If you build it, they will come.
- from the movie Field of Dreams
- from the movie Field of Dreams
A runner named Jinoe Gavan once dreamt of having a one-stop portal for race information in the Philippines. He also envisioned an online town hall where Filipino runners can congregate and share their running passion. Takbo.ph sprung from such simple dreams, steadily growing with more than 1,500 forum members as of this writing.
Sibling runners Pat and Ton Concepcion dreamt of a race created by runners, for runners. Now on its second year, the Condura Run is the embodiment of their dream. The 2009 Condura Run for the Whale Sharks is the most anticipated race thus far, and is shaping up to be The Race of the Year for many runners. The Condura Run's mission is to inspire Filipinos to run. And inspire they did.
The takbo.ph forum is abuzz with dreamy runners all inspired. Many do not want to pass on the historic chance to run on the Skyway. For a significant number of them, the Condura Run will be their longest race distance yet. With support from experienced runners and drawing from each other's strength, they will form pace groups and run through their first half-marathon together.
A former runner is one of those inspired. He longed to come back to the sport he once loved. While the runner spirit is very much alive, his body has grown overweight, asthmatic and hypertensive. Slowly he came back to running. He is enjoying it so much he longed to conquer greater distances. He actually has the Condura 21K on his mind. He longs to run the half-marathon, but is apprehensive if his body can keep up with his spirit. If only there is a support group he can rely on.
The takbo.ph carbo loading party is a confluence of these people's dreams. It is God's handiwork that the dreams of these diverse people are inter-woven with each other. The party was born out of people's longing for moral and physical support. It aims to raise funds for a support group that will complement that provided by the race organization. Bananas, sport drinks, liniments and others that will ease up the jitters of first timers. The party also intend to draw runners together - to celebrate our common passion notwithstanding our diverse backgrounds. To bond over healthy food, ice breaker games, inspirational talks and free-flowing conversation.
This runner-blogger also has a dream. He dreams of runners conquering their fears and triumphing over difficulties. Of runners gunning for longer distances or better times. Of people running together - not only physically but also emotionally, perhaps even spiritually. Of strong and fast runners helping the not-so-strong-and-fast. Of people running for others. Of inspiring stories and everyday heroes. Of running icons being there to share their light with others, so others can glow themselves.
The Field of Dreams exists for who those believe. Never stop believing.
Sibling runners Pat and Ton Concepcion dreamt of a race created by runners, for runners. Now on its second year, the Condura Run is the embodiment of their dream. The 2009 Condura Run for the Whale Sharks is the most anticipated race thus far, and is shaping up to be The Race of the Year for many runners. The Condura Run's mission is to inspire Filipinos to run. And inspire they did.
The takbo.ph forum is abuzz with dreamy runners all inspired. Many do not want to pass on the historic chance to run on the Skyway. For a significant number of them, the Condura Run will be their longest race distance yet. With support from experienced runners and drawing from each other's strength, they will form pace groups and run through their first half-marathon together.
A former runner is one of those inspired. He longed to come back to the sport he once loved. While the runner spirit is very much alive, his body has grown overweight, asthmatic and hypertensive. Slowly he came back to running. He is enjoying it so much he longed to conquer greater distances. He actually has the Condura 21K on his mind. He longs to run the half-marathon, but is apprehensive if his body can keep up with his spirit. If only there is a support group he can rely on.
The takbo.ph carbo loading party is a confluence of these people's dreams. It is God's handiwork that the dreams of these diverse people are inter-woven with each other. The party was born out of people's longing for moral and physical support. It aims to raise funds for a support group that will complement that provided by the race organization. Bananas, sport drinks, liniments and others that will ease up the jitters of first timers. The party also intend to draw runners together - to celebrate our common passion notwithstanding our diverse backgrounds. To bond over healthy food, ice breaker games, inspirational talks and free-flowing conversation.
This runner-blogger also has a dream. He dreams of runners conquering their fears and triumphing over difficulties. Of runners gunning for longer distances or better times. Of people running together - not only physically but also emotionally, perhaps even spiritually. Of strong and fast runners helping the not-so-strong-and-fast. Of people running for others. Of inspiring stories and everyday heroes. Of running icons being there to share their light with others, so others can glow themselves.
The Field of Dreams exists for who those believe. Never stop believing.
8 comments:
Nicely said. It just emphasizes the role that takbo.ph(and hence, sir jinoe) plays in popularizing running in the Metro, even in the country. Takbo.ph was already operational(and popular) when I started running so I could only imagine how life was before Takbo.ph.
WOW.
Well said, Rico. Really nice.
Anyway, see you there!
"A former runner is one of those inspired. He longed to come back to the sport he once loved. While the runner spirit is very much alive, his body has grown overweight, asthmatic and hypertensive. Slowly he came back to running. He is enjoying it so much he longed to conquer greater distances. He actually has the Condura 21K on his mind. He longs to run the half-marathon, but is apprehensive if his body can keep up with his spirit. If only there is a support group he can rely on."
Parang ako to ah. But now i am confident that i will finish the race because ofA this support group. Thanks to Takbo.ph.
Nice one, Rico!
Former runners are always inspired to make their comebacks. Their overweight bodies will hinder but their will and motivation shall carry them on!
See you soon, bro!:-)
Well said, sir Rico. Very well said. :)
Excellent post Rico. :)
thank you very much for writing about the condura run
positive comments such us this truly inspire us
yes the dream is to have a run by a runner for runners. its a tough job to do - but just like running - it truly is fun, rewarding and inspirational.
if we can make people a little bit healthier
if we can put a smile on runners faces
if we can make them feel proud of their accomplishments
if we can inspire people to run
if we can inspire them to join their first race
if we can make people more aware of the importance of the environment
then..we would have done our job
thanks again for posting this and hope to see you in the run
Hi Wilson. Thanks for dropping by. I think the takbo.ph forum and the blogs play a big part in strengthening the community. They did not exist when I took up running in 2003. Had they been there, I may not have had an on-off affair with running.
Cathy, eric and bong, thanks for the nice words. I was hoping to write something inspiring but I had difficulty deciding how. Eventually I realized I should just let the stories of those people speak for themselves.
Lyndon/Rene, the former runner was initially inspired by a person I know. Eventually I realized that runner is also partly me, you both, and many others I do not know yet.
Ton, thank you for the comments. Thank you too to your family for envisioning the Condura Run. By Runners, for Runners. Awesome. Trying times like this, we need events like this that inspires us. May God smile on us all on race day. :-)
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