The Great UP Run 20274

I began dreaming of joining fun runs again earlier this year. My initial goal was to do it with my unico hijo. I wanted to fulfill my long time dream of running with him in an official run event. Back then, I would sign him up to kiddie runs. I had a vision that someday we would join longer runs when he gets older. And now that time has come.

We targeted the Yakult 10-Miler in September. However, the slots for the 10k event ran out fast and we failed to register. It would have been nice if this was our first run together because I used to join this with his pop.

A few weeks later, I came across a post about The Great UP Run in my Facebook timeline. It was a fund raising event for UP varsity athletes. Coach Rio dela Cruz, a UP alumnus, organized it through his RunRio company. I like the look of the finishers medal, the singlet, the optional shirt and most of all the venue. So, I signed us up and waited for the D-Day.

D-Day was November 17, 2024, Sunday. Unfortunately, a strong typhoon was battering us that day so the event had to be rescheduled. The typhoon signal was up at #2 in our area that day but it wasn’t raining. It was just gloomy. But safety first, so we just had to wait for the new date.

It was rescheduled six days later, November 23 (Saturday).

Unlike the Women’s Run PH last month, this time I wasn’t late. We were at the venue about 3o minutes before the gun start. We had time to do our warm ups and watch the pre-run festivities. We heard Coach Rio’s introduction speech, the countdown, the gun start and witnessed the fireworks as the run commences.

It was such a vibe to start the race with my son and all the other runners. The energy of the community was exhilarating. The downside was, running with a crowd is a bit of a challenge in a cramped space. This is especially true in the first few meters. Everyone is so psyched up and excited to speed up. Sometimes you get side swiped or bumped.

The 10k race route was pretty much the same as my last run. The only difference was in the last 500m. Instead of going in front of the Oblation statue, we took the lane behind it going to the Finish Line in front of Palma Hall.

As was last time, some areas were poorly lit. We could not see the ground we were running on. I have seen at least 3 runners stumble because they did not see the hump in the road.

Hydration stations serving water and Gatorade were placed at regular intervals along the race route. I like that the Gatorade stations were serving their drinks in reusable cups. I just hope that they wash it thoroughly before reusing it again.

Kilometer/road markers were placed along the way to inform the runners how much they’ve ran and how much to go. And even if I can track myself through my watch, I still appreciate seeing these big, bold markers. It’s like mini milestones and my inner self celebrates whenever I pass by one.

Overall, I had an excellent run. I was not able to train in the past two weeks but I still managed to get a new PR! Yahoo! I was 9 minutes faster than last time!

And of course, it was an “achievement unlocked” moment to be able to run with my dearest boy in an official event. We did not run side by side because I will just slow him down. But we did start at the same time and met up after the run. He finished about 16 minutes earlier than me.

Post run breakfast was at Gyud Food, a food hub located inside the UP Campus. It was a little early so some of the stalls were still closed. We ended up ordering Bagnet Sisig from Ate Ricas’s Bacsilog. It was tasty and satisfying for less than P200 meal.

Well, that’s it for 2024. Train more ’til the end of the year for a stronger and hopefully a faster me next year. And praying for more runs with ma boy. Until the next run…