It’s the New Year and what better way to jumpstart the year than with a run?  And what’s great is that I got to start it with Takbo.ph’s event, running the 10-mile leg.  Here’s my story of this delightful race.

The 20-mile runners were already running their races when I arrived in Bonifacio Global City.  They started an hour and a half ahead of 10-mile runners.  I sure was glad that I didn’t do the 20 miles today—I could use all the sleep I can get!

I didn’t have any problem locating everything when I arrived in the starting area.  There weren’t that many participants then in the area so it’s easy to get around.  I actually thought I’d arrive just in the nick of time, but I actually arrived early enough to join the morning stretching before gun start.  Minutes later, we were off!

It was still dark when we started.  And it was notably cool!  It was around 20-21°c that morning so it was so pleasant to run!  There were some headwinds as well so it was a little chilly for some.  For me, I was having the time of my life!  I love running in cool weather!

I had absolutely no preparation coming into this race whatsoever.  My last run prior to this event was a 5K with RU Enervon HP Recovery Run so I can hardly call that helpful towards this race (in terms of speed, that is).  As such, I set my expectations low and decided to have fun!  No records to break, just get out and start the year right with a run!

The route started around the northern section of BGC then going onto the Kalayaan flyover towards Buendia.  Upon turning back just before reaching the railways, we head back the same route, turning right on Rizal Drive towards McKinley Parkway before returning back to the starting area.  The route was pretty simple, and I loved it!  It was a bit difficult though along 5th Ave. as it was a long uphill and it was towards the last few kilometers of the 10-mile route.

There were quite a few surprises for me with this race.  The first one was the banana—not that this is the first time I’ve had a banana in a race—but you’d be able to get your banana before reaching the first hydration station!  Definitely not complaining!  The other surprise was the hopia.  Who gives hopia in a race?!  It was quite a nice and tasty gesture and I actually tried eating it as I ran but it made me quite thirsty so I’d say it’s not really a good idea.  Last surprise: finishing my race below an hour and a half!  I estimated to finish around an hour and 45 minutes due to lack of preparation so it was quite a surprise that I finished in 1:28:23!  This is actually only my third 10-mile race ever and officially my slowest, but I’m really happy because it was quite unexpected!  It could actually be one of my fastest races lately!

Overall, Takbo.ph 20-mile event was a really, really good race, coming from a 10-miler participant.  Route markers and distance were accurate; plenty of hydration; bananas and hopia; friendly race marshals; finisher’s shirt and medal; nice routes; and cool weather—I could not ask for more!  And as always there were post-race activities like raffles, photo booths, giveaways from sponsors, etc.

To Takbo.ph, their crew, and the sponsors, thank you for organizing such a great event!  I look forward to the next Takbo.ph event!

To all the finishers, Congratulations!

You may view the official race results and photos here.