Adidas KOTR: Running Boom

As I watched the 21K runners took off, a strong cool breeze brushed my face sending goose bumps down my arms.  It was a cold morning, a sign of the changing season.  The sun has not shown its face but it was already bright.  It was a beautiful day to run.

I was listed in the 10K event, my first run after my first marathon at QCIM the week before.  I planned to run easy, a recovery run of sorts.  I was still feeling the weariness down my legs and ankles.

The atmosphere was more than festive.  Attendance was magnificent.  The 10K starting area was a squeeze.  Runners were standing shoulder to shoulder in their yellow; ocean of people wearing the prized singlet.  I was chatting with friends when I caught something that the announcer said: “…10K registered the most number of runners, 7,600…” Did I hear it right?  7,600 10K runners!  He could have meant all runners including the 21Ks and the 5Ks.  But that would still be a formidable number.  Beyond the absolutes, 10Ks was far more than the 5Ks.  Does this signify more serious runners joining road races?  Aside from the regulars and those doing their recoveries (like me), there must have been a number who have improved and upgraded from lower distances.

“Phak!” the bang of the starting gun woke me out of my stupor.  I was positioned third from the front and it took a long while for me to cross the starting arch.  I was steadily overtaking runners despite the tight, close spaces.  I should be running easy but I felt light and nimble like a butterfly, I could not stop running at a faster pace than planned.  It took over 3 kilometers, and after passing the Kalayaan Bridge, before packets of spaces could be found.  It was too dense!

After the U-turn, the 10K runners converged with the mid pack of the 21K runners, again crowding the lane.  I continued my progress and was surprised by my form.  I was running strong with sub-5mpk pace.  At the top of the Kalayaan Bridge, I looked back and was astounded but what I saw.  Buendia, as far as the eye could see, was like covered with yellow carpet.  Unbroken line of humanity moving in both directions filled the street.  It was a fabulous spectacle.  Perhaps the announcer was right.  Concrete evidence was before me: thousands of 10K and 21K runners in a solid expression of human solidarity.

The runners thinned to normality along the Bridge enabling a freer run.  I ran faster on the final kilometers like a tireless horse and crossed the line with 49+ minutes on the clock.

I was quite happy with my unexpected performance.  But I was more awed by the turnout of serious runners.  With races like this and the likes of Milo and Condura, I hope the country, someday, would be propelled to host one of the greater races of the region.