Race Review: 5 Things I Loved About the Energizer Night Race 2015

The Energizer Night Race will always be memorable for me because this is the first fun run I joined last year after deciding I am really ready to pursue personal fitness. You can read my blog on the Energizer Night Race Manila 2014 here. 

with hubby before gun start

This year, more than 3,000 runners participated at the Energizer Night Race 2015 held once more at the Filinvest City Alabang last night. It is the first open loop run with the purpose to help underprivileged children under the care of Bantay Bata 163. 

Runners were encouraged to keep going and going (remember the bunny's tagline? LOL) to share positive energy and run as far and as fast as we could within two hours along the 3km loop. For every 3k a runner makes, P100 is donated to Bantay Bata 163's medical treatment funds. 

And because this is one of the most special runs I've been privileged to join, let me share five things I enjoyed about it:

1. We ran as a family. My husband, son, and I finished the race with a total of 13 loops or 39kms. Hubby ran six loops, Gab was able to make four, while I made three. I stopped around 1 hour 32 minutes because my feet were feeling a bit numb towards the end of the third loop but I was glad to have covered a total distance of 9.4km (according to my Runtastic app).

my official race results from Energizer's website

2. We joined a good cause! I celebrate with all my fellow runners and the event's organizers for reaching the target of P1,000,000 worth of donations.

Vincent Lizo, Energizer Philippines' business director, affirmed that this never-before-seen loop run pushed runners further in beating their personal records, with the added benefit of giving positive light to vulnerable children.  He said that ever since the Energizer Night Race took form, they saw it as more than being just a simple fun run. "Above all, we used this platform to practice an important Energizer mantra, which is to share positive energy. Ultimately, that is our primary goal."

barefoot runners

3. The route is a pleasure to run in. We covered Filinvest, Corporate, and Commerce Avenues, Parkway Street, and Spectrum Midway, which have fairly flat roads. I've been in other races held in Filinvest before and I have to confess that I really dislike it when the route goes towards The Palms Country Club because the dips on the ground make my legs hurt more and I am also not comfortable running along the very dark parts of the road. 

4. The marshals are cheerful and humorous. It's nice to hear an upbeat "Good Evening!" and "Go, go, runners!" when we pass by some of the marshals. They seem to know that they're there, not just to check if anyone's cutting corners, but also to be cheerleaders to flagging participants who are already feeling tired and out of breath. I couldn't help but laugh when one marshal cheekily shouted "Goooo walkers!" when she noticed more people were walking rather than running.

with my second son before gun start

5. There are ample hydration stations. Imagine yourself feeling thirsty, dripping with sweat, and craving for cold water. Isn't it a bit disappointing to be given a cup of warm water or, worse, be told that there's nothing to drink anymore? That happens in some races. But not in the Energizer Night Run. In fact, I deeply appreciated finding a tube of ice on every cup I got from the water stations. That helped a lot in refreshing my energy and made me target more than the 5km I'm used to running.

Runners' time were monitored through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) timing chips, which tracked every 3k loop a runner makes. There were also kilometer markers along the race route. In addition, a battery meter lights up every time a runner finished a 3km run. The battery meter compiled all kilometers covered, reaching up to the one million target. 

beside the huge battery meter

"There's no boundary to helping change people's live. All it takes is to go beyond your limits," expressed MJ Tiquia, Energizer brand activation manager. She added that there's no competition involved in the night race. It just required runners to have "the strength to go on to challenge yourself."

"It's always about giving back to the community through more positive contributions," explained Claire Guevarra, senior brand manager of Energizer. "While Bantay Bata heals the scars of the rescued children, we'll help prepare their future through quality healthcare support. For us, that's sharing #positiveenergy."