Marathon. It’s more fun in Cebu
Start slow in the first half then finish strong in the second half. That’s what I always tell friends or anyone who asks me for race day tips for the Cebu Marathon. But when you’re running the country’s most fun marathon — with its’ Sinulog contingents, drum beaters, live bands with back-up dancers, spread throughout the race route — it’s hard to heed that advice. It’s so much fun you just can’t help but trot at a much faster pace than originally planned.
Harder too if you must beat the “pukot” or the sweeper bus at the South Road Properties.
In this year’s edition of the Cebu Marathon the Cebu Executive Runners Club imposed a 5 1/2-hour cut-off at the SRP segment of the race route, which meant runners had to be out of the SRP by 9:30 a.m. Those who couldn’t make it out of the SRP in time had to ride the bus to the finishline and automatically considered to have not finished the race or the dreaded DNF.
The cut-off time was imposed this year to ensure runners’ safety. Traffic officials could not close the SRP beyond 9:30 a.m. as it is a vital link that connects Southern Cebu with the North and the airport on Mactan Island.
But more than safety, this new “pukot” or cut-off rule implies two things – first: you cannot run the Cebu Marathon severely undertrained and hope to run all the way back to the finishline; second: if you wish to run the Cebu Marathon, then you must step up your mileage and train for both hills and speed.
The cut-off is not unduly harsh to new runners and marathon virgins.
If you come to think of it, the 5 1/2 –hour cut-off at the SRP (which has a total distance of 32k from the start including the turning point in Laray, Talisay City) means even the slowest of runners have to run only a minimum of six (6) kilometers per hour or ten (10) minutes per kilometer, and still make it out of the SRP tunnel in time. That’s almost a walking pace.
After emerging from the tunnel, there’s no more cut-off time to deal with in the last 10 kilometers of the marathon route, although you might find yourself running alongside jeepneys and irate motorists when city roads open at 10 a.m., but the organizers will wait for you at the finishline.
At the office in the morning after the marathon, my boss who’s been a runner since the early 90’s recalls how so many of his friends had to travel abroad just to run a marathon simply because there were no local marathons to speak of. Indeed, the new crop of runners including myself, are so lucky to have a world-class marathon event right outside our doorstep. All we need to do is do ourselves favor and train for it well.
While heart and sheer will, will, at times, take you to the finishline, you will cross it regretting not having done your homework knowing you could have done so much better if you only put in the work. I know this because I’ve felt that way many times before in three out of the seven (7) marathons and the two BDM’s I’ve joined so far.
Everyday I get a quote from Runnersworld in my inbox. Monday’s quote from US long distance runner and the second fastest woman in the 2011 Boston Marathon Desiree Davila is something to ponder upon for everyone who ran last Sunday whether 5k, 21k or the full mary and are currently plotting their next race or a comeback in next year’s Cebu City Marathon.
“Running is just you, the work you put in, and the clock. You can’t cheat yourself. If you don’t put in the miles, you can’t go to the starting line thinking you’re going to pull a miracle out of nowhere. You get out exactly as much as you put in.”
CCM Wishlist for 2013
While the Cebu Marathon was top-notch as usual, there were few things I wish CERC would improve for next year:
– I wish they’d bring back the hydration sponsor from the 2010 and 2011 editions which provided more generous amounts of sports drinks and cold water as compared to this year’s hydration sponsor.
– I wish they would let the 42k runners run the Gen. Maxilom segment in the first half of the race instead of the second half. Although others like hilly Mango Avenue in the last 10k because it gives the CCM route its character, some say the painful climb near the Iglesia ni Kristo (KM 36) and National Bookstore (KM 38) is like Cebu’s smaller version of Boston’s heartbreak hill.
Other than these two things, I could not wish for anything more. Well done, as usual. Congratulations to all who braved the Cebu Marathon. To the organizers who didn’t sleep for days, thank you. Marathons. It’s more fun @ CCM!
