coach rio, I would certainly love to learn the strategy or take the medicine, etc.

Please do not interpret this as a form of ranting from one person like me who just loves to run and join good races. I am just worried that results in future races would also be inaccurate and the credibility of the rankings highly questionable. I say that we put matters in the proper perspective and make separate lists of runners with incomplete split times.

But then again, despite the race’s imperfections and the issues I raised about the rankings, I enjoyed every minute of the race. Congratulations to coach rio and to all runners who joined the race.

Jerome A.
21k finisher

P.S.

My partner and I would love to have our pictures taken with you in the next races. If you can include coach rio, please do so and we will be honored to have you and him in our photoalbum.

Jerome said on Feb 25 10 at 4:24 PM Reply
Looks like a great race, too bad I wasn’t able to join Maybe in the next Run Rio Races. Yeah, bandits and cheaters should be caught and punished!

Nathaniel said on Feb 25 10 at 8:33 PM Reply