The organizers of the 7th All Women’s Ultramarathon from Think Tank composed of (from left) Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, Dr. Humility Igaña, Lulu Vallente and Ledoy Mendoza during a press conference yesterday at the Cebu City Hall.
/GLENDALE G. ROSAL
Organizers of All-Women’s UltraMarathon plead to motorists: Be courteous to runners
As a record field of 350 female long distance runners take part in the 7th All-Women’s Ultramarathon (AWUM), organizers are asking motorists to be courteous to the runners who will be sharing the streets with them for the 50-kilometer run tonight starting at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.
The yearly race, held in line with the celebration of Women’s Month every March, will kick off at 10 p.m. and will take participants through Metro Cebu’s streets and back to the starting point.
Runners from Baguio City, Cotabato, Samar, Dumaguete, Bohol, Davao and Iloilo will be taking part in this grueling ultramarathon organized by Think Tank.
Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, one of the organizers, said safety is a priority in this race, which is why he is asking motorists to be more cautious on the road.
“I humbly ask all of the motorists who will pass by our official route to be courteous enough to our participants,” said Garganera during a press conference yesterday at his office in the Cebu City Hall. “Do not drink and drive and please be careful because we have runners on the road the entire night.”
From the Cebu Provincial Capitol, runners will pass through V. Rama Avenue, Banawa, Katipunan Street to N. Bacalso Hiway, straight to Imus then Subangdaku, Mandaue City heading to MC Briones St., AC Cortes Avenue and to the old Mandaue-Mactan bridge.
From there, they will then take ML Quezon Avenue in Lapu-Lapu City and head to Marcelo Fernan Bridge going to Cansaga bridge and head back via Pacific Mall to Plaridel Avenue, back to MC Briones, Kasuntingan-Cabangcalan area and through the Banilad-Talamban road straight to Gorordo Avenue and to the barangay Hall of Busay and head down back to Gorordo Avenue, to General Maxilom Avenue-Mango Avenue before making another turn at the intersection of Cebu Normal University then to Abellana National School and back to the Capitol.
Cut off time for the run is 10 hours.
Think Tank, composed of Garganera, Dr. Humility Igaña, Lulu Vallente and Ledoy Mendoza, said it has done everything to make sure that each participant will have a good quality and memorable experience.
To ensure the safety and security of the participants, the organizers have coordinated with the Cebu City Police Office, which will be deploying personnel along the route, together with barangay tanods and marshals. The local government units of Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City also offered their full support.
Last year, the ultramarathon started at the Il Corso grounds at the South Road Properties (SRP) and attracted 300 female runners.
According to Garganera, they could have accommodated as much as a thousand participants this year but they didn’t want to risk the safety and security of the participants.
“We do not want to sacrifice the quality of our running event,” he said.
For John Domingo
Meanwhile, the AWUM this year is dedicated to the late John Domingo, one of Cebu’s well-known photographers for running, who passed away last year. His two daughters are expected to join the race to honor their father, whose passion for running was incomparable.
“He was our dear friend, he was our official photographer. But sadly, last year he passed away. As the organizers of AWUM, we would like to dedicate this edition to our very own John Domingo,” said Garganera.