United we run

MANILA, Philippines - Running is said to be a sport like no other. It is the oldest sport.

Besides keeping you fit and healthy, running also makes you feel good and helps boost your self-confidence. It can even motivate you to “exceed yourself.” This is the theme of Unilab Active Health’s (ULAH) upcoming Run United 2014, to be held on March 16 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City.

“Our races have always been about people exceeding themselves,” says ULAH’s Alex Panlilio, operations vice president of Unilab. “We have been part of the journey of many participants who have become a better version of themselves. We will continue to support them as they progress in their field, whether it is running, biking or triathlon.”

Since it started five years ago, the number of participants in ULAH’s sponsored races, Run United and Tri United races have steadily increased. From 6,000 runners in the first-ever Run United in March 2010, over 12,000 registered participants are expected on March 16 this year.

“The profile of the participants has also evolved, from mostly newbies to mainly progressive runners,” says Claire Papa, Unilab director for external affairs. There’s a core of self-motivated participants with defined goals who have persevered through the years.

“Progressive runners are committed and it is clear in their minds that they want to become better. So they look for opportunities, products and services to help them in achieving their goal, which ULAH provides them,” says Lester Castillo, ULAH’s sports events and public relations executive. “We pride ourselves on being able to cover all aspects of progressive athletes’ growth and development. ULAH has an array of sports nutrition products that takes care of their needs before, during and after their race. These include Enervon Activ multivitamins for increased stamina, Active Health sports gel for fast, sustained energy and endurance, and Enervon HP Recovery.

“We have come to adopt a proactive approach to health,” Panlilio remarks. “We’ve come up with holistic solutions to serve the communities properly.” They also listen to the community members in order to understand and meet their wants and needs, such as having the right type of garments to be able to perform better.  ULAH has started developing sports apparel that are made of cool, breathable fabric to help improve the runners’ performance and keep them comfortable during the run.

ULAH also taps the expertise and experiences of top coaches, sports science experts, and sports nutritionists to come up with solutions for progressive athletes, providing them with access to training via sports clinics. ULAH’s brand ambassadors include running coach Rio de la Cruz, triathlon coaches Dan and Ani de Leon-Brown and Bull Runner Jaymie Pizarro.

Part of the registration fees paid by runners goes to Gawad Kalinga (GK). “Since 2011, Run United races have also been contributing in building healthy communities through ULAH’s partnership with Gawad Kalinga,” Papa explains.

“On top of medical outreach projects and training of health workers in various GK Bagong Silang Villages to beat common diseases, ULAH also set up a health satellite clinic in collaboration with the Caloocan City Health Department and GK to render efficient health service delivery.”

“This is our way of paying it forward,” Panlilio remarks. “We are doing this on behalf of the athletes and in line with the vision of our parent company, Unilab, to be socially involved. We hope to support more communities in the future.”

The race categories for Run United on March 16 include the 21K, 10K and 5K runs for male and female, as well as the 500m dash for boys and girls, 5 to 8 years old and 9 to 12 years old. “In our past experience, we have seen how the moms are more excited than the kids,” Papa relates. Certainly, it has come to mean more than just the run. As in most things that truly matter, there is a deeper motivation. In this case, it’s the drive to exceed yourself.

For more information, visit: www.unilabactivehealth.com and www.runrio.com