Dear Dreamers – Batch 2020,
Due to the Taal ashfall and its health risks for runners as well as the potential eruption of Taal Volcano in the coming weeks, TBR Sun Life Dream Marathon 2020 will be moving its race venue to CLARK PARADE GROUNDS, Pampanga. Gun start will be moved to 2AM.
Event: TBR Sun Life Dream Marathon 2020
Venue: Clark Parade Grounds (in front of Clark Museum)
Assembly: 1:00AM, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020
Gun start: 2:00AM, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020
Cut off: 10:00AM (8 hours)
Please know that we assessed all possible alternatives and chose this to be the best option for majority of the runners with the HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ALL RUNNERS as top priority. This move is not something we wanted, but as it is with calamities or emergency situations, we learn how to manage. We made this difficult decision with two priorities in mind.
1. Runners’ safety: As of January 24, Filinvest City was not safe for runners to run in due to ash circulating in the air despite the best efforts of Filinvest City to regularly clean the roads. While Filinvest City advised us that the roads would be safe to run on by February 1, we were still faced with the risk of a possible eruption of Taal Volcano. According to a Phivolcs report (21 Jan 2020, Philippine Star), Taal Volcano is on Alert Level 4, which means that it has the potential to erupt in days. We decided on moving the event to a safer environment rather than risk the health of runners or worse a possible full cancellation of the event should an eruption occur.
2. Runners’ training, schedules and preparations. We had been receiving several questions and concerns about the race: Will it be postponed? Will it be moved? Most of you requested for a change in venue due to booked flights or blocked calendars for race day. We also felt that we had to make a decision as early as we could and not wait for the last minute, such as early February, since you were about to run 30km on January 26. If the race would be postponed after that date, as marathoners ourselves, we knew that you would have hit your peak even before the new race date. That would not have been good for your performance. We knew that deciding earlier would also give you time to prepare for the race in the new venue.
What does this mean for your race entry? Our race rules and regulations state that we do not offer refunds or deferments for whatever reason. You consented to this when you registered for the race. Majority of your race fee has been spent on Bull Sessions and Bull Circles as well as all race giveaways (e.g., finisher’s bags, medals, shirts, etc.), which have been produced. However, we care about you and fully understand your concerns so we decided to allow for deferment. Below are the details:
100% cost deferment to next year’s TBR DREAM MARATHON 2021
This means you’ll get a guaranteed spot in next year’s event. You will NOT have to pay a registration fee for 2021.
• You must be a first or second time marathoner when you register for TBR Dream Marathon 2021.
• We still want to see you! We invite you to still join us at the Send Off Party on Feb. 12, 2020
If you will opt to defer, please fill the form at the link below before JANUARY 31, 2020, 12NN. You will receive an email to confirm deferment by the 1st week of February. If you will be participating in the race, there is no need to fill up the form.
We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you, but we are doing our best to work with the situation. I will say this again with all sincerity: This decision was made with your health and safety as top priority. I am crossing my fingers that we’ll see you at the starting line of your first marathon with us at Clark.
If you have any concerns, please email our hotline at tbrdream@gmail.com. You can also send me a direct message on IG @thebullrunner. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
< LINK: No longer available after Jan. 31 >
Gotta Run,
Jaymie
IG @thebullrunner
