Postscript to a running controversy

Marathon Foodie’s article on why the banning and/ or exclusion of foreign runners, particularly the Kenyans, from the local road races in Cebu generated so much response from Cebu’s running company.  Some agree with the article, other don’t but I’m happy to report that both sides of the argument are both fierce and passionate.

While Jun Palab says that discrimination is just plain wrong, Manfred Schuwerk says protectionism is not equal with racism. The Kenyans, Manfred adds, face the same problem in Europe. Running is their job or like a job and they compete for this with the locals. There are races in the Netherlands where prizes for locals are different or much higher than the prizes for the foreign runners.

Joerick Bontigao says that the true essence of fun runs have been lost as it has become a lucrative moneymaking venture both for the organizers and the runners. Joerick suggests to organizers to lower the prizes for the podium finishers and allot more budget to hydration and food for the majority of runners, increase provisions for safety measures and race marshals.

Titing Rosales echoes Joerick’s observation saying that most of the runs being organized now are money makers already not only for the organizers but also for the Kenyans who make a living by getting a missionary or tourist visa to make money in local races. He says local Pinoy runners can’t help but be disadvantaged by the more superior Kenyan runners who are much taller. Titing says “bisan sige pa ka ug practice para mas kusog pa nila pero ang dagan dili magdaug sa padaghanay ug lakang.”

JR Balili says in order to motivate the local runners to outrun the Kenyans, organizers should give extra incentive for any local who can outrun the top foreign runners. Balili says banning and excluding the Kenyans is not the solution.

Theodore M. Zamora says it all boils down to discrimination. “Just think of our own OFWS/OCWs abroad being discriminated? For what? Being so hardworking? How do we feel? We feel bad dili ba? Mo-backfire kaayo nato. The Kenyans answer is just the same as ours: Work Harder!

Ditto for Garry Garcia who says that the Kenyans don’t rely on special shoes, gels etc. They just get better than everyone else by working hard.

Sports editor and football aficionado Mike Limpag also weighed in on the discussion saying that banning and excluding the Kenyans from the local races and the prize money is “comparable to, say, FC Inter-Cebu getting barred from competing for local qualifier spots because the guy behind the team is German. Is it fair? Nope. I say it’s discrimination. How would our local elite runners feel, if the not-so-elite runners say, why limit ban on Africans? Ban local elite too, so we can win.”

Thank you for all your opinions and inputs. I appreciate all of them even those that don’t agree with the article. Regardless of the term, we can all agree that something is wrong with this set up. When in doubt let’s just go back to the definition of discrimination. The Kenyans in Cebu aren’t fast. The Milo 21K winner last year only clocked 1:09. Coach Precing Capangpangan of Ateneo de Cebu in his heyday clocked 1:07 and there were no fancy running gears or nutrition then. There’s something missing in the training method of our current crop of local runners. Protectionism is not the answer if the local runners want to earn both money and genuine admiration.