A not so “Hataw” race

Last Sunday was supposed to be no different regular long run at UP except that we were registered in a 10K race of the Hataw Pilipinas Fun Run. Actually, Swthrt and I were quite apprehensive in joining a race at UP since it was our regular training ground. We thought that familiarity with the place would not give much thrill to pump up adrenalin in our bodies. Nonetheless, I registered for this event to satisfy the urge to race. The last race we joined was the Globe-Ayala Run for Home.

There was not much preparation for this race. I personally thought that it would not be a big race compared to other highly publicized races. Also, Swthrt has been suffering from stomach pain and discomfort for more than a week that prompted her to have a medical check-up last Saturday. On my part, I was having LBM Friday and Saturday. I also felt pain on my left foot, specifically on the joints of my toes. (Oh no! could this be a sign of not getting any younger, he he he) Despite all the odds, we gave it a try and went to UP at 5:00am come race day. We met with Vener and Xty who were also registered for the race. We also saw officemates of Swthrt who were newbies in running and have been starting to join races.

with Xty and Swthrt (Vener taking the picture)

The race
It started promptly at 6:00am. The highly publicized race route would take 4 ½ rounds of the academic oval for the 10K. The starting line was near the oblation and the finish line was near the grandstand of the Sunken Garden. The 10K runners went off fast as the gun was fired. Swthrt and I were caught in a surprise when we were led by the marshals to go straight and take a left turn on the road (forgot the name of the road) parallel to the academic oval. The poor physical condition and lack of mental preparation must have paid a toll on us. We easily burned out and Swthrt experienced pain on her shins (probably caused by lack of proper stretching before the race). She had to bow out of the race upon reaching Abelardo Hall and settled for her first DNF. While I managed to continue, I was struggling along the way. I saw Bald Runner who was having his long run and I had a short chat with him. I tried to keep pace with him but to no avail. I opted to run on a slower pace and hope to finish strong. On my final lap, I knew I will not even equal my 1:05 PR for 10K. I finished the race in 1:10+

Photos by Vener (Run unlimited)

Thoughts on the race
I believe that any road race should live up to its name or race title. The word Hataw connotes a meaning of giving it all, or giving your best shot. When I registered, I thought this would be a good and well-organized race. The race envelope I received contains the race bib, race route map, and even list of tips for beginner runners. To my dismay, the race bib kept on falling because it was not waterproof. I had to hold it on my hand throughout the race. There were other runners who did the same. There was insufficient water at the designated water stations. Worse, the bottled water has a politician’s face printed on the label? And to top it all, there was no one at the finish line to record the time of the finishers. What’s the use of the color-coded lace given to runners to make sure they completed the required number of laps when you won’t even have to record their time finished. I would understand if your name would not be listed in the race results if you did not finish within the curfew time allotted for each race category as in the case of Milo Marathons. I heard later that the organizers just waited for the top 3 finishers of each category to finish and record their time for awarding purposes and that’s it. They left the other runners to their own ways to record their time. The distribution of the finisher singlets and freebies was also disorganized. One runner I talked with told me he could even get two singlets if he wanted to. If this is the kind of good governance that they want to promote as printed in the logo of one of the organizers (I think it was a movement that support the sponsoring politician) then I’m truly be sorry for our country. It was my fault of not remembering the advice of Bald Runner in one of his posts to check on the race organizers before registering on a race. I just hope that our next race at UP which is the Dean’s Cup - UP Law Invitational will never be the same again.