MANILA, Philippines -- They climbed the highest peak on Earth. Now, they ran for Mother Earth.

Amidst the smoke and pollution in the Metro, seven members of the Philippine Everest team joined the Earth Day Ultramarathon Wednesday (April 22) morning. The team joined runners from the Philippine Coast Guard.

The Earth Day Run was one of the highlights of the Philippine Earth Day 2009, which focused on the theme ?Tubig at Lupa Buhayin, Hangin Linisin, Batas Tuparin!?

?It felt great to run for Mother Earth,? said Erwin ?Pastour? Emata, a member of the Everest team.

Emata said it?s been a while since he last went on a run but joined this morning for the love of country.

?We need to raise awareness on preserving Laguna de Bay, Pasig River at Manila Bay. We all live in one world and we all need to care for Mother Earth,? Emata said in an interview with INQUIRER.net after the run.

Emata along with fellow Everest team members Janet Belarmino-Sardena and Carina Dayondon ran for three hours from the first ferry station of the Pasig River (near the boundary of Taguig and Pasig going to SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City).

The core group of runners was composed of those from the Coast Guard. ?They (Coast Guard) managed to be intact but it was a bit hard for the others to keep pace with them,? Belarmino-Sardena said.

As athletes, Dayondon, meanwhile, said they are used to training in the mountains and bodies of water. Hence, running for environmental awareness is what they would call their contribution.