3 running events fire off today in separate venues

THREE running events will hit the city’s major streets today drawing thousands of runners for the 2nd Saint Peter Life Run, PMAP Run For Youth and the tribute run for the late Melinda Ponce happening at the Asia Town IT Park, Cebu Business Park and at the Terraces of Ayala Center Cebu, respectively.

The second staging of the popular Saint Peter Life Run, which highlights Halloween, drew over a thousand runners because of its cheap registration fee while the PMAP Run For Youth managed to gather more than a hundred runners.

The Melinda Ponce run is expected to gather the most number of runners as it pays tribute to the former champion ultra marathoner who was killed by her husband last Sunday along with her three children.

The Ponce run is organized by veteran race director Joel Baring.

The Life Run will have three categories: 3-kilometer, 5k and 10k while the PMAP Run will have 3k, 5k and 12k events. The Melinda Ponce Run is a 5k, non-competitive race.

The PMAP Run offers cash to the top three finishers with the 12k champions winning P5,500 for both male and female while the runners-up will get P4,500 and P3,500. The 5k top three will receive P3,000, P2,500 and P1,500 while the the top finishers in the 3k will bring home P2,000, P1,500 and P1,000.

The Run For Life on the other hand awards P7,000, P5,000 and P3,000 to the top three winners in the centerpiece 10k race. P5,000 awaits the first placers in the 5k category while P3,000 and P2,000 go to the second and third placers, respectively. The top three in the 3k event will get P3,000, P2,000 and P1,000.

The Melinda Ponce run will have its start and finish lines at the Terraces where a mass will be held after the race for the ill-fated runner.  /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL