ang tumakbo nang dahil sa inyo.

pasig, tko250 at justin.

in truth, i did not have any plans to run the pasig42 when the race schedules came up earlier.i had my other choices being milo and subic.

but as fate would have it, ondoy came and things changed.

had i not ran pasig42, i would have regretted it 42 times and forever bear with sim’s inanites.

when i heard and read about the chaotic race packet distribution and the registered runners pegged at 21,000, i began to have doubts about the success of the race,of its logistics,etc.but as it is, i was ready to do my run for the reasons above.

the race packet distribution aside,pasig42 went well all the way.

there were lots of supplies at the aid stations,the route  was a refreshing change(not exactly the smell though) and the marshals,they were something else.i particularly enjoyed the pasig kapitolyo-shaw area where instead of plastic orange cones, traffic enforcers took over as barriers thus making our running lanes totally free of any vehicles.though the situation near the manila city hall, where we nearly got into a fistfight with an errant and insistent jeepney driver early in the race, was nowhere near pasig’s set up,it was still a good and well-guarded route.i dreaded the guadalupe/pioneer area as this meant passing through edsa but my fears were unfounded as runners were given a traffic-free lane on the road.then there was the c5 stretch. i would say that majority of the route was well-manned and with fully comprehensible road directions.

the newness of the route for me afforded me the chance to run on roads where i would usually be riding instead.i took time to savor the freedom of running the roads.i enjoyed it so much that when i reached the fort area and eventually buendia, i felt downcast knowing i was on familiar running grounds again.it was ironic since i should have been rejoicing having only 12 kilometers to go but i was not really ecstatic.

one unexpected factor i had to deal with was the heat bearing in on me as early as 6:30am.it was getting hotter by the minute that by the time i reached taft avenue,i had a meltdown of sorts.i slowed down almost to a jog and slogged my way to the finish line with a time of 4:23:45 at the same time making sure i stayed well hydrated.

pasig42 will be memorable for me for a number of reasons.

one, i ran for pasig river’s sake.if what i have heard of its past glory were true, i would surely want to see its former allure again.in my own small way, i hope i did my part in its resurrection.

secondly, as part of team hardcore’s ongoing charity run,the tko250, doing pasig42 meant tko has dwindled down to 40k with just two 21s left in the horizon to be completed.

when craig of team logan mentioned that team logan with justin as baton was entered in the 42k team relay,i readily volunteered the hc’s services to do the 1st 4.87k leg from the start to del pan bridge.doing the stroller run was something different.i ran alongside my teammates lester,nico and george.this meant being started off 5 minutes after the start of the 42k solo runners.no problem for us playing catch up.craig told us that it felt different running without him pushing justin for a change.really now craig, it was our honor and pleasure pushing justin if only for a few moments.you could say that justin went hardcore for 5k.way to go justin!

well, for whatever it is worth, pasig42 was the 4th full marathon done in less the a month since the team and its supporters started tko250 last october 11 at the milo42 finals.

one thing i can tell you is that when i did these consecutive 42s,whatever fears and doubts i may have had at the start were all banished and replaced by the sheer and plain joy and love of running itself,pain and discomfort notwithstanding.it comes with the package.i came to love running more and savor every step i make.

but as in anything that is close to a fairy tale comes an ube tale my friend overheard over breakfast after pasig42.

here’s how the exchange between 2 dogs went;

askal 1:  “alam mo pare,ang dali lang mandaya sa karera.ang ginawa ko dito ,nagregister ako sa 10k at 42k.sa 10k ako tumakbo pero pagdating malapit sa finish line,pinalitan ko ng 42k bib ang 10k bib ko tapos pasok sa finish line as 42k runner.ganda ng oras ko”.

askal 2: “napakadali lang talaga.di na kailangan sumakay pa.ganyan din style ko.”after saying this, askal 2 puts his finger infront of his lips as if he had any shame left about cheating in the race.

shame on you two.

di pa kayo nabilaukan sana sa kinain niyong fried chicken.

style niyo,bulok.

p.s. true to form, flordeliza donos,all the way from baguio, topped the 10k women’s category honestly.