Morning with Active Health and the Run United 2

The second leg of the Unilab Run United Series was launched last Sunday at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City in a different fashion. Doing away with the common bloggers’ night event, the bloggers were invited in an easy morning run with Coach Rio and his Runrio team together with the Unilab Active Health people at the UPD Academic Oval. The event started with Coach Rio conducting the warm up exercises and running drills at the UP Track and Field Oval. 

Afterwards, the group proceeded to the academic oval for the easy run session with a goal of running at least 4.4K or two rounds of the oval. Some even went beyond the target especially those running alongside coach Rio. 

The runners/bloggers then re-group and went back to the track oval for the second challenge – beating 40:07 seconds running at least 100 meters doing 5 burpee push-ups on each end. It was fun as many participated and took the challenge including coach Rio and his wife. 

After the challenging event came the most enjoyable part which was a breakfast at Chocolate Kiss at Bahay ng Alumni. Details about the Run United 2 and a presentation about having a good recovery food supplement like Enervon HP drink and Enervon Activ which boost runners’ body immune system, were shown.

Thanks to everyone who greeted me during the event as it happened on my birthday. Thanks to Vimz and Coach Rio who led in the singing of the birthday song for me. It really made my day!

Here are the details for the upcoming Run United 2:

Presenter - Unilab Active Health

Organizer - RunRio Inc.

Beneficiaries – Gawad Kalinga and Children’s Hour

2013 Run United 2 will be held on June 2, 2013 with Ceelin 500m dash, 10k, 21k and 32k race categories. All categories will have the starting and finishing lines at the SM Mall of Asia.

REGISTRATION VENUES:

Online Registration: April 1 to May 12, 2013

In-Store Registration: April 15 to May 19, 2013

Priority Registration for Run United 1 21k Runners: April 10 – 14, 2013 (only at Riovana BGC)

RIOVANA

• BGC –28^th Street corner 9th Ave., Bonifacio Global City –Monday to Sunday from 12nn to 8pm
• KATIPUNAN – 3rd Floor Regis Center, Katipunan, QC (infront of ADMU) – Monday to Sunday from 12nn to 8pm

TOBY'S

• SM Mall of Asia – Monday to Sunday, 12PM to 8PM
• SM North – The Block – Monday to Sunday, 12PM to 8PM

REGISTRATION FEES:

Race Category	Registration Fee	Inclusions
		Pre-Race	Post-Race
500m	Php350	Singlet, Race Bib, D-Tag, 10% Race Day Discount on AH Apparel, & Raffle Stub	Active Health Ventilation Knapsack Kit, Drinks & Race Analysis
10K	Php800
21K	Php900	Singlet, Race Bib, D-Tag, 10% Race Day Discount on AH Apparel, & Raffle Stub	Active Health Ventilation Knapsack, Finisher’s Medal, Finisher’s Shirt, Drinks & Race Analysis
32K	Php1000

ASSEMBLY AND GUN START TIMES:

Race Category	Assembly Time	Gun Time
500m	6:00am	7:00am
10km	4:30am	5:30am
21km	3:00am	4:00am
32km	2:00am	3:00am

REMINDERS:

• Registration is on a first come, first serve basis, and may end earlier than the announced deadline. Race kits may run out before May 19, 2013.
• Singlet size availability will be on a first come first serve basis.
• Singlet and finishers shirt samples will be available for fitting at the registration centers.
• A timing device (d-tag) will be used by all participants during the race.
• D-tag will be presented when claiming the finishers’ kits – no d-tag, no kit.

RACE DETAILS:

• Race details are available at the following websites: www.unilabactivehealth.com and www.runrio.com.

·         Registration Queries: feedback@runrio.com

CONTACT DETAILS:

For In-Store Registration Inquiries:

·         Globe – 0927 347 7700

·         Smart – 0929 7178164

·         Landline – (632) 887 6194

Run United Series 2013 Presented

Press Release - January 17, 2012

Run United Rallies Filipinos to “Exceed Yourself” in 2013

Longer distances and focused approaches mark this year’s run races

          Mark your calendar runners, the 2013 Run United series is set to bring in more excitement and a lot of surprises to this year’s running calendar. Unilab Active Health (ULAH) and RunRio Inc. promise longer distances that are big on fun and prizes, starting off with 2013 Run United 1on March 17 at the Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City.

          Ever responsive to the runners’ feedback, Unilab Active Health and RunRio are now focusing on longer distances to be in step with the requirements of progressive runners who want to better their personal records and outdo themselves in every race.

          “We noticed a trend during the previous years’ races that the slots for longer distances get filled up faster. There were instances when we had to open up more slots. So, by focusing on longer distances, we will be able to accommodate more runners,” said Alex Panlilio, Head of Unilab Active Health.

          Coach Rio dela Cruz added: “This is in line with our plan to be part of the growth and journey of Filipino runners. It just goes to prove that the local running community is more mature, that is why we also launched the Run United Philippine Marathon (RUPM) last year. Filipino runners have leveled up.”

          Thus, there will be no more 3km category in Run United, but it will retain the 500-meter dash for kids to make them start having an active lifestyle early on. The race categories for 2013 Run United 1 include 5km, 10km and 21km; for Run United 2 (10km, 21km, and 32km); and for Run United Philippine Marathon (10km, 21km and 42km).

         

          If runners loved the singlets of previous Run United races, they would definitely rave about the improved singlets this year, which are made of new fabric designed to help improve the performance and comfort of the runners.

          Better and useful items will still be part of the finishers’ token. And the unique united medal will still be given away to encourage participants to complete the series. Of course, the Unilab Active Health villages will still be jampacked with activities and freebies for the participants and their families.

          The complete Run United 2013 race schedules are as follows: Run United 1 on March 17, Run United 2 on June 2 and Run United Philippine Marathon on October 6. Prior to these, The Bull Runner Dream Marathon will kick off on February 24.

          For triathletes, Tri United 1 2013 on March 10, 2013 and Tri United 2 2013 on July 7, 2013 both will be held in Playa Laiya, Batangas. Tri United 3 2013 on October 26-27, 2013 in Subic and the fourth and final leg of Tri United will be fired off in Ayala, Alabang on November 24, 2013. Moreover, Unilab Active Health Duathlon will be on September 8 at SCTEX, Clark, Pampanga.

          For more details please visit www.unilabactivehealth.com. 

First Run United Philippine Marathon

A pre-event bloggers conference for the first Run United Philippine Marathon (RUPM) was held at Annabel’s Restaurant in Quezon City last night, 23 October 2012. Unilab Active Health Team presented what’s in store for the Enervon Activ 42K runners as well as the runners for other race categories such as the Ceelin 500m dash, Hydrite 3k, Dolfenal 5k, Enervon HP Recovery 10k, Alaxan FR 21k.

The RUPM will debut this Sunday, 28 October 2012 with 42K and 21K runners starting at BGC and will cross the finish line at the SM Mall of Asia grounds. RUPM runners will be in for a royal treatment as Unilab and its partner Runrio prepared an array of surprises for the finishers. Unilab and Runrio increased the number of security personnel, traffic policemen and marshals along the route to ensure the safety and security of runners. They also provided huge trash bins for proper disposal of plastic cups at hydrations stations strategically located along the route. 

Press Release from Unilab Active Health:

Run United Goes the 42Km Distance

There are marathons, then there's the Run United Philippine Marathon (RUPM). Everyone is excited to participate in newest addition to the country's running calendar that will go on a debut run on October 28.

Finally, one of the most-popular running series, Run United is going for a full marathon, as it added 42km to its race categories. And the running community is giving the new 'mary' in town its full support.

Unilab Active Health (ULAH) and partner race organizer, Runrio, are certainly pulling out all stops to make the first ever RUPM running success.

"The runners clamored for a marathon from us and we also believe that Run United enthusiasts are up to the challenge of finishing a marathon already, so it's all systems go for Run United Philippine Marathon," said Alex Panlilio, head of ULAH.

RUPM, besides being the first marathon jointly organized by ULAH & RunRio, is set to create milestones for participants.

Runners will surely get a memorable start and finish at Run United Philippine Marathon--complete with red carpet, marching bands, exclusive finish arc, colorful balloons, video/photo shots, and the other surprises.

"We want to make sure that participants will not only remember how well organized our events are, we want their participation in our events memorable too by providing them the best race experience possible," said Panlilio.

According to Panlilio, "We cater to all types of runners, including progressive and elite runners. RUPM is our way of helping them level up to more challenging distances."

RUPM will also be high on nationalistic touches to celebrate Filipino sportsmanship. Philippine miniature flags will be given to all participants crossing the finish line. The design of the limited edition race singlet also depicts Filipino pride.

There will be separate categories for Filipino and foreign winners, to give credit or recognition to more runners.

  

The Unilab Active Health Village will also be part of the Run United Philippine Marathon experience. It will be classified in four categories: Active Kids Zone, Health, Sports, & Leisure, Runners’ Lounge and iConnect.

RUPM will also feature short and medium distance categories— the Ceelin 500m dash, Hydrite 3k, Dolfenal 5k, Enervon HP Recovery 10k, Alaxan FR 21k with the highlight, Enervon Activ 42k.

All categories except for 42k and 21k will have start and finishline at the SM Mall of Asia while 42k and 21k will start at Bonifacio Global City and finish at SM Mall of Asia.

42K runners will get to run in three cities: Taguig, Makati and Pasay

Online registration is already closed.

In-store registration is until October 26, 2012 at the following outlets:

- RIOVANA BGC – 28th St. cor. 9th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

- RIOVANA Katipunan – 3rd floor Regis Bldg. Katipunan, Quezon City.

- TOBY’S SM Mall of Asia – Ground Floor Entertainment Hall

- TOBY’S Trinoma

Registration fees are as follows:

500m – P350

3K – P600

5K – P700

10K – P800

21K – P900

42K – P1,300

The race kit will contain the following: limited edition RUPM singlet, bib number, and wrist tags for 500m dash participants and will be available upon registration.

RUPM is part of the ULAH running series. Run United started with only 6,000 runners when it was launched in March 2010 and the numbers have steadily grown in succeeding events. An estimated 12,000 runners participated during its previous race—at Run United 3.

Run United 1 on March 4 started off this year’s RunRio Trilogy, followed by Run United 2 on June 17. Besides the run races, Unilab Active Health also has a triathlon series, the third leg, Tri United 3, will be held on November 11 at Ayala, Alabang.

For further information or inquiries on race details, results, photos and discussions, please visit the following websites: www.unilabactivehealth.com or www.runrio.com. ###

Thanks to UNILAB

Yesterday, I received gift pack from Unilab for posting an article on my ideal Run United Race. Though my suggestions were probably the least liked by Unillab Active Health facebook page followers, Unilab Team was so generous to declare all four entries as winners. Thanks to Unilab for encouraging Filipinos to live a healthy lifestyle by organizing activities in support to their advocacy.

For the 2013 Unilab Active Health  Calendar:

Congratulations to Bards, Daves and CJ!

On my complete post on my ideal RU Series: click here

 The Nathan Quickdraw Elite handheld hydration bottles are perfect for me and Swthrt.

More power to Unilab and Runrio!

Unilab Active Health 2013 Calendar

At Run United 3 2012

Few days prior to the staging of the last leg of the Run United Trilogy, forecasts of a rainy weekend were flashed in all weather reports. Thus, last Sunday was a wet and wild spectacle for the Run United 3 staged at SM MOA in Pasay City with 21K and 32K runners starting at BGC in Taguig City. In this 3^rd of a series, the 32K Afroman distance was ran. It was a fitting distance for those who wanted to level up in running going to full marathon. For those first time Afroman runners who finished the race, it only showed that it can be done, and finishing a full marathon is not too far to reach.

Team JRunning @ the race

Swthrt and I have run the RU1 and RU2 and running the 3^rd leg is quite inevitable, as we really wanted to complete the much coveted RU 3-piece puzzle medal. Preparation was not as good as we wanted, thus fear is a factor coming into this race. We arrived at the BGC at around 2:00 am, with enough time to move around as the early morning race will certainly be cold because of an all-night rainy weather. We were released at 3:00am amidst the rain. A longer distance was covered in the route around BGC before we finally approached the Kalayaan flyover. To a certain extent, I was disoriented in our location for some time because of the many turns we made around BGC. Credits have to be given to the marshals who stood their ground and patiently directed runners under the rain. We had a good start, until I slowly succumbed to tiredness even at the early part of the race. Swthrt patiently paced me and tried to encourage me to run. She is certainly in a better condition. At some point, I knew she was frustrated. She even burst with a phrase “hilahin na lang kaya kita”. Though I felt better (from my acid reflux condition) this time rather than our RU2 race. I still can’t push myself harder than before. When we reached half-way at Buendia, cramps on my left calf started to set in. This made me walk more than run. I tried to urge Swthrt to go ahead so that she can hit our 4-hr target but she opted to stay with me. As we go along, we managed walk and run or should I say walk-walk and run as walking took most of our time. We survived the race and finally completed the pie medal.

Thanks to Running Atom for the picture

\

The pain and frustration

Lessons have been learned from the past. Running longer distances such as half marathon to full marathon requires sincere dedication in training. Since the start of the year, training was kept in the sideline. Cramming on logging more running time and mileage was more of the practice. Though we hit the gym, it was not on a regular basis. Thus, pain during and after the race is expected. Nevertheless, we tried hard to make it a fun run as possible, but frustrations overshadow the feeling.  Running the Run United Philippine Marathon is now a big question.

The challenge

With a few more big races lined-up before the year ends, a greater challenge it has become. Team JRunning will surely take it on. Hopefully, work schedules, kids’ school agenda, and other home chores will fall in its right places so that we can fully maximize any free time we have for the love of running. Team JRunning is here to stay and continue to promote an active and healthy lifestyle.

Congratulations Unilab and Runrio Team for a great series of Run United!

My idea of a different Run United Series

The Unilab Run United Series is undoubtedly the most awaited running event in the country today. With Unilab and Runrio at its helm, the series of races never fails to amaze runners with innovations, new routes, among others. Races that give runners the treat they truly deserve from well-secured race routes, overflowing hydration stations, shuttle service and post-race entertainment. With lots of ideas in their minds, they still want to know the needs of every runner and their thoughts on RU races to better serve the running community. Knowing this, here are some of my wish lists/suggestions for the future RU race series.1.       

1. Different race routes in every leg of the series. The idea of a different start/finish area like the BGC to SM MOA (used this year) was great but doing it again in the coming years may not be as attractive to some runners. I was thinking of having Run United 2013 Series in different venues. RU1 will be held at the BGC but 21K runners will start at SM MOA. RU2 will be held at the BGC with route extending to C5 going to Libis. RU3 will be held at QC Circle or UP Diliman using the Commonwealth Route.  RUPM can be from UP Diliman to BGC via Katipunan- C5 Road. Other routes to consider Mckinley Hills to SM MOA or vice versa. QC Circle to BGC via EDSA.
2. Team Competition for RUPM. 4 member team. All members will run the full marathon. The team with the fastest aggregate time wins.
3. A couple run category. Similar to a buddy run.
4. Relay Category for RUPM. 2-person relay for the 42K category.
5.  Personalized Race Singlet/Bib. This will only be for the longest distance category such as the 21K, 32K and 42K.
6. Unilab Active Health Souvenir Products for sale. Examples: Technical shirts, Tri-suits, gym bags, towels, etc. These items should be manufactured by known brands such as Nike, Adidas and others. 
7. Branded finisher’s shirt. There is pride in wearing a Run United Finisher’s shirt.
8. Having it scheduled on a Saturday. This is something personal. We cannot stay longer as much as we want to after the race because we are always in a hurry to return home and prepare for church worship service. Though it is a universal unwritten rule that races, especially significant ones are held during Sundays.

These are the few things that come to my mind. I’m sure the Unilab Team and Runrio Team will have other better ideas! More Power to you guys!