SM2SM Run will now have a separate category for PWDs
From left, SM City Cebu marketing officer Donna Lobingco, race director Joel Baring, SM Prime Holdings Inc. Vice President Marissa Fernan, and SM City Cebu marketing manager Ann Flores present the singlet for this year’s SM2SM Run. /Mars G. Alison
Cebu City, Philippines – For the first time in its nine editions, the SM2SM Run will be giving a separate category for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
This year’s footrace is slated February 17 and will start and end at the open parking lot of SM City Cebu.
The PWD category will feature a four-kilometer distance. The other distances are 21k, 12k, 8k, and 4k.
Race director Joel Baring said that they’ve always had PWD participants but they never had their own separate category. This year, since they will have their own category, PWDs will also have their own set of winners and prizes.
The champion will be receiving P5,000 while the second and third placers will pocket P3,000 and P2,000, respectively. The fourth to the 10th placers will receive P1,000 each.
However, if they opt to join the open category, they can also do so.
Baring said that he convinced SM Prime Holdings Inc., the organizer of the event, to have a separate category for PWDs because he saw a video of a PWD who ran in last year’s edition.
Baring said he was really touched that the female PWD took the effort to participate in the run despite having to do so with her crutches.
The PWD category is what makes this year’s SM2SM Run different from the previous editions, said Baring during the press conference held Wednesday, January 9, at the Royal Krua Thai in SM City Cebu. Baring was joined by Marissa Fernan, the vice president of the SM Prime Holdings, Inc.
Fernan said that there is no immediate plans to hold a 42k or a full distance marathon because the purpose of organizing the run is to provide fun for the people.
“We are the only mall in the whole Philippines that have done a run year after year for the last nine years. We do it because the primary reason is we just want people to have fun. And, by fun we mean that we do not just limit the fun to our malls,” said Fernan. “The fun extends to appreciating beautiful parts of our city as well as making people aware of parts of the city they normally don’t see while they are riding their cars, taking the bus or even the jeepney.” /bjo
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