Condura Skyway Marathon Photos: My 9th 42K Run for the Dolphins

I did not plan to join this year’s Run for the Dolphins, originally. It was scheduled right in the middle of two marathons four weeks apart that I was already set to run in the 2011 first quarter- Hong Kong and Tainan- and running 3 marathons, one every two weeks, still I hadn't previously done.

But the lure of running Manila’s newly-opened skyway extension even before I had driven on it, plus the Condura Skywaymarathon’s solid reputation as a premier racing event organized by veteran runner-brother-leaders Pat and Ton Concepcion for all runners simply won me over.

That the race would not contribute to my getting additional stars from my club The Marathon Maniacs, mattered little at all. After all, I would be running for a more worthy cause- to save the endangered dolphins of Pamilacan, Bohol, a popular eco-tourism destination that my family enjoyed the year before.

There were 3K, 5K, 10K, 16K, 21K, and 42K race categories this year, with more than 13,000 registered to run from two starting points. The full marathon was to start at 3:30 AM in Metro Manila’s runners’ mecca- Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig- where as early as 3AM, emcees began working the crowd.

For Manila’s runners, this was reunion time. Several came dressed as members of triathlon and running teams. Some flew from Cebu or traveled from afar. I even met a fellow Maniac from Hawaii- MM#528 Alfredo ‘Da Man’ Aromin who was running his 47^th marathon.

Just a few minutes before gun time, runners were treated to an early morning fireworks display that was sure to rouse BGC’s gated communities while revving up sleepy running legs and pumping adrenaline into anxious running body systems.

Then it was take-off time for the more than 1300 42K runners all expecting to finish within the cut-off time of seven hours. The first 11K saw them running BGC and Makati streets, with flood lights set up to illuminate dark portions of the way.

Early in the race, runners already got the impression that they were to just run happy and worry-free- there were plenty of hydration and medical stations, some serving bananas, throughout the course.

Just after 11K of running, we began the assault on Manila’s only skyway, entering the same all-too-familiar ramp that I have driven over hundreds of times before but was going to run on that day, only for the first time.

Again as we ran the first few kilometers of the skyway, flood lights illuminated the way- an improvement over the 2010 race when complaints were heard over dark and thus unsafe to run portions of the skyway.

It was all running business from then on- 24K or so of pure running on skyway concrete.  Occasionally a camera flash would light up but, as it was still dark, few documented this portion of the run.

At about the 12K to the 18K marks, the 42K runners were joined by the 21K runners. But even with the merger, with all three lanes on one side of the skyway exclusively used by the marathon, running space there was plenty.

At about 17K, I saw the first wave of 42K runners on their way back already- at the 31^st K mark. I was to later learn that the top male and female finishers were Kenyans Fredrick Mathiu (2:23:31) and Susan Jemutai (3:19:44), respectively.

As the temperatures stayed cool that early morning, with a mild breeze blowing from Manila Bay, the paramedics waiting in their ambulances were kept far from busy. No major incidents were reported that day.

With no pace setters to run with, I had to rely again on my Garmin FR310XT for pacer duties. By the race’s halfway point of 21K, time spent running was 2:08:45, 12 minutes off my best time for a half-mary.

The U-turn slot for the 42K race was just after reaching 24K, a few meters beyond the Sucat interchange.  This portion of the skyway involved a 190 ft-elevation of uphill running.  Though still dark, at this point, dawn was breaking.

The D-tag timing system was used to record total and split running times.  One split time reader was set up at the 30K point where my GPS watch indicated I had been running for 3:09:32 already.

As we passed the toll gate at around 17K, I began to feel right leg cramps and had to slow down considerably the rest of the way. The two marathons I ran previously had been cramp-free.  I was wrong to think this problem had forever gone away.

At this point I wished for the pain killer sprays of Tainan and the muscle pain rubbing ointment of Singapore.  To prevent a full-blown cramp attack, at the 16K U-turn slot, from a run-all-the-way, I switched to a run-walk strategy.

When I arrived at the marathon wall’s entrance- at 32K- I had run for 3 hours and 24 minutes. Sagging spirits and weakened flesh the now-regular distance markers helped boost definitely. This one screamed ‘I have met my hero, and he is me”.

As Makati’s skyline began looming large in the horizon, with security personnel making sure everybody was safe if not perfectly pain-free, I made another hydration stop- I had been taking mostly water; the carbonated sports drink offered free did not suit me.

For those needing comfort, there was immediate relief. The portalets being aplenty, there was no need for queues.  Each one was well-stocked with the essentials- tissue paper and hand sanitizer. Somebody was making sure these little cubicles were ever-comfy!

A few days before, I had posted a barefoot running link at my Facebook account’s wall. In running-crazy Manila, where the latest shoe models are drooled upon endlessly, it was nice to see at least two Christopher McDougall disciples heading the other way.

Metro Manila’s weather had been cool the week previously. Many had predicted PRs being recorded on race day.  But as the now well-dispersed 42K runners descended the skyway, the sun was beginning to heat up- the beginnings of a warm and humid day.

But all good things must come to an end. After 24K of uncomplicated, unadulterated skyway running bliss, just past 36K, we finally exited the skyway. But not before being treated to a traffic-weaving exhibition by a motorbike cop who was obviously happy.

Many deserved credit for giving the Philippine running community easily one of the best running experiences in the country- the hundreds of race personnel deployed along the route, for example, who kept the race course safe, clean, and orderly..

To the various volunteer marching bands- this one, for example, sponsored by the company owned by fellow marathoner and blogger Amado L. Castro Jr., the great man behind Reiner 666...

To the youthful band cheerleaders who sashayed endlessly to personify life and vitality, no doubt inspiring runners to hang on as they made a final turn to the finish line...

To the dancing cheerleaders with their acrobatic moves that, near the endpoint of the race, those of us still running could only dream of half-making…

To members of various running and triathlon teams who waited patiently and happily for teammates to arrive, ever-ready to escort them all the way to the finish arc…

To family members and friends of the runners who nervously fidgeted along the side lines, gazes fixed on the horizon, always hoping the runner who just turned the corner indeed was the ‘he’ or ‘she’…

And even to the mighty and normally unstoppable Kobe Bryant, who, sweat dripping, eyes fixed on the running lanes, and, yes, this time fully stopped, couldn’t help but watch runners admiringly from his perch a safe distance away…

With so many witnesses to a grand finale, the red-brick laden final meters to the finish line easily rivalled the carpeted finish of Chang Mai, the boisterous finish line crowd of Toronto, and the landmark finish area of San Francisco.

There was simply no way I could be denied that finisher’s medal! Even with a severe cramp attack on both legs in the final 100 meters of the course, I checked back in at 4:44:49, a top 30%, 'quadruple 4' finish time for a 9^th marathon!

Then it was off to the very spacious and orderly race finish area where race organizers awarded top prizes and tired but proud runners congregated ready to…

claim generous, near-full, and heavy goodie bags as burly security personnel provided guidance while ensuring peace, order, and safety,

chill-out in the designated race recovery area where massage therapists took turns caressing tired and bruised many a runners’ legs and bodies,

do a different kind of RICE- rest, ice, compress, elevate- that is is so important for fast body systems recovery after running continuously for 42K,

or eat the more familiar and real rice, the Filipino way- via the trademark tapsilog, longsilog, hamsilog, and hotsilog menus that the race finish area food stalls sold cheaply!

Then it was off to the very orderly personal effects claim area, segregated accordingly per race category, 

Then, finally, as the race's exclamation point, there was the 100 meter-long dolphin mural to sign one's name on permanently for posterity, never to forget that this once-a-year highly recommended Manila sporting event was, first, middle, and last of all, an advocacy!

The dolphin-engraved bronze medal, now hangs securely framed and perfectly still, blending beautifully with the other medals I earned by finishing 8 marathons in 8 diiferent US states or countries in the last 8 months. That I finished this 9th 42K safely, ready yet again to run a 10th less than 14 days away, is why I guess they sometimes refer to number 9 simply as Lucky!