Running Boom and Marathons in the Philippines: Revisited

Philippine running events in the next 4 weeks: 53 in 28 cities

Running has never been more alive that it is today in the Philippines. When I started this purely-hobby blog in early 2010, one of my first posts was about the running boom that was then taking place in the country. At that time, however, I wondered whether the phenomenon would last. Today, a cursory look at the race calendar of the Philippine running community's premier blog takbo.ph would reveal that the boom has held, with a bust still nowhere in sight. In fact, there will be 52 running events in the next four weeks (August 20 to September 19) alone, as opposed to the then-already-impressive 35 events over a 4-month period in early 2010! The present-day average of 13 events per week compared to 2.13 events per week in 2010 represents an astounding six-fold (6X) increase!

Running hotspots in Metro Manila

Where are all these running events being held, you might ask. In early 2010, 6 of every 10 events took place in Metro Manila. Today, the metro's love affair with running continues, with 5 of every 10 events hosted by a city in the national capital, and with the cities of Taguig, Quezon, Manila, and Pasay leading the way. But the number of cities hosting at least one running event has increased to 28 nationwide! And of these, only 9 or 32% are in Metro Manila. The other 68% are in other major population centers in Luzon (40%), particularly Baguio and Naga cities, with the remaining 28% divided equally between Visayas (particularly Cebu), and Mindanao. Bottom line- the running boom has spread like wildfire across the archipelago.

Favorite Race Distances

What is the most popular race distance today, might be the next question to ask. Of the 143 total race distance-running event combinations to choose from in 53 separate events during the next four weeks, the 5K, 3K, and 10K race categories altogether account for 75%. The most popular by far is the 5K race distance, accounting for 31% of all race distance-running event combinations. Beyond 10K, the 21K distance ranks next, with 9 out of the 15 events scheduled to be held outside of Metro Manila. Only 4 ultras and not a single marathon are scheduled over the next 4 weeks. So where does this leave marathon maniacs like me?

Not to worry. The above is but a slice of the entire Philippine running calendar. The entire pie would reveal that this year, the Philippines hosted/will host the largest number of marathons ever- at 13, for an average of one 42K a month plus change, all year round. The marathon season opened up with the Cebu and Subic International Marathons in early January and will end with the Milo Marathon Finals in December. The complete 42K list is as follows:

Date	Marathon  Event	Location
01.09.2011	Cebu City Marathon	Cebu City
01.09.2011	Subic International Marathon	Subic, Zambales
02.06.2011	Condura Skyway Marathon	Taguig, Metro Manila
03.20.2011	The Bull Runner Dream Marathon	Santa Rosa, Laguna
04.01.2012	frontRUNNER's April Full Day Marathon	Baguio City
07.24.2011	360 Pharmacy Kawasan Falls Marathon	Bandian, Cebu
07.31.2011	Milo Marathon (Manila Leg)	City of Manila
08.14.2011	Aboitiz Race to Reduce Marathon	Cebu City
09.25.2011	Summit Water CamSur Marathon	CWC, Camarines Sur
09.25.2011	Manila International Marathon	City of Manila
11.20.2011	Run for the Pasig River	Pasig, Metro Manila
12.04.2011	Quezon City International Marathon	Quezon City, M. Manila
12.11.2011	Milo Marathon – National Finals	City of Manila

Looking at the above race schedule, it is clear that organizers have yet to talk to each other, in order to better distribute 42K races on a year-round basis across the country. The Cebu and Subic marathons as well as the Camsur and Manila 42Ks, for example, are scheduled on the very same dates but, at the same time, there are large gaps in the running calendar where nary a marathon is held- such as in the next 4 weeks. Even if this may be good so that ultramarathons can be held during these gaps, it still makes no sense to compete for the relatively fewer local long-distance runners by holding marathons simultaneously or on the same weekend.

First of two '3 Marathons in 3 Weeks' running opportunity for 2011.

One positive result of this seeming disarray, at least to marathon enthusiasts like me, is the fact that the 2011 42K calendar has allowed the running of back to back marathons, or even of 3 marathons in 3 weeks, not just once, but twice. Seizing this opportunity, a number of marathon runners like me have thus ran the first 'three marathons in 3 weeks' chance- the Kawasan-Milo-Aboitiz triple 42K trio- already! But this would be getting ahead of my next story.

In the meantime, a pat or two on the back is very well-deserved for all players in the Philippine running community. Remain responsible so we can all keep the Philippine running boom alive for more runners to enjoy! Let not a running bubble form only to burst!