BGC to stage vertical marathon

MANILA, Philippines - Run BGC (Bonifacio Global City) will hold a pair of running events on Nov. 27-28 at the Bonifacio High Street at The Fort in Taguig City to promote health and fitness through running and celebrate Bonifacio Day.

On tap is the Discovery Channel’s Vertical Marathon dubbed “RACE or Run and Climb for the Environment” where participants will scale nine levels of parking and 25 floors of stairs at the Bonifacio E-Services Building, 31st Street cor. Rizal Drive, BGC on Nov. 27.

The Run BGC will then host a half marathon race the next day at Bonifacio High Street at The Fort, now considered as the country’s main venue of running events.

“BGC wants to support a healthy lifestyle and running is the easiest way to do it. Our passion for running took a natural course giving berth to a fitness support program called Run BGC,” said Noel Kintanar, who heads BGC’s head of commercial operations, in yesterday’s press conference at Italliani’s at the Boni High Street.

“Aside from marathon, we have activities such as the setting up of dedicated runners’ lane with traffic cones around Bonifacio High Street, road signs and humps for vehicles to slow down and other safety measures to really encourage everyone to run here,” he said.

Others who graced the media launch were Manny Blas, managing director of Fort Bonifacio Development Foundation, Inc. and Jacque Ruby, local representative of Discovery Channel and organizer of the Vertical Marathon.

Ruby said the champion of the Century Run race where participants will tackle the 25-level building twice, will receive P25,000 while the second and third placers will get P15,000 and P5,000, respectively.

Backing the Vertical Marathon are Sketchers, Chevrolet, Yakult, Gold’s Gym, Listerine and Columbia Time while BGC, Bonifacio High Street, Market! Market!, Discovery Channel, Soleus, Chevrolet, Bench, Asics, Unilab, Nature Valley, Gaggia support the half marathon.