Takbong May Yabang 5k/ 10k on October 18, 2008, Saturday starts at 5:30 a.m. in Cuenca Community Center at Ayala Alabang.

You may bring registration form and P150 registration fee on race day.  Click here to download registration form.

For more info, call Patrick Joson, 842-1468/ 0917-5277141.

For info, call race organizer: Rio Dela Cruz (3965170 / 0906 5768486 / 09289034266), email rio@runrio.com or visit site.

There’s something about the Adidas King of the Road that makes the race a notch above the rest; it must be the presence of thousands of eager runners, the half marathon offering, great-looking singlets, a well-organized assembly, and a number of other things, but all I know is that the moment I arrived at the assembly area, I went on full race mode eager to get going. Instantly, I forgot about last night’s rantings about the missing route map or lack of race bibs in the days leading up to the Adidas KOTR; I was just wanted to race. And, that’s what I got.

After my warm up and stretching, I waited just a few minutes—with winning triathletes and showbiz celebrities Drew Arellano and Paolo Abrera right behind me and my favorite reader Cougcat right outside the barrier—before the 10k gun went off at exactly 5:55 a.m. My secret goal (sorry, I couldn’t share with you) was simply to run a sub-55 hour 10k, a very conservative goal, which I knew I could achieve in this fast course after two consecutive weekend races at hilly Ayala Alabang.

What can I say? The course was awesome! I enjoyed running so much (or was it because I saw super funny and witty Rovilson Fernandez pass by me?) that I snobbed my Garmin throughout the race. I disregarded time and pace and focused on simply giving my best. I didn’t even feel the need to compete against other runners. I just ran, and ran, and ran.

As we climbed the Buendia flyover, I was still in high spirits and it was a delight to see friends who joined the 21k making their way back towards Bonifacio Global City. When the first few running friends passed, I would yell “Go, Glenn” then “Go Joms” then “Go Ben” then “Go Annnnniiiiie” but then, after a while, I thought I would lose my mind (and breath) just cheering for them. To conserve energy, I waved at others to show my support.

Once we hit the flat roads of Buendia, I stopped watching the 21k runners on the other side of the street and looked straight ahead. It was time to get going. After all, flat means fast (hey, I’m talking about the roads, not chests). So, I ran to my heart’s delight.  I only stopped to glance at my watch during the 5k turnaround at Reposo then I went on again.

Before I knew it, it was time to climb back up the steep Buendia flyover, which was a lot tougher than the 1st half. With the intense heat, most of the runners before me had began to walk while I slowed down to a 5:50 pace. Wow, it felt like forever trekking up that road but, with a little patience and perseverance, we survived. As I made my way back to Bonifacio Global City, I wanted to yell “Freedom! Woohooo!” as I rolled down the flyover towards flat roads but decided otherwise as the troop of PNP’s I was running with would have to cuff me and send me to Crame.

I ran towards the finish at a comfortably hard pace, again, enjoying every minute. I found my rhythm somewhere in between passing the Pinoy Ultra Runners who ran 21k and the finish line.  It was pure fun!

According to my Garmin, I finished 10.02 km (hey perfect race distance!) at 52:44 minutes with an average pace of 5:16 min/km. 

– Did you get to sign here? I didn’t. Maybe next year. Thanks to future elite runner Naombi for pointing it out to us –

– BWK united! –

I reached my sub-55 hour goal. CHECK (with minutes to spare)

Ended the race injury-free. CHECK (Actually, I did have an injury after the race. Silly me. I bumped my head against the bathroom door hanger as I was changing. Forehead was bleeding and now it’s black & blue)

I felt I could’ve pushed harder, gone faster, and broken my PR, but hey I’m happy. It was a great race. Adidas KOTR currently tops my list of favorite races this year.

– Aaaw, highschool classmates Tin U. and Jennie Bau! –

– with running bloggers, The Changeling Child, RunningDATcom, & Loonyrunner –

 – Pinoy Ultra Runners Hector, Neville and Jeremy –

– BAGAY…ang shades ni Marga sa kanya. Diba Neville? –

– Congrats to Annie for placing 9th, even after coming in late, for 21k –

– Congrats to Queen of the Road Jo-Ann Banayag –

Why couldn’t they have sent us decent race maps along with the race packet?  Like many of you, I’ve been searching for the route map of Adidas King of The Road for days. For a race of this calibre, I think route maps are a given; runners shouldn’t have to go hunting for them.

Thanks to Jinoe of tabo.ph for posting the maps. Please click here to download race route at takbo.ph

By the way, these are just hand-drawn illustrations. But, at this point, who cares.

Once again, runners of all shapes, sizes, and experiences flocked to ROX last night for Running Aid 3 led by speakers Neville Manaois, team principal of Pinoy Ultra Runners, and Dr. Paolo Punsalan, Orthopedic Surgeon and member of Pinoy Ultra runners.

– The crowd keeps getting bigger –

– Neville Manaois discusses form –

As in Running Aid 2, Dr. Punsalan discussed proper form and technique. This time, however, Pinoy Ultra Runners effectively demonstrated gait and form using two treadmills on stage. Dr. Punsalan also provided free analysis for runners who wanted their running form critiqued in front of the audience’s discerning eyes.

I made the big mistake of showing up in full running gear as I had run 7k around Bonifacio High Street prior to the talk. Pinoy Ultra Runner Jeremy basically volunteered for me and pushed me onto the treadmill where I ran—much like an experimental hamster observed by scientists—while being interviewed by the good doctor about my form and previous injuries. Notice that I called him the “good doctor”; well, that’s because he didn’t have anything bad to say about my form. Phew, phew, pheeew!

– Trying not to make a fool of myself –

Neville Manaois covered a new topic: Troubleshooting, which was very informative as he discussed exactly what to do when little hitches such as cramps, sidestitches, etc. creep up during a run. I think I mentioned before that I enjoy Neville’s talks because most of his tips aren’t picked up from a book or the web but are gleaned from his experiences out there on the roads and trails.

Again, congratulations to Pinoy Ultra Runners for yet another successful gathering. More power to you guys.

– Members of the exclusive BWK society –

* All photos courtesy of Second Wind. Click here for more photos. Thanks Hector!