SEA Games warning/ Vertical running

The Southeast Asian Games have already begun with some disappointments in football, but the bulk of the Philippine delegation has been leaving in waves since late last week. The first Friday mass and send-off party held at the PhilSports Arena was the only time most of the athletes would see each other, since many of the events will be held in the northwestern Indonesian city of Palembang. The following day, the sailing team and others started leaving for their various competition venues. The last batch of athletes and officials will hopefully be flying off on Thursday afternoon.

Although our sports officials are confident we have the material to place as high as second overall, the Philippines has perhaps lost some medal hopes even before the competition starts. Some of the female dragonboat paddlers admitted that they were unable to form a large enough contingent to join all the events they would have wanted to. Rugby, a sport which we would easily win a gold medal in both men’s 7s or 15s, is not even a part of the Games, even though the top Indonesian official in the sport runs the Asian board.

But perhaps the biggest fear is how badly our teams will be treated in terms of officiating. Indonesia has gained a notoriously bad reputation for cheating in the Southeast Asian Games, and the last two decades have proven it justified.

In 1989, not just the Philippines but almost all other countries complained of rampant cheating in the SEA Games in Jakarta. At the time, our basketball team, bannered by center Bonel Balingit and Jun Reyes, complained that the lights were being turned off when they practiced. Yet when they stepped out of the gymnasium, there was electricity everywhere. Their games against Thailand and Malaysia were scheduled back to back, with the same referees for both games. Needless to say, the calls did not go our way. It came to the point that Reyes put up his fists in front of the Thai bench and saw the opposing players scatter, only to turn around and see it was in fear of a gargantuan Balingit stampeding to his aid. It was the first time in memory that the Philippines did not win the gold medal in men’s basketball.

In other sports, there were also complaints. Our tennis team was being ordered to field a different pair of men’s doubles players, despite the fact that it is never done. Some balls hit by our players would be a clear six inches within the lines but would be called out. On the other hand, balls hit far outside the lines by Indon players were called in, despite all protestations. In other sports like karate and table tennis, even other countries staged walk-outs out of exasperation.

In the months leading to the civil unrest in Indonesia almost a decade later, the country hosted the SEA Games again. There were security issues and other complaints of unfairness again. Spectators smoked in steaming hot venues that had no air-conditioning, such as the fencing arena. Crowds threw things onto the court in both the men’s and women’s basketball events. The site of the soccer finals had to be moved out of the city to avoid further hooliganism.

Hopefully, this will not be the atmosphere facing our athletes this time, or all their hard work will go to waste. In events where officiating can be skewed, there will be even more pressure for them to put distance between themselves and their rivals, to any attempts to cheat will be too obvious to succeed. Or, in the case of martial arts and boxing, they’ll have to knock their opponents out.

Knowing their fighting hearts, however, the Pinoys will spring a few surprises on the hosts and other rivals.

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All over the country, runners are looking for new challenges. From as far south as Cebu and Davao, regular 10k events are losing their appeal, giving way to tougher 12k and 15k runs to keep them interested. One sports shoe company even tried promoting a series of five 16.8 kilometer runs, because it totalled the equivalent of two full marathons.

On Nov. 26, the second “Trek and TEC” vertical run at The Enterprise Center on Ayala Avenue will fire off, with an expected field of over 500 runners entering. The pioneering eco-friendly structure has proven the ideal venue for this kind of event.

To begin with, most buildings have one single stairwell going up the side of the building. Each of TEC’s towers has a scissor-type staircase. This means the runners going up and going down will not run into each other, and won’t even see each other, making it that much safer. In this type of event, that is a priority. The confined space normally increases the potential for runners to stumble or trample one another.

After racing up the first tower, runners will then rush down the opposite stairs to the third floor, where the lobbies of the two buildings are joined. They will then scurry across the lobby (the only flat part of the race), and enter the second tower’s stairs. The finish line is at the roof of the second tower. Runners will climb a total of 90 floors. It sounds easy, but in reality, it is very challenging.

At the finish line, they will be greeted by a breathtaking view of Makati, and the unusual sight of a roofdeck farm. Building management has been able to harvest vegetables of every description, adding to the 12-year structure’s reputation as a “green” building. The greenery helps deflect heat from the sun. Also, the building was one of the first in the country to recycle its air

 and use alternative sources to keep itself cool.

In the first edition of “Trek the TEC”, runners wore individual timers, allowing them to be sent off in batches, so they could negotiate the entrance door to the stairwell more safely. “The Amazing Race Asia” veteran Rovilson Fernandez was among those who joined the first race. The races start to spread apart after the first 10 floors, when thigh muscles start to cramp up and some weekend warriors hit their wall.

Those interested to join may call 0917-5551450, e-mail [email protected] or “Like” the event’s Facebook fan page.