Adidas King of the Road on 23 October 2011

There was a time when there were only a handful of well-organized races to look forward to in our running calendar for the year.  One of the top races on that list was the adidas King of the Road.

I joined in 2007, 2008, and 2009.  Here’s a photo of me way back in 2007.  Rebel me, I refused to wear the singlet only to blend in with the sea of red runners so I intentionally wore all blue…and the competing brand at that! Hah!  I blushed—or more like hid under the table in complete shame—when the people from Adidas (specifically Ms. Odette Velarde) emailed me this photo happily saying they spotted me in the crowd of thousands:

– adidas King of the Road 2007: I’m in blue with best running buddy Annie to my right. (Miss you Annie!) –

adidas King of the Road will be held in Manila this coming October 23, 2011 at the Bonifacio Global City.  adidas expects 4,000 runners for this event.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT?

What makes this adidas King of the Road different is that it will be held in five countries across the region – Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines. Each country is a qualifying leg towards the finals with the winner and runner-up of each country’s 16.8km category winning an all-expenses paid trip to the Philippines (do our Pinoy winners get a trip to all 4 other countries? hmmm) to compete with the best of the best in Southeast Asia.

WHY 16.8KM?

What makes the 16.8km distance special and why this distance?  adidas says: “You’ll be able to complete 2 marathons (84km) over five (5) countries with adidas KOTR 2011.”  Meaning, 16.8 km x 5 countries = 84 km which is equivalent to 2 marathons.

Hmm…With all due respect to adidas folks, but I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around this whole concept since the adidas KOTR press conference a few months back and I still don’t get it!  After all, we runners don’t add up all our races in one year and say: “I’ve run 20 half marathons this year so I’ve technically ran 10 marathons.”  I got so confused about this that I just registered for my tried, tested, and highly favored 21km.  (If any of you can clearly explain the 16.8 distance to me I’ll treat you to a frap after the race!)

“COLOURED” THEME

KOTR features a different theme each year, and this year’s theme is entitled ‘Colours’. This is represented through the variety of different coloured adidas singlets participants will don. The multi-colour showcase is meant to demonstrate the vibrancy of the sports scene across Southeast Asia.

– adidas KOTR 2011 race bibs –

– adidas KOTR 2011 medals –

Registration is still open!  To register, visit the adidas King of the Road website for online credit card payment or drop by adidas stores for cash payments.

Event categories and race fees: P1,050 – 5km, P1,300 – 16.8km, P1,050 – 21k

Click HERE to download race FAQs.

Website: www.adidaskingoftheroad.com