START (28TH STREET)
RIGHT AT 11TH AVENUE
RIGHT AT 26TH STREET
LEFT AT 5TH AVENUE
GO STRAIGHT TO LAWTON DRIVE
LEFT AT LIBINGAN ROAD
TURNAROUND AT (BLACK GATE) PHILIPPINE ARMY OFFICERS LADIE’S SCHOOL
RIGHT AT LAWTON DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO 5TH AVENUE
LEFT AT 32ND STREET ALL THE WAY TO KALAYAAN
DOWN BUENDIA
LEFT AT ESTACION ST. (BEFORE RAILROAD TRACKS)
RIGHT AT DELA ROSA STREET
UP BUENDIA SKYWAY OFF-RAMP
STRAIGHT TO BICUTAN
TURNAROUND
EXIT AT NAIA 3 INTERCHANGE
TURNAROUND 50 MTRS OFF TOLL BOOTH
BACK TO SKYWAY NORTHBOUND
EXIT BUENDIA OFF RAMP
RIGHT AT DELA ROSA STREET
LEFT AT ESTACION
RIGHT AT BUENDIA
UP KALAYAAN FLYOVER
DOWN 32ND STREET
LEFT UNIVERSITY PARKWAY
RIGHT AT TRIANGLE DRIVE
LEFT AT 10TH AVENUE
LEFT AT UNIVERSITY PARKWAY
RIGHT AT 32ND STREET
LEFT AT 5TH AVENUE
LEFT AT 29TH STREET (FINISH LINE)

Below was the old route as of Jan. 22, 2010:

Here are details for the CONDURA RUN 42km straight from Patrick and Ton Concepcion:

Assembly Time: 3:30 am
Gun Start: 4:00 am

Click HERE for actual race map.

PART 1: FORT BONIFACIO

• Up 28th Street
• Left towards 11th Ave.
• Right 32nd Street
• Left into University Parkway (where International School is)
• Right Triangle Drive
• Turnaround back to Triangle Drive and turnaround back to University Parkway
• Right 32nd Street
• Left 5th Ave. all the way to Lawton Ave.
• Left Bayani Road towards Libingan ng mga Bayani
• Left towards Heritage only unti Phil. Army Officers Ladies Foundation School. Don’t pass the steep incline.
• U-turn back to Bayani Road
• Right Lawton into 5th Ave
• Left 26th Street
• Right Rizal Drive into 32nd Street
• Left into Kalayaan Flyover

PART 2:

• Buendia up to before railroad tracks
• Left Estacion St.
• Right De la Rosa
• Up the Buendia off ramp northbound

PART 3: SKYWAY

• Skyway all the way until Bicutan
• U-turn at Bicutan
• Head back northbound up Naia 3 off ramp (aka Condura Skyway Heartbreak Hill – 200m climb) into Naia 3 toll booth
• After 15m, turnaround into Naia 3 on ramp into northbound
• Back to Skyway northbound
• Off ramp into Buendia into Kalayaan and into 32nd Ave.
• Right 5th Ave.
• Left 29th Street
• FINISH LINE! (Exclusive for 42km runners)

OTHER DETAILS:

• 15 physical water stations that runners will pass by twice so 30 water stations not more than 2k apart (ave. 1.4km apart)
• Ambulance at Fort, Buendia, and Skyway
• Takbo.ph aid station at off ramp of Buendia
• Portalets at Fort, Buendia, and Skyway
• 100Plus and Summit as hydration sponsor

Overall rating (10 highest): 5

THUMBS UP:

• Nice 10k course. Slightly different from Adidas KOTR and Condura which passed through the Buendia Flyover as we went straight through S&R instead of making a left back to the finish line.
• Several choices for the singlet design.  Marathoners could opt to have their names printed on their singlets.
• Gatorade at water stations.  Nice to see those green cups and Gatorade coolers along with the water.  No sign of baldes anywhere.
• Water from the fire truck at the bottom of Buendia flyover.
• Booths at the assembly area.

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME:

• Lack of marshalls led to a lot of marathoners losing their way on the course.  I have a marathoner friend who finished his “marathon” in a 32k course!  He probably lost his way in Rockwell.
• 21k/ 10k/ 5k started all at the same time at 6 a.m.  With this heat, race should’ve started earlier at 5:30 a.m. and at different schedules for each distance.
• Lack of information on race packet.  No course map in the packet, which was intentionally done to prevent cheaters for starting midway through the race.  But, my question is: why should all runners be penalized for this?  Why can’t they have marshalls to protect the course?  And worse, no race start time information for 21k, 10k and 5k on the race pack.
• Ran out of water at some water stations.  (I personally did not experience this.  It was reported by other runner friends.)
• No directional signs and kilometer markers for 10k and 5k.  I heard there were a few kilometer markers for the longer distances.

This was the first marathon set up by the race organizers of Botak Paa-tibayan Road Races.  Some experienced runners raised concern—perhaps not publicly but among their inner circles—over the ability of the organizer to put up such a complex race with little experience in other shorter distances.  Was this why there was a small turnout—just a little over a thousand runners in my estimate—that showed up for the race?

For the marathon, the race was definitely not in the league of international races, perhaps not even matching up to recently held local races, such as Condura Race.  The lack of marshalls at the Rockwell portion was a major oversight that led to runners losing their way.  There is room for improvement in other areas as well: more directional signs and kilometer markers, more marshalls, and more water stations.

For shorter distances, the race was satisfactory.  The oversights—such as same race starts for all distances, late start time schedule, and lack of water at stations—did not become major issues due to the small number of runners.  One can only imagine what could’ve happened had there been over 5,000 runners who joined.

Overall, it was an average race with a lot of room for improvement. The race was well-promoted, but the actual event did not live up to the hype.  It was the first time for these race organizers to launch a full-blown marathon, so we hope that they apply their learnings in future races, specifically the upcoming Botak Paa-Tibayan 100k on June 10.

Congratulations is still in order for Botak Paa-bilisan!

——————————————————

To say that I was anxious about this race would be an understatement.  The day before the race, I was still wondering why I registered for 10k despite the pain in my foot and whether I should downgrade to 5k.  That night, I got a massage and when I stood up, all pain was gone.  Okay, 10k it was.  Sheesh, my first 10k in training or in a race in months!  

Hubby and I arrived at the assembly area with enough time for a warm up and double visits to the restroom.  By the time we entered the starting line area, it was only 3 minutes before gun start.  The race started at exactly 6 a.m.

For the first time, hubby and I paced each other throughout the race.  He has significantly improved the past few months, while I have basically transformed into a turtle.  We ran at an easy 6 to 6:30 pace wary of every single tingle in my body, each footstrike I made, and which portion of the cumbered road I was running on.  Yes, I was over analyzing but that’s what injuries can do to you.

– Hubby and I after the race -

We ran together through Bonifacio Global City, up the Buendia flyover, down towards Kalayaan, through the turnaround, up Buendia facing the scorching sun (where I think I got sunburned despite sunblock on my face), and straight to the finish side by side.  Hubby said I made him dizzy because I would spin around him once in a while in search of the perfect portion of road that was flat so that it wouldn’t hurt the knees.  He, on the other hand, was a great running buddy.  He would update me of the kilometers, remind me of our pace, and even followed my every whim, including the time I asked if we could outpace a woman who had the same outfit as I did;  I just didn’t enjoy running behind someone that reminded me of my lack of uniqueness in the world.

We ended the race holding hands (Kidding!  Got you there, didn’t I?) with an unofficial time of 1 hour, 2 minutes for 10.15km.  Our average pace was 6:11 min/km.

I’ve had better times, but again, this was a momentous occasion for me.  My first 10k since the injury (don’t count the Condura Half Marathon…haha) and with very minimal pain during the race.  

– Fast runners, Jerry and Mari -

– Jay (Prometheus Cometh) still running after the race ended -

– with Allyn and Ever Go and Ever’s sister, Anson. Nice uniforms! Belated happy birthday to another bullheaded runner, Allyn! -

We shared a great breakfast with the Solemates Jun and Mariel at Paul Calvin’s Deli with Jay (Prometheus Cometh) dropping by for a quick chat.  Among the topics, are we well enough to join TNF 100?  Ooooh, give me this week to decide!

– with Jun and Mariel (SoleMates) and hubby after a filling breakfast -

• May 10: Paa-Tibayan Takbo 42k Marathon (5k/ 10k/ 21k/ 42k)
• June 28: Paa-Tibayan Takbo 100k (1m/ 5m/ 10m/ 50k solo/ 100k relay/ 100k solo)

I was looking forward to meeting the people behind Botak, especially famed cross-country runner, Mr. Cesar Guarin, but my schedule wouldn’t permit.  Fortunately, good friend Jun accepted my invitation to come as proxy and eat a hefty meal for me at Red Box while he immersed himself in the race discussion.

Jun reports that the races seem to be well-planned and organized.  People behind it are experienced: for the marathon, it will be led by one who helped Rudy B. organize races for years, and for the 100k, it will be headed by no less than Pinoy Ultra Runner Team Principal, Neville Manaois.

So, who’s game for the 1st Marathon of 2009 this May?  Raise your hands, please?

Below are details/posters for upcoming Botak Races:

PRESS RELEASE

Isport BOTAK sets the stage for marathon milestone

Isport BOTAK, in cooperation with OlymPlus, presents Paa-Tibayan Takbo 42-kilometer marathon traversing the cities of Taguig and Makati on May 10, 2009.

Set to be a milestone in the sport of running, Paa-Tibayan Takbo 42-K marathon responds to the increasing popularity of the sport both as a competitive field and a hobby for Filipinos.  As the event further promotes the sport, it aims to help the country achieve its goal for an Olympic gold in 2012 by providing runners a competitive environment.  In parallel, the event seeks to raise public consciousness of running as a fitness activity and an alternative hobby for a healthy lifestyle.

As the patron of the Paa-Ligsahan Takbong Pambansa Running Program, Isport BOTAK expects this marathon milestone to draw members of various running clubs, race enthusiasts, Sunday joggers, and even first-timers.  The centerpiece 42-K marathon starts at the back of the NBC Tent at The Fort Global City in Taguig at exactly 4:30 am.  Its route will pass through C-5, Ayala, and Rockwell then back to The Fort for the finish line.  In recognition of the runners who complete the whole 42-K stretch, Isport BOTAK will award each of them a finisher’s medal. 

Meanwhile, the 21-kilometer half-marathon starts at 5:45am, covering the Kalayaan flyover, Ayala Avenue, Makati Avenue, Rockwell and ending once again at The Fort.  Further, two side events, the 10-kilometer run to start at 5:45am and the 5-kilometer run to start at 6:00am will both take their course around The Fort.  In support of Isport BOTAK and the running community, Manila Water will provide sprinkler showers along the Makati route and at the finish line.

Interested participants can register at ROX (Recreational Outdoor Exchange) and Fitness First at The Fort, Sports Connection in Pasong Tamo, Makati and at the Botak Sports Shop at 131 Kamuning Road, Quezon City.  The registration fee for the Paa-Tibayan Takbo 42-K marathon is Php 400; Php 350 for the 21-K half-marathon; and Php 250 for the 5-K and the 10-K runs.  The first 250 to register can have the privilege of having their names printed on their race jerseys.  For inquiries, contact the race director at 4156096 or 4106966.

Following this race is Botak’s 100K marathon to be held on June 28,  2009 at the University of the Philippines.  Watch out for it!

PAA-TIBAYAN TAKBO 42K FLYER

BOTAK PAA-TIBAYAN 100K FLYER