Running in the Philippines is at its peak of popularity so much so that every Tom Dick and Harry has joined the bandwagon in sponsoring and/or organizing race events either for commercial purposes or for fund raising purposes.
It is because of this very reason that runners need to be wise and knowledgeable in selecting the race they wish to participate.
I have in he past been fortunate to select good races. There were however also times that races I have participated have been short to deliver what has been promised. However, today I have finally experiences the WORST that could be expected.
RUN TO TRANSFORM as sponsored and organized by KAMPILAN Multi-Purpose Cooperative, which is A College Fund Raising Event, is the worst organized race event I have participated in my running life span. I have intentional selected this race because it falls on the date that I have to leave for the states and I was hoping to enjoy myself of a 15k event before boarding my plane at night making the 14 hour travel bearable.
I registered at ROX sometime last week of April and was promised that race kit will be release on 1st week May then 2nd week May and lately Friday 21May10. On 21May my driver was at Rox until 7pm only to be told to collect the race kit today prior to the race. Given the hassle to collect the race kit prior to the race, I have to arrive the race venue at MOA early. To my great surprise when I reach the venue there was only an improvised registration table, which you are given a race number, which is not specifically registered, to you. The race bib number was distributed without a corresponding registration sheet that records your name and the number. The singlet provided was a 100% cotton material of a very bad quality. The type and quality is worst than those distributed during election campaign period. To make matters worst, what was displayed at ROX was a totally different kind and quality. The starting line does not have a chute/coral and in lieu of marshals there are instead police patrol cars. There were no portalets, no distance markers, and no segregation cones. Overall there was none provided by the race organizers. The registration fee was P500.00 for the 15k.
The organizers/sponsors might have good intentions or goals they should remember that when they open events to the general public it is their DUTY and OBLIGATION to DELIVER what has been promised by the event flyers and promotional notices.
After witnessing and assessing the scenario at around 5am, I decided to run instead on my own and map my own 15k route. At 5:04am I proceeded from MOA grounds to Diosdado Macapagal Blvd. going south all the way to Pacific Avenue and reversing northwards at the Coastal Road to Roxas Blvd. all the way to Philippine Convention Center and taking Diosdado Macapacal Blvd again back to MOA grounds for a goo 15km run.
My own improvised 15km run was great! However, RUN TO TRANSFORM was great DISASTER. Let this be a lesson to all.
I agree with you sir. I should just have done what you did. There were no marshalls and nobody was even there at the finish line to take the bar codes. I registered for 10k but after the 1st loop which was 4.5km, I was already at the finish line and what I did was just to return to the route. I finished 7.8k and nobody cares. I think this is the worst race ever and I think this is very unfair to us.
ReplyDeletei agree. i went to rox 3x to try and claim my race kit --- which i failed to get anyway. decided not to run. what a waste of 500 bucks. the organizer should be sued!
ReplyDeletewow, sir. wouldnt it be proper for you guys to ask for a refund? sayang the Php500 eh :( any word from the organizers as to what happened?
ReplyDeleteSad to hear this. Kept on receiving updates on my Facebook too. Wow, and for P500? Seems you made the right decision not to go through with it, not worth the aggravation.
ReplyDeleteI agree Sir. Very terrible and unorganized.
ReplyDeleteI agree mejo weird, but at i enjoyed the unique run. something new :) no hard feeling on my part kasi i was there to run, help and enjoy. sana sa next mas ok na! :) me and my kids enjoyed tho! :) memorable sakin yung experience kasi it was an opportunity for me to enjoy with my family while helping others. :) something might have went wrong somewhere but my intention was to help thats why i joined kaya happy ako. :) and congrats din to the winners! :) typical runs are boring na din, this was a challenge on our part pero enjoy kami :)
ReplyDeleteto organizers:
More improvement next time nalang! but good job on helping the kids of our heroes!
There are two ways of looking at life situations and either way can be most helpful to whoever want to learn from it... Am sure there were good reasons why it turned out the way it was. It may have been the worst-orgnized run for some, but surely it opened an opportunity to START reaching out to help children of the members of the Kampilan Multipurpose Cooperative go to college. Right now a number of schools in New Jersey, U.S.A. are considering opening a scholarship programs for police officers, and that was because of the soft launch of Run To Transform on May 22, 2010. We were there to observe and in due time we will get in touch with the proper Kampilan Multipurpose Cooperative officers. That run - idea was good. By the way, I do make round-trip leisurely walks and runs on early sunny weekend mornings at the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge as often as I can with my cousins in San Francisco, U.S.A... friends in New Jersey are thinking of doing a Run To Transform Event for the Cause of The Kampilan Multipurpose Cooperative because of the inspiration during the May 22, 2010 event! To the organizers: keep on helping KAMPILAN and never lose heart... and to the Filipino Community and Friends, keep helping our police officers! :)))
ReplyDeleteI hope you guys who wrote negatively on what transpired in the run to transform organized by KAMPILAN Multipurpose should take another look. I have to admit that it was disorganized at first but later on it went on smoothly. had you stayed longer you could have seen that 95 % of those who run were police officers whose intention were to help other comrades who gave the supreme sacrifice so that others may live in peace. i hope you could give positive suggestion so we can do it better next time. just help us police officers
ReplyDeletei agree sir it was unorganized but i still enjoyed it because i went there to lend a hand to our police officers, although next tym i would suggest a better program for the event to be enjoyed more...keep on supporting our police heroes
ReplyDeleteaahh ako walang pakiaam. hahaha! joke! :) andun din ako nung race! ang bibilis nung mga kenyans! as for d organization, walng timer etc, etc, pero sa tingin ko, kaartehen lang yung mga timer na yan at mga mahal pa. the nature was a fund raiser so minimal na yung mga kung anu pang mga kaartehan. point of view ko lang ito ha, we respect all points of views naman.. hmmm... wla ngang portalet, pero i wasn't there to urinate naman hahaha! joke! mejo magulo nung una, pero natuloy naman yung event... pero who am I to criticize di din ako perfect, may mga kasalanan din ako... God bless us all and mabuhay ang running community! basta kung may tako, andun ako! whoo hooo!!!
ReplyDelete...Tama ka sir, who am I to criticize. Its better to think positive than criticize. Happy Running to all!
ReplyDeleteaq pang anim na tAkbo q na i2 at D2 talagah aq nakapag test sa sarili q kaseh gusto q malaman qng kaya quo mkipagsabayan sa mga pulis sa takbuhan! Ang saya q kSe ung mga Pulis kaya ko pala Unahan ung Ibah. Pero ung mga tiga Kinya Pa Din Un na unah sa KaraMihan. so par i2 ang pinaka na enjuy q at na bilib aq dun sa nanalu na babae na pinay! sana din pala sinama q un anak ko para sya naging youngest runner at nagka premyu din sana. Mabuhay taung lahat na ranners! ang sarap tumakbu, pang pamilya at mag barkada!
ReplyDeleteaaah PUNYETA! lahat ng takbo puro sabay lang sa trend. kahit yung mga runrio ang baduy na! patagal dahil sa detour ng traffic at sagabal lang kayo saming mga residente ng fort. ang aga-aga makakarinig kme ng INGAY dahil sa airhorn sound ng start race AT yung boses bakla na nag lead ng warm-up nyo! kayo kaya kung sa residential area nyo may mag Ingay while you are sleeping? matutuwa ba kayo???!!! PUNYETA! bulabog kaming mga tga serendra dahil sa inyo! minsan pag may takbo na, lilipat ako sa other unit namin sa Soma, ah pucha, abot din ang ingay! STRESS! nung isang araw while i was driving to high street some runner suddenly crossed at muntik ko matamaan. aba pinalo pa ng kamay yung hood ko?! abusado masyado pa i-pod i-pod pa kala mo naman kung sinong ideal runner?! yung pamangkin ko na bata, na banga na din ng runner sa may kabisera area! nag aadjust daw cya ng watch nya! pa sorry sorry pa yung runner na naka sexy shorts! bakla! bobo! tanga! nag ka bukol tuloy yung pamangkin ko dahil tinamaan ng pawis mong tuhod!!!. mga abusado! you greasy dripping smelly pieces of S!!!!!
ReplyDeletehaha.. well said sir.. I'm from the fort din. and yes badtrip sila pag early mornings. palibhasa, sawa na sa luneta at quirino GS. susunod nyan mag kaka vendors na tayo ng lobo, cotton candy at mga sisiw na may pintura.
ReplyDeletetama kung may run, wag sa fort area sana. respesto nalng sa ibang mga residents. Quirino Grand Stand is a good venue, yung walang maapektuhang residente. Not all naman patronizes this running events. and im sure din na the bulk of the runners are not from the fort area so nakikisawsaw lang sa place.
ReplyDelete