The Masskara Move 5K Run

CEBU - After Dr. Renald Ramiro scanned my x-ray results last Tuesday in his office, he told me I don’t have any fractures in my rib cage but I need therapy. I was relieved to know that my rib cage is fine but I wasn’t too happy to undergo therapy.

While I was in his office, he recounted the successful staging of the 1st Masskara MOVE 5K Run in Bacolod City last weekend.

“Starting next year, the MOVE 5K Run will be an official part of the Masskara in Bacolod City. The organizers will also add the 10K category for serious runners,” Dr. Ramiro said.

I could only grin.

The support to this fund raising run must have been huge that organizers are now making it a part of the Masskara celebration just like what he have last year – the Sinulog Half Marathon – held on the Saturday before the Grand Sinulog parade.

Dr. Ramiro also said that the field has strong runners, comparable to Cebu. Eric Panique won the men’s division with a time of 17:56, followed by Joel Alcon (18:08) and Rommel Hulleza (18:35). The women’s division had May Joy Caparas besting the tape first in 22:00, with Melanie Poticar in second place (23:12) and Ally Grace Salas (24:09).

I commented that these are fast times and Dr. Ramiro agreed. He said Raffy Uytiepo (as usual, the race director) told him that Western Visayas has good runners and it showed in the result. Dr. Ramiro alluded to that in 2010 there will be a MOVE 5K Run in Iloilo City as part of the Dinagyang Festival.

Only a few know that the Masskara MOVE 5K Run was “cooked” in Cebu by Dr Ramiro, other PARM doctors and Raffy Uytiepo. While Dr. Ramiro couldn’t tell me how much the race has generated, the money that will be raised will form the critical illness fund of PARM Western Visayas.

The critical illness fund is for PWDs (persons with disabilities). So far, here in Cebu, two indigent PWDs became recipients of this fund, they are Imelda Gonzaga and Josephine Isito.

So if you haven’t crossed out Nov. 30 in your calendars yet, please do it now. This is the date of the 2nd MOVE 5K Run, that is aptly called “Heroes Run for PWDs,” here in Cebu. Wouldn’t it be heroic, to a little extent, to give to PWDs this day?

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I don’t think chess fans expected the turn of events in the current World Chess championship between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik in Germany.

The other day, Vishy won Game 6 in 47 moves to take a 4.5 -1.5 lead over Kramnik. With only six games left in the series, I don’t think Kramnik could take three games from Anand, they way the latter is creaming him. I’m rooting for Vishy to win by 1 point, but never in such a runaway fashion.

Vishy is showing superior opening repertoire and even introduced a novelty (original move) in move 8 while playing white in a Nimzo-Indian opening in that fateful Game 6. The move completely surprised Kramnik, slowed him down and eventually deflated him. Kramnik’s performance is big letdown. Before the series started, he said he was just lending the crown to Anand. Now it seems that Anand is keeping it for good.

If Anand goes on to retain his title, it proves that Asians are a class of their own, especially in chess!

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