MANILA, Philippines - “That was the first miracle of the day,” said Ryan Simisim, VP Bluewater Day Spa.
The 1st BlueWater Day Spa Fun Run has around 4,322 runners braving the early morning hours to make it to the starting line when the gun went off at 6 a.m.
“The second miracle was that even if there was another run happening that day—a very popular run—we were still able to get a good number of participants,” said Simisim.
Simisim believes that every individual has his own personal reason to participate in a fun run—some do it to look good, others to stay healthy and a good number to de-stress. “I didn’t want to espouse an advocacy for the 1st BlueWater Day Spa Fun Run because I believe that each person who joined the fun run has a very personal reason for doing so. And their reasons — their stories — are their cause. That, in turn, is the cause of the entire fun run.”
Simisim designed his own singlet—a top with mock suspenders, sewn-in buttons, and even a breast pocket with a hankie sticking out. “My singlet has been inspired by the movie Wall Street, which I think is a great film and provides a very interesting design inspiration,” he explained.
Among the personalities that joined the run were Brazilian hunks and TV hosts Daniel Matsunaga, Fabio Ide, singer Karylle and Kiko Rustia. Also sweating it out with the crowd was BlueWater Day Spa celebrity endorser Sam Milby and Mikaela Lagdameo-Martinez.
“It’s my first time to join a fun run. It felt very good actually, but I got pretty tired. Imagine I only got 45 minutes of sleep because I came from a taping, so it was really challenging to keep up,” says Sam. Sam joined the five-kilometer run which took him about only 20 minutes to finish. The actor said he pushed himself really hard especially in the last 200 meters.
The winners in the 1st BlueWater Day Spa Fun Run in the following categories were: Michael Bangayan Bacong (09:18) and Michelle Bolo de Vera (12:09) in the Three-Kilometer category; Justin R. Tabunda (15:58) and Jose J. Macalad (21:37) in the Five-Kilometer category; and Philip Kipkenei Tonoh (09:28) and Irene Jeptoo Kipchuamba (15:20) in the 10-Kilometer category.
“The 1st BlueWater Day Spa Fun Run is part of the spa’s objective of ‘Innovating Wholeness’,” says Simisim. “We believe that to be truly beautiful, one has to be truly healthy. Running provides the physical exercise to keep the body fit. It helps slim the body, making it look good and healthy. That is the essence of beauty—a complete and whole system to care for the body.”