34th National Milo Marathon

My Running Diary (scroll to see the full list):

1. Adidas King of the Road 2009 - October 25, 2009 : 0:48:59
   
2. A Run for the Pasig River - November 8, 2009
   
3. Time is Running, The 2009 Timex Run - November 15, 2009 : 0:43:49/0:41:23
   
4. Men's Health Urbanathlon and Festival 2009 - November 22, 2009 : 0:53:50
   
5. New Balance Power Run, Raising Hope 2009 - November 29, 2009 (Bandit) : 0:38:19
   
6. 1^st Catholic Ministry to Deaf People Yes Run 2009 - December 6, 2009 : 0:42:25 (unofficial)
   
7. Pioneer Mighty Bond Mighty Run 2009 - December 13, 2009 : 0:38:13 (unofficial)
8. PhilStar.com Christmas Celebrity Run 2009 - December 20, 2009 (chaos)
9. PSE Bull Run 2010 : Takbo Para sa Ekonomiya - January 17, 2010 : 0:36:23
10. Condura Run 2010 - Run for the Dolphins - February 7, 2010 : 0:33:18 (unofficial) 0:37:00 (official)
11. Century Superbods Run 2010: RunRio Trilogy Leg 1 - February 21, 2010 : 0:49:10 / 0:39:35
12. UNILAB Run United for Wellness - March 7, 2010 : 1:22:32
13. Globe Run for Home 2010 - March 21, 2010 : 0:38:22 / 0:37:37
14. Mizuno Infinity Race 2010 - April 11, 2010 : 1:19:49
15. National Geographic Earth Day Run 2010 - April 18, 2010 : 1:30:18
16. The Neutrogena Run 2010: Chase the Sun - May 16, 2010 : 1:22:47 / 1:22:41
17. Nature Valley Run 2010: RunRio Trilogy Leg 2 - May 30, 2010: 1:30:15 / 1:23:37
18. Walk the World 2010 - June 6, 2010 : 00:38:53
19. Ace Hardware Eco-Friendly Run 2010 - June 27, 2010 : DNF
20. 34^th National Milo Marathon - July 4, 2010 : 0:40:45 (unofficial)
    

Twenty (20) races. Twenty races under my belt. And I have to say that, this time, my girl and I is a little bit cautious in the races that were joining. No more "I love that singlet" and no more "That's a prestigious race". What were after to now is, "It's for a good cause" and "It's cheap". Hence, battling over registering for a 10K at P500 and 5K at P100 for the 34^th National Milo Marathon, we chose the latter. With just P100 registration fee (plus a pack of at least 300g of Milo) we joined the event.

Thumbs Up

• For the 3K and 5K, it is cheap. In fact, the cheapest of all the races that we had joined.
• P5 of your registration fee goes to the cause which is "to give shoes to the public schools all over the country"
  
• Around 27,000 runners woke up early last July 4, 2010 to partake in the event. And though huge, the organizers had handled the number properly.
  
• Sufficient hydration booth. Okay, I speak for the 5K runners. I had read that the hydration had gone empty for the last few kilometers of the marathoners.
• Certificate at the FINISH line.
  
• Great post race event. We were entertained by the cheer dance competition, a few celebrities, free massage (but we did not avail of it), unlimited cold Milo drinks (refreshing), and photo walls.
  

Thumbs Down

• I only had a single "thumbs down" for this event. Just when everything seem to be perfect, there will always be room for improvement. And that has something to do with the baggage area. Baggage area are installed in the race event venues so that runners can deposit their bags just in case they don't have the vehicle to leave it to, giving the runner the peace of mind that his belongings are in good condition. But to my dismay (and to all the 3K, 5K, and 10K runners who deposited their bags at the baggage area), it was a total disaster. You can see bags scattered on the staircase. The crowd is begging to have at least a systematic approach on claiming their belongings.
  
  I feel sorry for the owner of the bag whose personal belongings were scattered on the floor - Key, flash drive, deodorant were among those.
  
  On the brighter side, I have to commend the policemen who kept their cool. They offer help in the best way that they can, without a word, just pure work.