Run Not Just For Fun

Fun Runs seem to be all the rage as of late.

Since last year, I've been invited to participate or cover a few Fun Run events and have managed to made it (read: woke up very early in the morning) to at least two. This morning, I was invited to the Crocs Prepair...to Run fun run held at the SM Mall Of Asia.

Now this is a particular fun run that I wanted to not just write about but also actually participate in sana (but was too tired from my Bacolod weekend and hence, failed to wake up at the supposed 5AM assembly time) because I was personally curious if participants would actually run in their Crocs footwear, especially the latest Prepair collection with its "nano-silver technology and croslite Ag light and strong rubber material that's designed to reduce muscle fatigue and relieve muscle strain and tension on the musculoskeletal system."

There's a part of me that also wants to participate for somewhat sentimental reasons. See, I grew up in Pasay City near the area where SM Mall of Asia now stands. Back when I was a lot younger, stronger and faster, I used to actively participate in those Pepsi fun runs that start from the Folk Arts Theater grounds in the CCP complex and going all the way to the Redemptorist Church landmark in Baclaran (the Pasay-Parañaque boundary, I believe) and back.

Anyway, like most fun runs as of late, the Crocs Prepair..to Run does not just promte a healthy and active lifestyle. The event will help raise funds (have already raised them by this time) for the WE International Philippines (WEIP), a registered non-government organization (NGO) raising awareness and finding sustainable ways to alleviate poverty in the country. Proceeds will support WEIP’s project in providing educational, medical, and economic sustainability to the children of Smokey Mountain. WEIP also facilitates economic development through education projects, micro lending, and sustainable development services to the underprivileged.

So yeah, participants who paid the P300 registration fee are actually running for a good cause. Not a bad way to spend an otherwise uneventful Sunday morning.