Unicef Walk on the Child’s Side

TBR RACE REVIEW: UNICEF WALK ON THE CHILD’S SIDE 2008

Organizer: Rio de la Cruz
Overall rating (5 highest): 3

WOOHOO, HIGH FIVE!:
– challenging 10k course (as always whenever McKinley hill is included)
– fair atmosphere with kids’s entertainment (inflatable), photo wall, finisher’s family photo, raffle, etc.
– race marshalls were everywhere
– quick response of marshalls in emergency
– UPDATE: Same day release of race results

GOOD JOB:
– ample supply of mineral water at stations
– mile markers

AAW, BETTER JOB NEXT TIME:
– high traffic after entering McKinley hill
– limited parking space
– crowded race start (roads are too narrow in that area)
– need for more portalets (lines were too long)

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[ MY FIRST DNF ]

The Unicef Walk on the Child’s Side wasn’t going to be a “walk in the park” for me. This was the plan: I was to run 10k with JunC at 5:30 to 5:45 pace. Yaya would dress the kids, who lay asleep in the car, and have them race ready by 6:45 a.m. Hubby would run 5k so he could be back in time for the kids’ 2k at 7 a.m. Hopefully, I would run fast enough to be back for the 2k as well.

Now, this is what happened: JunC and I ran within 5:20 to 5:30 for the first 5k. It was quite fun to finally run fast again after so many long slow runs the past weeks. But, upon entering Heritage Park at around 5k+, my left knee started bothering me; it was just a slight nagging pain that I could’ve ran with until the finish. But, with Singapore Half only two weeks away, I’ve been practicing extreme caution and over-paranoia. So, bereft of any runner’s ego, I slowed down to a walk and bid JunC goodbye as I made my way to the marshalls’ booth asking them to drive me back to McKinley.

At first, they planned on making me ride a motorcycle with a marshall. Gawd, I had no pride when it comes to DNF-ing, but I certainly didn’t want to tell the world about it. I was about to search for a brown bag to cover my face when Billy, a Heritage Park marshall, volunteered his car instead of us having to wait for the medics.  As I was about to heave a sigh of relief, the host at Heritage announces on his microphone “Thank you for joining the race, Ms. Jaymie.  We hope you join us again next year!”  Oh boy, let’s tell the world indeed.  In no time at all, we were back at McKinley with a few minutes to spare before the 2km walk’s start.

[ A FAMILY OF RUNNERS ]

I knew it was a “2km walk”, but my press release at home was a “2km run.” My two kids were looking forward to this “fun run” for days, but they had very different goals. As it was my 7 year-old son’s 3rd or 4th run, he knew how tiring it could be so he only aimed to finish. On the other hand, my Little Miss Bull Runner, who was joining her 1st, had more serious plans. When I tucked her into bed the night before, she whispered “Mama, I’m going to win the race.”

I held my daughter’s hand, while hubby was with my son.  When the race started, it was a slow walk through the crowd and I could see the disappointment in Little Miss Bull Runner’s face.  But, as soon as there was space, we took our positions and I yelled “Ready, Get Set…Go!” as I always do when we race after school, and off she went smiling as she climbed up McKinley Hill.

We frequently stopped for walks and water breaks throughout the race, but for the most part, my daughter was dragging me to run faster.  Whenever Little Miss Bull Runner spotted Kuya in front of her, she would look up at me and say “Mamaaaa!” as if to say “We can’t let the boys beat us!”  

Before the race ended, as we climbed the other steep hill towards the exit of McKinley, I let go of my daughter’s hand and let her run free; as expected, she showed off her patented aerodynamic propeller-arm run for a final sprint.

As we neared the finish, hubby and I agreed to cross the finish all at the same time to ensure that no one “won” the race. The kids were spent, but they were happy.  This was definitely a good experience for the entire family.  

– Little Bull Runners with Little Foreign Runners –

When I tucked my daughter into bed that evening, she asked me if she won the race.  I replied “Yes, you won…and Kuya won too!”  Then, she asked “But…where’s my prize?”  Uh oh, let me think about that.

Thank you to the race organizers, especially those at Heritage Park, who took care of me during the little emergency!

Thank you to Dindo, JunC, and Marvs for photos!