Runners Restore Malate Church

Troy (L) joins his fellow winners of a mountain bike.

     MANILA – For Troy Sison, registering an hour before the gun start the Run For Restoration of Malate Church last Sunday (May 26) proved to be a wise decision.  Aside from winning Third Place in the three-kilometer category, he also took home one of seven brand new mountain bikes in the post-race raffle!

     Sison, a member of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines athletics varsity, was edged out for top honors by a pair from Letran College.  All podium finishers received medals and similar gift packs from sponsors.

     In the main five-kilometer category, Mario Maglinao and Iris Torculas emerged as the gold medalists.  The course was a simple loop around Roxas Boulevard starting in front of Malate Church at Plaza Rajah Sulayman followed by u-turns at Vito Cruz and T. M. Kalaw before the final dash back to the starting point (three-kilometer runners took their second u-turn earlier at Quintos Street).

     Because of the very flat, short and simple route, the only directional signs needed were for the three u-turn points.  Hydration was limited to two stations placed in the middle of the road offering water.

     Since this was only a five-kilometer race, I just took a small sip at one of the stations.  I usually drink one or sometimes none at all in races of five-kilometers or less.

     Anyway, there was a fire truck stationed a few meters before the finish line ready to douse all those that passed by hence adding to the fun factor.  Since I was one of the early finishers, the fireman was kind enough to follow my hand signals to hold his hoses.

     The race kit did not include a timing device so only the top finishers were timed manually.  Again, this race is not about winning or setting personal records, it is for the restoration of the church.

The five-kilometer runners answer Mayor Lim’s gun start. (photo courtesy of Black Goat)

     I clocked 25:08 on my watch, a good speed workout.  I will say it again a five-kilometer fun run is sometimes tougher than a full marathon because one has to run at full speed for the whole length of the course with hardly any chance for taking rests.

     All participants got a quick recovery snack consisting of Gardenia bread and Pocari Sweat.  They also got treated to some songs by recording artist Laarni Lozada, a regular churchgoer who still sings with the choir when her schedule permits.

     Roxas Boulevard is definitely one of the toughest places to hold a fun run with regards to the security aspect.  It is really a headache to control all those bandit runners and bikers who act like they own the place.

     To solve this problem, a group of bike marshals patrolled the course.  Since there were no intersections, the other marshals were just deployed at the u-turn points, water stations and finish line.

     As the title states, the simple and cozy event was organized to raise funds for the restoration of Malate Church, a certified historical landmark.  Before firing the starting gun, guest of honor Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim urged the participants to dig deep into their pockets and donate more.

     Being a History major in college, restoring old churches is one cause that I will really support.  Furthermore, we hope that Malate Church will indeed be restored and not renovated, two terms with almost the same meaning but should be reserved for another essay.

     This was another successful fun run organized by Greentennial Run of Rovic G. Canono.  For more information on how to further help in the restoration efforts of the Malate Catholic Church, please click here.

Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.  (Proverbs 3:9-10 NRSVCE)