R3Run at Roxas Boulevard

Running | R3Run for Sustainability 2014

R3Run at Roxas Boulevard
R3Run at Roxas Boulevard

It was Quanta Paper Corporation‘s first foray in organizing a fun run. Known mostly for their eco-friendly hygienic products like tissue rolls, papers, diapers and sanitary pads, their fun run’s main advocacy is “Sustainability” thus the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle for the title R3Run. The R3Run for Sustainability attracted quite an attention for its very affordable price of Php 250 in all categories (1k, 4k, 8k and 12k). The starting venue is Blue Bay Walk Pasay. The run would mainly go along Roxas Boulevard and since I can’t remember the last time I ran there, I got excited and registered for 12k since I was at Toby’s Shangri-la already.

Race shirt with my running gear
Race shirt with my running gear

Pre-Run

It was a straightforward registration. Nothing much on the race kit as expected for its price but the shirt proved to be of good quality and design. The neon green color on the shoulder was quite visible during the run. The race bib is smaller than the usual but already has the race route at the back.

As the fun run day approaches, their facebook page gave out useful information on the venue and current traffic information in the area.

The stage at Bluebay Walk
The stage at Bluebay Walk

R3Run for Sustainability Run Day

The venue at Blue Bay Walk was easy to find, the event ground was spacious and tents were organized as well. I was able to spot the baggage area without trouble. The portalets were slightly concealed though and would have used a little more lighting especially that early morning. There was almost no time for me to do some warmup when I arrived and proceeded to the starting line. And oh boy there were a lot of people already there. I wasn’t surprised really with an affordable run like this.

The run for 12k started on time but I had to wait a few minutes to get the run going since I was in the middle pack. After the runners started to loosen some space upon reaching Roxas boulevard it was easier to navigate through the crowd. It was interesting to see a number of barefoot runners in the event too. Since the road is paved on most parts going barefoot is a lot manageable.

Hydration were more than enough and there were key hydration points for Pocari Sweat. THe hydration stations were quite crowded with all these people but good thing I skipped some of them since I can go on running until 5k with only a few sip of water. I also made sure I had a water bottle at my back in case I need it. R3Run recommends bringing your own water bottle to lessen the trash from water cup use.

Down the flyover
Down the flyover

Race Route and Finish

The race route was quite good except one stretch where there was an unpleasant stench coming out from the bay. We had a first u-turn at Bradco Avenue passing by EDSA, going up and down two flyovers which was quite nice then the u-turn back to where we started from UN Avenue. I just had a little confusion with some of their markers which should have proper directional arrows but hey Roxas is straight all the way. Marshalls were just okay but could have been more visible and outspoken. As we approach the finish line, the route gets dense again as all the categories merge together.

Since there was no race chip here nor a bar code scanner everything had to be done manually. Meaning, runner’s time are jotted down. I had to look back to see what my race time was. I immediately headed to the loot bags section since I know the queue would extend fast. But I guess we were the first few runners out there so I got my goodies in no time. I then headed to the Pocari Sweat booth for that extra quench in a bottle.

The event grounds filled up with people fast. Honestly this is the most crowded run I’ve been to but I got to hand it to the organizers for keeping things together. I heard there were around 10,000 runners there if I’m not mistaken. I didn’t wait for the program to finish though as I had to head home soon. I heard they gave away iPads and Garmins for the raffle.

the loot bag
the loot bag

Post Run

I checked the loot bag when I got home and those were fairly useful items. There were tissue rolls and papers, the pads I gave out eventually. The results for the 12k run was surprisingly released two days after, I was expecting it later within the week. My time there was 1:11 for the 12k which was surprising as my tracker recorded 1:20. That’s one of the disadvantage of not having a race chip but that would surely raise the price of this run. It would have also been better if they presented the results by ranking and in PDF format so runners could see how well  they have done overall.

As a first R3Run for Sustainability, I think it was well organized and of good value. It reached a lot of people so I guess their message to reduce, reuse and recycle and care for our environment was heard loud and clear. If hey are planning to have another run next year, I highly recommend people to join this one.

Those neon green shoulder shade on the shirts was good for visibility
Those neon green shoulder shade on the shirts was good for visibility
The author spotted near the finish line
The author spotted near the finish line

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