Race Report: Run BGC 2012

Race: Run BGC 2012
Date: 25 November 2012
Venue: Bonifacio Global City
Organizer: Runrio

It was no surprise that Manila’s favorite race venue, Bonifacio Global City, pulled off an awesome race with its event, Run BGC.  Partnered with the best race organizer around, Runrio, the race was another one of my favorite events.  The race was relatively small compared with other larger events with 3,000 runners attending, but this contributed to the relaxed, informal, and intimate affair.  The race start was on the road behind Mercato Centrale, a road infrequently used for race starts which was perfect for the size of the race.  The 15k course took runners through the long climb of University Ave. and Bayani Road and Lawton Ave., again, a race course that isn’t commonly used in road races.  This was a fun and challenging course.  Hydration, road marshals, and kilometer signs were perfect.  The race ended at 7th Avenue between Bonifacio High Street and Bonifacio High Street Centrale.  Runners gathered for the awarding at BHS Centrale, another perfect venue for a fun, intimate post-event celebration.

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To make things a wee bit more colorful, Lit, Ton, and I agreed to run this event fast.  It’s off season for us and we’re all pretty much goal-less, so, to keep boredom at bay, we put our game faces on and agreed to race this one.

We warmed up together and waited for the race to start, but when the gun went off, we sped off on our own.  Lit and I pretty much ran at the same clip throughout the first 8k.  We were going at around 5:25 pace.  Wow, I had so much fun running fast again. I felt great, but, in my head, with the lack of training especially tempo runs, I knew I would die before I hit the finish line.  True enough, by 9k, I found myself waving off Lit, telling him to go ahead and run his own race.  It was around that time that I felt nauseous, too.  I slowed down and managed to finish the race at 1:29 with an average pace of 5:56.

– When things were still good! Photo: Running Photographers –

For such a great course and a wonderful race, I was slightly disappointed with my run. But, over the years, I’ve learned to take it in stride and just commit to train better for the next race. (Well, that was actually great training for my Angkor Wat Half Marathon this coming weekend.)

– After the race at Jamba Juice with friends Ton, Jun, and one of my favorite people, Kim –