Rey BelenWe’ve seen a lot of running events in the country through the years, but we can only name a few that really, consistently, been there providing fun for runners and a good cause for the run.
One of which is the NatGeo Earth Day Run 2014.
On its fifth year, NatGeo Earth Day Run 2014 is expecting to gather some 12,000 participants on April 27 at the Bonifacio Global City in different categories: 3k, 5k, 10k, 21k, and for the first time, 42k.
NatGeo Earth Day Run 2014 is the biggest running event of the year in the country. Interested participants for the this year’s run can register at the SM Aura (Lower Ground Floor) or via online from March 1 to April 20, 2014.
The registration fees are as follows:
- 3K – Php 550 (Assembly time 5:30am | Run time 6:30am)
- 5K – Php 650 (Assembly time 4am | Run time 5am)
- 10K – Php 750 (Assembly time 3am | Run time 4am)
- 21K – Php 950 (Assembly time 2am | Run time 3am)
- 42K – Php 1,500 (Assembly time 11 pm Apr. 26| Run time 12am Apr. 27)
NOTE: As of blog time, NatGeo Secretariat informed that the 10k to 42k are full already. Thus, 3k and 5k slots are only available.
This year, NGC is working once again with its environmental partner, for Nature (WWF), to make a solid difference in the Philippines’ environmental footprint and give sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities.
Last year, the two organizations used proceeds of the Earth Day Run to plant P1 million worth of fruit-bearing trees in the Abuan watershed in Isabela, in the Sierra Madre region. Besides partial reforestation of this important resource, local farmers were given the privilege to own and care for the trees as well as harvest their fruits for their income. In 2014, NGC promises to raise money for WWF’s Bancas For The Philippines project, which aims to train fishermen affected by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) last November 2013 in the making and use of fiberglass boats for artisanal fishing. These boats are designed to withstand the onslaught of typhoons to ensure that the fishermen can continue with their livelihood in any event.
WWF’s experts will train fishermen on site and help them build the fiberglass boats while reducing the use of sawn timber and plywood, in the hopes that the communities can produce one boat per day. Many fishermen were left with no sources of income when their boats were destroyed by Haiyan, and so this project is a significant step toward the rehabilitation of communities in Palawan, which was ravaged by the typhoon last November but slow to receive relief due to the sheer number of islands in central Philippines that needed to recover from the devastation. Earth Day Run 2014 aims to help these fishermen directly with the sharing of climate-smart technology that will help them recover their livelihood, as well as decrease the fishing pressure on our seas that have been heavily exploited by commercial fishing by promoting artisanal fishing for small-scale fishermen.
Earth Day Run uses recyclable materials for its race bibs and a “Zero Paper” registration process in the form of a Centralized Registration System, which National Geographic pioneered in the country. Participants can support the Haiyan rehabilitation efforts of NGC and WWF by signing up on www.natgeorun.com or visiting the sign-up booth at the Lower Ground floor of SM Aura from March 1 to April 20. Finishers of the longer races of 21K and 42K can not only take pride in their physical victory and willingness to help Haiyan survivors and the environment, but they will also each be getting a medal and finisher’s shirt to commemorate their triumph.
Nearly four months after Typhoon Haiyan, those affected by it still need so much help, and it has become important to sustain the public’s interest in their rehabilitation. Earth Day Run 2014 invites all runners to register and do their part while enjoying the health benefits of good exercise and unity in supporting the survivors of one of the most devastating natural disasters in the country’s history.
Rey Belen
