2nd year of RUNNING! - my top 10 races

It has been two years already for this RUNNING FATBOY! Has it been this long? As they say, time flies when you're having fun!


2nd YEAR OF RUNNING
FROM NOV 2008 – OCT 2009

TOP 10 RACES

The top 10 races isn’t categorized based on which is the best race in terms of starting on time, having kilometer markers, having sufficient water stations and marshals, having good gift packs, quick race results, accurate course distance etc. but rather it is ranked on which races are most memorable for me as a person first and as a runner second. So here it is, in NO PARTICULAR ORDER, my top 10 races from Nov 2008 to Oct 2009


November 16, 2008 – Clark 25k (Php 550) – 3 hour 03 minutes 26 seconds (25km PR)
This was Janine and my longest distance race when we joined it. I had a big phobia of burning out here as that was what happened to me a month ago for a race that was 4kilometers shorter. Good thing I was more careful this time around. I survived the race and got my second finisher medal. More importantly, this was a race where a lot of our friends tried their hand at running. They did the 5km on a Saturday with us supporting them. On our race itself the cool weather, out-of-town experience, accurate distance and the very nice singlet and medal made this an automatic favorite for all of us!



March 22, 2009 – Condura 21km (P500), 2:15:09, 21.1km (Half marathon PR)
First run on the Skyway. That alone was unforgettable! It was an exciting race with very nice shirts and finisher medal. The shirt was even better for me as this year I went to see the whale sharks in Donsol. Condura made it to my top 10 years two years in a row!!! That shows the quality and commitment they gave to the annual Condura race. I also got a half marathon PR (and up to now, still unbeatable)!



April 19, 2009 – Greenfield Sta Rosa, 21km (P 500) - 2:17:28
Kudos to Coach Rio and Vince for putting an out of town race with free shuttle bus service for those people who have no access to Sta. Rosa. Registration is easy as well, as runners can do it via the internet. The torched route, the surprise finisher medal and lots of water for that hot day made this an experience worth doing again. Photovendo service was a nice addition to this race too!


May 30, 2009 – Adidas Night Marathon 42k, Singapore (Php 1,938), (New 42k PR - 6:31:34)
Although I had a very, very bad experience here, it still made it to the list because I am happy to have survived it. It was my first full marathon and the course passed through trail roads, lakes, overpass bridges, and had a lot of people doing the full or the ultra marathon. They also had a movie marathon for the supporters of the race that ran from midnight till 7AM. I super loved the finisher medal because of its massive size and because I worked really hard to earn it (not just for the race but for all the long runs I did to train for it). The finisher shirt was something I can wear proudly too. Of course, I also ordered the photo certificate and had it framed as a memory of this very tiring 24-hour episode in Singapore (finally slept after 26 hours of being awake! - Darn that shopping!).



July 19, 2009 – Globe Run, 21km (Php 300): 3:09:17 – new couple 21k PR
Good chip timer. Nice free photovendo photos. New course as it passed through Ayala Avenue. But what made this race extra special for me was that it was the first 21km race for Per. She, with no training whatsoever. She, who promised before not to run anything longer than 15km and just go back to 10km again. She, who joined this race out of impulse (2 days before) and had a super strong finish. I was proud of her and she amazed me by her endurance. After this race, the possibilities for her became endless.

Close to this was July 12, 2009 - Robinsons Fit Buddy Run 10k (Php 700 for two): 1:14:54 - new couple 10k PR
It was great joining this race but the best part was when it was over and our names were announced as we crossed the finish line. We got a new 10k Couple PR that time, some free photos and a mega sized gift pack from the Robinson Group. We felt like champions after bringing home said gift pack! Well Done!



August 15, 2009 – Kenny Run 15k (Php 600): 1:39:14
Last day as a bachelor run! “Crazy!” “Seriously??” “What is wrong with you?” These were just some of the reactions I got when I first mentioned it to my friends. But they weren’t my “running” friends. The running friends gave these answers “Hell yah!” “I’m Game!” “Put me in 15km.” and these are people who have a role in my wedding! Unfortunately, one runner was injured after the race (note the word AFTER!). Ahem. Good thing said person was able to walk down the aisle the following day (not the bride at least...Phew). Hehe. First Philippine night race. Nice black and white singlet material. Good food at Kenny’s. Free surprise photos at Photovendo (surprise because none of us saw where the cameras were).



December 28, 2008 – Kappa 10k Run, Hong Kong (HK$ 160 = Php 1,025.60) – 1 hour, 1 minutes, 48 seconds (Foreign run)
Hong Kong run! Nice shirt. Nice view! Very cold weather as running in the mountains. First time running in Hong Kong too so it was a memorable experience running on unfamiliar terrain.


December 7, 2008 – Yakult 10 Miler (Php 150) – 1 hour 36 minutes 23 seconds (10 miler PR and 15km PR too)
Simple but efficient. Loved the flat route. Happy that this even beat my existing 15km PR to think its 1 km longer! Price is super cheap too for a long race and lots of water stations here.
Similar to this would be the Milo 21km (Php 150 + Milo packs) as used the same route, had cheap price and lots of drinks too!



Oct 18, 2009 – QC Half Marathon 21k (Php 500) – 2:29:21
As it is another race by Rio, I know there won’t be a problem with regards to water stations here. The finisher medal was huge! The new route is fantastic and took us to Commonwealth Avenue where there were 4-5 open lanes reserved for runners only. Plus, the unbelievable fast Kenyans added to the attraction of this race. You will definitely run where the Kenyans run!


Oct 25, 2009 – Adidas Half Marathon 21k (Php 500) – 2:18:11 (Foreign Run)
Finally, we were able to join this race after missing it last year and it was wonderful. Aside from the great looking Adidas yellow shirt, it was very festive with 7,000 runners for the race. The route was wonderful as it headed towards Buendia and there were a lot of cheerleaders motivating you to keep going forward. That they were from my Alma Mater did not hurt too.


Pictures below on some of the Top 10 races we joined for the year:

For my first year of running and top 10 races for that time, copy and paste the link below to another webpage:


http://runningfatboy.blogspot.com/2008/11/numbers-game.html