Sentinel Times editor-in-chief John A. Bello (left) meets with Rodel Tecson Florendo (center) and Maria Raegina Galera, both endura...
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Sentinel Times editor-in-chief John A. Bello (left) meets with
Rodel Tecson Florendo (center) and Maria Raegina Galera,
both endurance runners and event organizers for ‘Survivor50
SandRoadTrail 2019’ on May 26, 2019 in Sariaya, Quezon.
(JOHN BELLO)
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LUCENA CITY – Two endurance runners have been preparing to organize a 50-kilometer long endurance run passing through stretches of road, sand and trail involving 16 barangays in Sariaya town.
“It will be the first time here in Quezon province for such an event for endurance runners and we have called it ‘Survivor50 SandRoadTrail 2019’ as they have to endure and survive stretches of flat, uphill and downhill terrains of up to 50 kilometers,” Maria Raegina Galera, 43, a freelance online entrepreneur and race coordinator, said in Filipino in an exclusive interview at Piluka restaurant at Pacific Mall here.
Galera, clad with the official uniform at the event and seated beside her partner, event founder and race director, Rodel Tecson Florendo, 4, allowed themselves to be interviewed by Sentinel Times last Wednesday, Feb. 27.
“Runners like thrill, pain, challenge at sawa na sila sa fun run kaya this coming May 26 Survivor50 we will be expecting up to 400 endurance runners who will start the race at Sariaya Sports Complex,” Galera told Sentinel Times adding that the race will have social and tourism significance as it will promote the town of Sariaya and the participants coming from Manila, Batangas, Cavite and Laguna, will enjoy scenic views along the routes of the 14 hrs. run which would be the cut-off time.
Galera and Florendo are among the 32 members of the Sariaya runners team who have done previous marathon runs so now they have linked arms to plan the event on May 26 which will start at 4:30am and ends at 6:30pm back to the Sariaya Sports Complex passing a 8-figure routes for the running participants.
“There will be no cash involved here for the participants. They are joining just to experience fun and pain and for finishers they will bag trophy, medals, caps,” said Florendo who have been preparing the routes for the event from start to finish, the support groups like the bikers, the roving marshalls, photographers, the aid stations which will be every 5 kms. along the route and where the participants will have a short break to eat.
Florendo has participated in August last year the 342 kms Manila to Daet endurance run in which only 2 runners have made it to the finish line.
During the interview over 100 interested male and female participants have already enlisted online for the grand event which included a 64 yrs. old and 20 yrs old, both male, the veteran running duo said.
Aside from the 50 kms. race category, there will be 32 kms, which will have cut-off time of 9 hrs 25 kms. with cut-off time at 8 hrs; and 4 hrs. for the 15 kms race.
Galera and Florendo said that it is not easy to organize an event such as the Survivor50 as the preparation takes about almost 3 months before the actual event and to draw the participants you have to lure them for a real challenge and hardship of the ultramarathon run along with some excitement and surprise.
The participants, they said, will be up for a ‘great surprise’ along the way of the race and it would be unforgettable for them as endurance runners. Galera and Florendo both declined to reveal however what it would be for the runners to be thrilled.
Asked what they can get from all the efforts in organizing the event, Florendo and Galera said:
“Tumakbo, mapasaya at ibalik sa community and kinita, ok na sa amin,” as they disclosed that they have conducted an outreach program last year after they have conducted a 25 kms. run which netted P25,000 for them and P10,000 have been spent back for ‘payong at tsinelas’ distributions for the beneficiary communities in Bgys. Pili, Tumbaga 1, Sampaloc 1 and Mamala 1, all in Sariaya, Quezon.
Galera asked participants to visit their event page: https://bit.ly/2NdjJKF and website https://bit.ly/2DwYmAV for more details of the event.
