William Llaguno, third from left, Toby's assistant manager for operations and franchising, pose with Elmer Bartolo and Mary Grace Delos Santos, fourth and fifth from left, respectively, after Llaguno presented Bartolo with a new pair of Newton Racers last Tuesday at RUNNR store in Ayala. Others in the picture are, from left, John Olen Gentiles, Yhazer Gonzaga, Jermine Germino, Rose Abellana and Raffy Osumo.
RUNNR is proud to be associated with Cebu’s elite runners like Elmer Bartolo and Mary Grace Delos Santos and is willing to fulfill their needs.
RUNNR presented Bartolo a new pair of Newton Racer last Tuesday afternoon through William Llaguno, the store’s assistant manager for operations and franchising.
“We are proud to be associated with elite runners in Cebu like Elmer Bartolo and Mary Grace Delos Santos. We are happy too that we’re able to help them in their needs. We’re thankful that we were made aware of Elmer Bartolo’s need, thus we were able to help,” Llaguno said.
Bartolo came to RUNNR two weeks back and asked if the store could “sponsor” a pair of running shoes for him because robbers had stolen his running racers.
He recalled that after washing his shoes, he left it to dry outside of their boarding house when robbers chanced upon it. The racers that the robbers took were relatively new, thus leaving Bartolo with old and almost tattered racers.
Toby Claudio, the CEO of RUNNR, immediately approved a pair of Newtons for Bartolo upon learning of the runner’s predicament. Claudio had earlier given a pair of Newton Racers to Mary Grace Delos Santos that she wore in winning the Davao City Marathon last December 2009.
“I’m very happy and thankful to RUNNR for their sponsorship,” Bartolo said in Cebuano after fitting the shoes and giving it a thumb’s up.
Bartolo, who hails from Davao, is best remembered for his record-breaking run in the 1st Minuzo-Shell 21K half-marathon race in 2008 where he set the national record of 1:10:20.
Last Sunday, he won the 7K category of the 2nd Rotary Fun Run last Sunday with a time of 24:58.
Aside from his new pair of Newton, RUNNR also gave Bartolo a new pair of running socks. RUNNR will also provided Bartolo and Delos Santos with running jerseys with an embroidered Philippine flag that they could use in local and international races.
Bartolo and Delos Santos are busy preparing for The Great Lapu-Lapu Run on April 18 that features a 21K distance. The winners of the 21K category – in the men and women’s division, aside from cash prizes - will represent Cebu in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon next year.
“Vertik” Buenavista overtook two Kenyans on his way to winning the Century Tuna 21K half-marathon held at BonifacioGlobalCity in Taguig last Sunday.
Buenavista, the reigning SEA Games marathon champion and Philippine marathon record holder, clocked 1:08:18 to top Willy Tanui (the Cebu City Marathon winner) and Willy Rotich. Tanui and Rotich came in at 1:10:13 and 1:10:15, respectively.
Some weeks back, Alley Quisay darted from the last 10 meters to beat Kember Kiberless in the PSC Run for Heart 10K race last February 15.
Quisay, who lost at least two races to Kiberless, lulled his rival into complacency then darted out of nowhere to beat the Kenyan. The 30-year-old veteran from Bolinao, Pangasinan, clocked 31:27. Kiberless came in at 31:29.
In the Condura Run for the Dolphins, Feb. 7, Elmer and Crisenciano Sabal nearly upended David Kipsang in the full marathon. Elmer and Crisenciano were running toe-to-toe with Kipsang until the 38th kilometer mark. But when Kipsang made his move, only Elmer could give chase because Cris had cramps.
Kipsang finished with a time of 2:38:02 while Elmer had a time of 2:38:59. His brother Cris, who finished third, submitted a time of 2:39: 40.
If there’s a good thing about this, it’s the fact that the gap between Kenyans and Pinoys are narrowing.
The Bald Runner, in his blog in January, said that his team is learning a lot from the Kenyans and it wouldn’t be too long when the locals would beat the Kenyans.
In local races, Simon Losiaboi finally lost a race after he was DQ’d last Sunday in the 2nd Rotary Fun Run. Losiaboi was penalized after he used another bib number. He was given the #1 race number (when he was registered) in deference to his lofty billing in local running contests but his patron Tyrone Tan came late and was unable to give the race bib to his ward.
Mendel Lopez took the crown and the champion’s pot.
Lopez was leading Losiaboi until the last 100 meters when the latter broke away and left Lopez for what could have been a come-from-behind victory.
It wasn’t meant to be.
Race officials lowered the boom on Losiaboi after Lopez and other runners formally lodged a protest. I saw the handwritten protest signed by Lopez and other runners with the protest fee attached to it.
It was the second time Losiaboi used a different race bib. In the Kasadya Run, he used a different bib number but never penalized because the other runners didn’t lodge a protest.
A few weeks back, Elmer Bartolo nearly turned the tables on Losiaboi in the Run for Smile 10K race. Bartolo submitted a time of 33:41.47, a minute or so slower than Losiaboi’s winning time of 32:23.15.
While a minute would mean a lead of at least 200 meters, but the gap is getting narrow as well in local races.
I spoke to Elmer during one of my morning gigs at the oval and he said that if there was another runner with him, they could give Simon a big headache.
Elmer said Simon run behind him all the time as he dictated the pace. If there was another runner who could block off Simon, Bartolo feels that he could finally put an end to Simon’s domination of local races.
Of course, it means local runners have to train harder so they could run Simon’s pace.
Elmer said he’s amazed at the strength of Simon. During speed training, not only could he run fast but also his recover time is so short!
I wish we could compare notes with The Bald Runner, whose runners – the Sabal Brothers – nearly pull the rug from Kipsang.
Then there’s Vertik who proved that the Kenyans are beatable.
I noticed that when the Kenyans were winning last year Buenavista and many of our national female runners was busy preparing for the SEA Games. Now that there’s no forthcoming international competition to prepare for, I’m expecting some fierce rivalry between the Kenyans and Vertik.
Cliff Abrahan, Rex Wagas, Eugene Cabusao and me a.k.a. The Fantastic Four!
Eugene Cabusao, Rex Wagas, Cliff Abrahan and I earned a rather conspicuous moniker – The Fantastic Four! Mike Limpag, sports editor of the Sun Star newspaper, cast upon us as such moniker after he read the blog of Haide Acuna posted in Marathon Foodie. A few other stories were written about the four of us and I couldn’t help but chuckle every time I recall our adventure during the Cebu City Marathon. I guess that one was really for the books. A few weeks back, Cliff wrote his “version” of the story in Sun Star. Again, I couldn’t help but grin. With all the publicity, we couldn’t even hide. Just like the other day at Abellana. After I finished my laps at the swimming pool I found Scott (forgot his surname) at the shower room. I met him at the pool in December (when I resorted to swimming because of my aching back) then a few more times at RUNNR before the Cebu City Marathon. He was running the 21K he said. I told him I’m running my first marathon and we ended up wishing each other Godspeed. On this particular occasion, Scott remembered me when I greeted him and the first thing he asked me was, “Did you finish the marathon?” “What was your time?” I told him I finished last with three others then he interrupted me. “You must be Raffy,” he said. “I read about you, you guys were the Fantastic Four!” Since 01-10-10, I met Cliff a couple of times already. I’ve also met Rex while I was on my way out of the oval last week. The only guy I haven’t met our contacted yet after the marathon is Eugene. Cliff joined the practice run for the Rotary Fun Run last Sunday. Rex, when I saw him, said he has been practicing as well. Cliff will join the Run with a Smile on Feb. 14 and the 2nd Rotary Fun Run on Feb. 21. Rex mentioned he would be joining as well. Eugene, despite his silence, has the time to practice at his camp somewhere in Samar, so I would suppose he’s now in good shape. He will be providing support to his wife Haide Acuna when she runs the BDM 102 ultra marathon in March. I was thinking, if Cliff, Rex and me are running in February, could we convince Eugene to come to Cebu to run with us? It would be cool if he could take a break so the Fantastic 4 could have a reunion! Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I told Cliff, however, that this time he has to be in shape because whoever finishes last in these races has to buy lunch for the group! I also told him I’m not going to wait for nobody this time. Of course, I’m just kidding. Eugene, if ever you read this blog, please send smoke signal if you could come to Cebu on Feb. 21 so we could run together. The Fantastic 4 wouldn’t be complete without you!
I was perched on the bench with my counselors Sunday waiting for members to arrive for Sacrament Meeting. Then I thought I've seen something. When I decided to take a closer look, she was already strolling towards the pulpit.
Whoopi had followed Sister Vengco to church without her knowing it! We tried to get the dog out of the sacrament hall as we were about the start the meeting but then she would run. Without a leash, it was not easy for us to tie her on something.
I don't know if Whoopi would could be counted as "attendance" but Sister Vengco couldn't bring her back to their house without missing the sacrament. So for the rest of the sacrament, Whoopi was outside the hall!
After sacrament, we tried to bring her to the back portion of the meetinghouse but then she would run back.
If there was someone happy about Whoopi being around it was my 5-year-old son James. He brought her to his Primary class! The other children weren't that happy or so it seems. There was grandmother who cautioned her grandson that Whoopi might bite him!
Make a long story short, Whoopi went to Church last Sunday.
Early Monday morning, after I have washed the van, I strongly felt I have to go back to church! So I went. Lo and behold, when I opened the gate towards the sacrament hall, Whoopi was there!
She probably had gone back to church and was trapped inside!
She sort of bounced up when she saw me and after I opened the gate, she was all over me. After printing a form I needed, I took her into my arms and brought her home!
Sister Vengco was surprised but thankful to see Whoopi home. She said they have been looking for Whoopi all night and thought she had been kidnapped or what!
Before I left, I waved at Whoopi, who seemed to have waved back at me!
Whoopi was saying thank you just like the story of a whale below from the San Francisco Chronicle sent to me by Frank Lewandowski.
A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat.
She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed an environmental group for help.
Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.
She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around - she was thanking them.
Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
You could just imagine how it be like when the day "the lamb and the lion shall lie down together without any ire" shall come....
