2008 was a pretty short year for me running-wise since I started on the third quarter already, but despite the relative short span I do have my favorites for the year:

Best 5K Race: Nokia Recycle your Phone and Run
First it was free, it had a very good cause, very well organized, and had more freebies.

Best 10K Race: adidas King of the Road
This was my first 10K and was very memorable because of its very nice race course, also was my first race over a fly-over.

Best Race Singlet: adidas King of the Road
The official KOTR singlet was so good I used it several times more on subsequent races; even my tan lines follow the singlet’s edges!

Best Race Course 5K: Unicef Walk on the Child’s Side
It was the most interesting 5K route I’ve seen so far and it even looked like 10K from the race map.

Best Race Course 10K: adidas King of the Road
This was a very tough choice to make but I picked adidas KOTR: running on Buendia fly-over over EDSA—that’s a feat that’s not easy to beat.

Best Race Organizer: Coach Rio (Runrio.com)
Anyone who’s ever joined races organized by Coach Rio would definitely agree on this: ample portalets, great race courses, punctual, good sets of freebies, quick and pretty accurate race results, consistent high quality races, and so on—not to mention that Coach Rio’s always very accommodating.  His races may not be the largest in terms of attendance but it’s always fun.  Keep it up Coach!

Most Organized Race: Unicef Walk on the Child’s Side
Except for parking issues with the venue, just about everything in this race was great: course, singlet, freebies, cause, etc.  As expected from Coach Rio of course.

Most Interesting Race: Isuzu Shake Rattle and Run
It was held on a Friday night, a Halloween, and even includes a “Best in Costume” category.  You’d hardly think you’re in a race but in a costume party!

I would’ve liked to pick a lone “Favorite Race” but it was very difficult to pick just one, so I just picked three of my favorite races for the year (in no particular order):

Favorite Races:

• adidas King of the Road
  My pick for Best 10K Race, Best Race Course 10K, and Best Race Singlet, it was also my first 10K among others (see my blog on “Firsts”).
• Unicef Walk on the Child’s Side
  My pick for Best Race Course 5K (runner-up for my Best Race Course 10K) and Most Organized Race, it was one of the most fun races I’ve had for 2008.
• Nokia Recycle your Phone and Run
  My pick for Best 5K Race, I had fun joining this race: from collecting hazardous wastes for registration to the free items.  I strongly support any initiative for the environment so that’s another plus, and personally this was the first race I ran with a consistent pace of sub 5 minutes per kilometer.

The Best Thing About 2008
I was introduced to running this year so this one tops the list.  I’ve had so many experiences, both good and bad, and I’ve met so many people in the process.  It was also very educational and expanded my view on fitness in general: no longer am I stuck in the gym thinking it’s the only thing that can keep me fit.

It’s sad that 2008 is almost over, but I’m glad that 2008 was a year I could call, a great start.