The De La Salle Alumni Association Pampanga Chapter (DLSAA-P) announced the holding of the 10th TCS Clark Animo International Marathon on March 10 in a press conference recently at the Clark Global City.
“Every year, we try to include something new to surpass the expectations of our runners,” said De La Salle alumnus Wilfredo Placino, Vice Chairman and President of Global Gateway Employment.
What started in 2009 as a fun run in the former military base, Clark Field with 600 runners, has now garnered 10,000 runners with its internationally certified courses and special activities. They also partnered with Tata Consultancy Services to create apps that supplement their runners with maps of the running track, regulation of their heartbeats, tips when running a marathon and many more.
“We’re likewise proud to announce that for 2019, our courses have been given certification by the International Association of Athletics Federations and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races,” said Atty. Melvin Panlilo, President of DLSAA-P.
Deadline for online registration is on Feb. 10.
The entire scope of the running course was measured to be exactly 42.2km so that anyone competing in international marathons can qualify to other marathons because their run would be recorded. There are different categories, namely 42km, 21km, 10km, 5km and 2.5km.
Gun start and prices vary per category. Fee for the 42km is P1, 600, with gun start at 2:30 a.m., while the 21km or the half marathon is worth P1,300, with a 4:30 a.m. gun start. The 10km is P850, starting at 5:30 a.m; 5km is P550 (5:45 a.m. and 2.5km is P440 (6:00 a.m.) Participants are expected to be at the event 30 minutes before their respective runs.
“It’s really focused on the La Salle Botanical Gardens because we think it’s more organized and sustainable,” said Aries Patawaran, Chairman of DLSAA-P about their environmental projects.
All of the proceeds are going to environmental and community projects like tree planting, maintenance of Angeles City Watershed, and support for the La Salle Botanical Gardens in Alviera, Porac, Pampanga, including the Yellow Boat Foundation for the marginal children of Pampanga.”‹