Running against the flow

MANILA, Philippines - Forty-one-year-old Ly Nary was up as early as 2 a.m. on a Sunday. For a typical woman her age, a good night’s sleep is achieved with more than six hours of uninterrupted slumber, snuggled down on a queen-sized bed with nothing but the sound of the air-conditioning unit humming in the background.

But Ly Nary is no ordinary woman. On a normal day, she jumps out of bed to get dressed, eat breakfast, then head out to work. Nary works as a research scientist specializing in pathogen research and spends most of her time in the laboratory. Every once in a while, however, she goes off early to head back home, changes into her sweatpants and running shoes, then sprints towards the road for a good one-hour run. She sweats it out, thoughts of the day that just went by completely lost in her head. Then she stops and reminds herself of the bigger goal that remains unfulfilled up to now: To set foot one day on the Olympic oval and make the world know that a Cambodian woman can dominate and be among the world’s best athletes.

 â€œIn Cambodia, females usually just stay home and become mere homemakers,” said Nary, recognized as Cambodia’s first and currently only female marathon runner. “They think that getting involved in competitive sports is a crazy idea, which is why I continue to run to inspire the younger generation of Cambodians.”

Nary recently added another milestone under her name when she finished second in the 42-kilometer (foreign) female category of the Run United Philippine Marathon (RUPM), the third and last leg of the RunRio Trilogy, sponsored by Unilab Active Health (ULAH). She clocked in less than 10 seconds behind first placer Susan Jemutai from the 18-34-year-old category, and ahead of Camille Chua from the 35-39-year-old category.

Others who topped their respective categories were Richard Salano, Benjamin Kipzaki, and August Benedicto (men’s category), and Nancy Papaya, Edith Felix, and Bic Ferreria (women’s category) of Hydrite 10K; Samuel Tarus Too, Bunting Hem, and Ben Rana (men), Nhea Ann Barcena, Alexis Casap-Hanson, and Liezl Mahilum (women) for Alaxan FR 21K.

Jackson Chirchir, meanwhile, topped the Enervon Activ 42K foreign men’s category, followed by Douglas Mwitti and Philp Ronoh. Rene Desuyo, Elkin John Quinto, and Mario Maglinao lorded over the men’s category (local) of the 42K leg, while Janette Agura, Elijeran Jocelyn, and Gella Mayang rounded up the top three spots for the women’s category.

Nary was one of only 37 foreign runners from 17 different countries who took part in RUPM recently. Spectators applauded marathon finishers as they made their way towards the finish line at SM Mall of Asia. Racers for the 42K leg, on the other hand, enjoyed a red carpet finish through a special that allowed spectators to witness their triumph.

Prior to that, racers were given a chance to hydrate, freshen up, and look their best at the grooming station. Post-race talks on hydration and other topics, as well as rest, recovery, and stretching facilities were also made available at the Enervon Activ Marathoners’ Lounge. Staff members of the  University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) College of Rehabilitation Sciences were also on standby to provide physical therapy services inside the Active Health Village.

One of the event’s highlights was the “morning concert”—a trend set by Unilab Active Health, where spectators and racers grooved and welcomed the morning sun with the music of True Faith and Sugar Free. The National University (NU) Cheering Squad — champions of this year’s UAAP cheerleading competition — was also on hand to showcase their winning moves and spice things up further.

RUPM marathoners and half marathoners were also among the first to try and taste Active Health’s latest offering in its Sports Nutrition Line — the Active Health Sports Gel. When ingested, the Active Health Sports Gel can help provide fast and sustained energy for maximum performance. Gatorade, Ion Energy Drink, water, sponges, and bananas were also provided at certain points of the routes.

“We really pulled off a lot of surprises and extras for this year’s RUPM. We know that there are many marathons organized throughout the year and we want to offer something out of the ordinary, as a reward to runners who loyally support our races year in year out,” said Alex Panlilio, head of ULAH.

RUPM wraps up the run races of ULAH, but two more events are up ahead in ULAH’s active calendar: Tri United 3 and the Enervon Activ 226 Bohol triathlon. Tri United 3 Elite and Age Group championship, which will be held in Subic on October 27, will feature standard distance (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run) for elite and age-groupers triathletes. It will also accommodate teen triathletes with age categories 15-16 and 17-19 years old.

Triathletes are also invited to register in this year’s Tri United 4 organized by Bike King on November 24 at Fontana Clark, Pampanga, featuring a sprint distance of 900m (swim), 30 km (bike), and 5km (run).

Other race information and results are available at ULAH’s official website unilabactivehealth.com as well as on its Facebook and Twitter accounts.