RUNNR Goes South, Invades Alabang Town Center

I’ve been experiencing the running fever second hand since last year. You see, after my husband was diagnosed with diabetes, he has taken running as a personal challenge and, from the initial 5k races, he has progressed to running 21k distances as well as a 42k marathon last month.

Me? I prefer walking more than running. I ran my first race a few months ago and decided it will be my last. But hearing the speakers of the running clinic held in Alabang Town Center during the RUNNR store launch last March 3, I found myself reconsidering. I discovered new stuff that might make running more enjoyable for me. I’ll post the links to the couple of articles I wrote after they come out in Manila Bulletin’s Well-Being section soon.

RUNNR, the country’s first world-class running specialty store, and Ayala Mall’s Store of the Year in 2010, brings state-of-the-art technology and a complete selection of running brands to the south’s premier business and residential area south of Manila, which is also now one of the new favorite venues for running and other endurance events.

Before the running clinic started, media guests were encouraged to join a kind of Amazing Race game where participants had to find and do certain tasks located inside the ATC. I arrived late so I didn’t get to join but, to my delight, my husband Nonoy (of trailsunlimited.blogspot.com) and our friend Jeman (of orangemagazinetv.com) won first place! They each got lots of prizes, the grandest of which were a pair of Newton shoes each!

Before they got to choose what shoes to bring home though, they underwent footprint analysis and high-speed video gait analysis. These are part of the revolutionary Footworx system which also includes custom insole moulding services. The system has benefited a huge number of athletes since RUNNR brought the technology to the Philippines three years ago.

Eliminate guesswork in picking and fitting the proper shoes with the help of RUNNR’s trained staff. The custom-fitting system helps runners identify the best shoe to match their foot type and stride which will make them run longer and more comfortably. Soon, I plan on also undergoing those tests, too, to see what type of shoes I really need to improve performance and prevent injuries.

RUNNR carries several well-known brands including Newton shoes, said to be the choice of some of the world’s best triathletes, and CW-X compression wear. Other world-class brands available in RUNNR include Brooks, Adidas, Nike, Vibram Five Fingers, and New Balance. Also available at the store are running gear and accessories from Polar, Smith Optics, Fuelbelt, Nathan, GU, CEP, Spenco, and Equipe.

The formal launch of RUNNR ATC was highlighted by a running clinic where Jinoe Gavan of takbo.ph talked about Getting Ready for a Race and US-certified running coach, Jay Valencia, gave a lecture on the benefits of a natural running form.

This month, get P1000 off on footwear priced P4,995 and above when you donate a running singlet of any brand and from any fun run to any RUNNR branch in ATC, Boni High, Trinoma, Ayala Center Cebu, and RUNNR corners in Toby’s Arena stores in Shangri-la Plaza, SM MOA, and Abreeza Davao. Donated running singlets should be in good condition as they will be given to the communities of Smokey Mountain.

The newly opened RUNNR can be found at the second level of The Garden in Alabang Town Center. For more information on running and world-class running gear, please visit www.runnr.com.ph and newtonrunning.com, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.