Laoag holds fun run in the sand
THERE is a foot race in the north that cannot be compared with any other race in the Philippines. The view may be breathtaking but its course is backbreaking. It is a race that can ruin the fun out of the fun run but can test one’s mettle and determination to succeed.
The setting is the bumpy and rolling landscape of the 85-square-kilometer sandy coastal desert located in the western part of Laoag City.
As if the challenge of running up and down the hills is not enough, the sand dunes also throw in its sandy surface that can bury the soles of running shoes when it’s deep and be slippery on the slopes.
“You have to be careful where you step,” said 2019 Southeast Asian Games and Milo Marathon women’s champion Christine Hallasgo who topped the women’s 10-kilometer race of the 2nd Laoag City Sand Dunes Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.
“Loose sand can be dangerous, you have to avoid it if you can. You don’t just have to be fast, you also have to be smart,” she added in Filipino.
She said the most challenging part of the course is the uphill climb.
“Climbing that part of the hill is the most difficult part of the race,” said Hallasgo, pointing at the steep hill less than two kilometers away from the finish line.
“And we have to run it twice,” she added.
The Laoag City Sand Dunes Challenge has two events, the 10K and the 5K.
The 5K runners need to run the course just once but the 10K runners need to complete the loop twice before entering the finishers’ chute.
The Laoag City Sand Dunes Challenge is the brainchild of Mayor Michael Marcos Keon, a running enthusiast who is also the architect of the highly successful Gintong Alay (Golden Harvest) sports program of the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., father and namesake of the current Chief Executive of the Philippines.
In its first staging last year, race organizers opened 300 slots for competitive and recreational runners, free from entry fee.
This year, the race received support from Vigan City Mayor Jose “Bonito” Singson Jr. as principal sponsor of the event and Keon decided to stretch the number of participants to 500 runners.
To be precise, there were 501 registered runners when the race flagged off at around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Intrigued by the feedback of the sand dunes runners last year, Keon decided to join the 5K race on Saturday.
The Laoag City mayor jogged-walked 99 percent of the race course and, like any other long distance runner would do, instinctively sprinted his way in the final stretch of the race.
After crossing the endline, Keon let out a loud yelp and said, “That was brutal.”
“It’s really difficult out there but this is the course that, if you are an athlete, can help you improve,” said Keon, who no longer joins marathons but keeps himself fit by running the treadmill.
“The treadmill is nothing compared to this,” he added.
Keon later handed the medals and cash prizes to the top four winners of each category.
Cash prizes were supposed to be given to the top three finishers only but Antonio Carlos “AC”Cuda, the American coach tapped by Keon during the Project Gintong Alay days, donated the P1,500 prize money for each of the fourth place finishers of the race.
“It’s my way of sharing my blessings,” said Cuda, who now lives in La Union.
The top money, however, went to Hallasgo and Ritchie Estampador who ruled the women’s and men’s divisions of the 10K race with a clocking of 1:04:09 and 46:17, respectively. Hallasgo, who also won last year, and Estampador went home P15,000 richer.
Winning the 5K race and the P10,000 purse were James Darrel Ordoña (23:29) in the men’s and Joida Gagnao (27:58), who repeated as women’s champion.
Michael de la Cruz (27:33) and Nathalie Faye Miguel (30:59), meanwhile, dominated the 5K race for kids and pocketed P10,000 each.
Inclusive in every race bib are claim stubs for a rice meal breakfast box, an exhilarating ride on a 4x4 and a chance to slide downhill on a sandboard.
Keon then gave his assessment on the event that was held as a major part of the Pamulinawen Festival.
“I think it’s something good and people really love it. It is something that we will institutionalize. Maybe we can accommodate 700 runners next year, we’ll see,” said Keon, who told his staff to cancel two appointments later in the day.
“But for now, I need to sleep. I just ran the Sand Dunes Challenge and I’ll be turning 70 in September.”