"Interconnectedness"

The club’s Nike We Run experience was incredibly awesome.

Coming from different agendas before the race, they took the challenge and went head on.

In the previous races, the club often come late and was always in a hurry to the starting line. Last year's Nike: We Run Manila, was jam-packed with people and parking was hassle. Since they were not familiar with the traffic in Marikina and didn't want to come late again, they left early and set their ETA at 2:30pm.

The pick-ups were easy and everyone was on time. Those who were in the van were Jemai, Jeff, Kevin, Don, Mico, Ray, Karen, Eya(+2 friends), and Rap.

Around 2:30PM – They arrived and found a good parking spot right beside the entrance. The DJ can already be heard blasting some good beats. They went inside the Nike Village while waiting for the other club members who decided to go to Marikina on their own.

2:50PM - Don initiated the stretching and warm-up exercise. They did the regular leg-swings and high-knees. Ronald, Lalaine, Gege, Nora, and Emille joined us. Some took a few laps beside the oval to break some sweat.


3:20PM - The "starting pen" was already open. They squeezed in the sea of runners until they reached other Road Eaters at Wave 2. They met Jigs, Alfred and Bogs. All of them were compressed. The weather was hot even though there was a drizzle. They were lucky that a few cold winds passed through them and they were under an Acacia tree. Breathing was difficult. They gasped for air like Koi fishes trapped in the ponds. While waiting for gun start, they took some group selfies and photos of their running shoes in a circle.

The emcee was cheering them up, holding the crowd's energy on high. Everyone was amazed by the flying Gyrocopter Camera. Also, Jeron Teng was holding a flag at the starting line.

3:45PM - The official warm-up for the runners began. As in every race, it was nearly impossible to copy the leader of the warm-up because of the tight space. They can only stretch their arms up.


3:55PM - Countdown & Gun Start- The music was intense and everyone was cheering and shouting. Confetti started to blast all over the starting line. On gun start the first wave of runners were released. Road Eaters in the second wave marched to the starting line and waited for their turn. After 8 minutes, they had the second go signal and that's when the battle started:

In the beginning Don tried to pace with Jemai and Kevin but they got separated at the first kilometer. Kevin was ahead of the club. The first 3-4km was a bottle-neck! The road was on a residential area and there were only two lanes.

Bystanders were all over the place, some were cheering and while some were criticizing the runners. We heard a bystander who yelled to a runner beside me saying "Ang taba mo!” Then he quickly replied, "Kahit mataba ako at least tumatakbo ako! Eh ikaw??" Haha. The early moments of the race was funny and a bit frustrating. Frustating because of doing "patintero" on the narrow road. So they ran on the sides, on the sidewalks, jumping over dog feces, dodging concrete posts and avoiding bystanders. They were like a stalling car, pushing forward then stopping, forward, then stopping again. The rule set by the organizer was not followed: slow runners still walked on both sides of the road and blocked the runners who were overtaking.

There were a lot of corners along the route but they stick on the shorter radius. When the road widened and the residential area was gone, some picked up speed.

Though there were still walkers everywhere they could now move freely and pass on both sides of the road. The first hydration station had adequate supply of water for the runners. They had very long tables but the newbies still grabbed their drink on the front end. The rear end was full of cups but nobody was getting a drink there.

As they headed for an incline, everyone was challenged. On the top of the incline was a narrow left turn which led to a long decline going back to the intersection.

Some took advantage of the downward road, keeping their pace on a high level. Barefoot runners were also noticed in the race.

They also ran on a peeled road where the gravel are exposed on the cement. Even with shoes, it still hurt. Bystanders were still cheering on and the kids were begging for high-fives to encourage the runners. Some bystanders who had smart phones kept taking pictures and videos of the event. They were happy to see a huge running event in the town.

Last 2KM - On the last part of the race, all runners were headed back to the oval of Marikina Sports Complex, and had set up a few sound system. It encouraged runners to stride with the music--their feet landing on every beat of the bass.

Last 500m - The row of photographers on the street signaled that it was in the last part of the race route. Every Road Eater finished with glory and victory!

**POST-RACE** Most exciting and fun experience:

Everyone got their loot bags, and then went back to the van to freshen up. They met other Road Eaters: Angie, Jane, Thelsa, and Marlon.

Road Eaters went to the grandstand and had photo ops in front of the stage. Funny how they maximized the banner as props for the pictorial.


Everyone was given neon glow sticks and some made it a necklace and a bracelet.

Then the hosts announced that QUEST is up next. Though not everyone knew him, he was a certified crowd pleaser. He will sing a tune and let the audience repeat after him. The runners were fools so they just sang along.
In the middle of his song, he requested all runners to raise their glow sticks up. He said: just follow my lead this is gonna be different. Then on the last part of his song, he gave an inspirational talk about the survivors of Yolanda. He talked about them rising up and us helping each other. Everyone was shouting and clapping. Things were getting emotional. Then the beat kind of slowed down. Quest requested the runners to give their loudest shout on the count of three. A shout that could reach the Visayas! A shout that would scare the hell out of the coming storms on their way! A shout that would tremble the land of Tacloban and all affected areas... So that the survivors will know they are not alone and they are there to help. A shout that says “Hindi niyo matitinag ang Pilipinas!” Then the beat was on a mellow trance, he started counting 3....... 2......... 1!!!!!!!

All the lights went off. The entire crowd shouted so loud--it was penetrating to the soul. The runners kept shouting and yelling and screaming all at the same time.

The glow lights lit up and camera phones were like stars all around. The club was so high! They were on a trance. Some caught them selves teary-eyed. They were grateful for the run and because they are alive. The mood quickly changed when the DJ played Clarity by Zedd. The Road Eaters formed a circle and started doing cancans.


Everyone was on party-mode. Even strangers joined our circle and danced with the club. The DJ even pointed the club because they became the life of the party!

All were tired and hungry so they stopped dancing. They shouted “Kainan na!! Kainan na!”


Road Eaters had a good dinner at Tapsi Ni Vivian. After eating they said their goodbyes and went home. They got home feeling happy and grateful. The whole experience was certainly a treasure that each of them will keep.

Writer/Contributor: Don Santillan