CEBU CITY — It’s not the event, but the people.
The very first time I participated in a running event organized by the Negros Oriental Sports Development Program was the Chada Valencia 50-kilometer Ultramarathon three years ago.
Since then, I have kept on returning to NOSDEP’s well-organized events.
The people behind NOSDEP are truly lovers of distance running, plus the support provided by their local government unit, the Governor’s office, which make it a far better activity than other events in the country’s field of running.
This fun-loving group is headed by Paultom Paras.
This year, the Chada Valencia Ultra event got upgraded to an 80-kilometer run, while retaining the 50K and 25K categories.
And yet, all the runners in each of the three distance categories were provided the same level of support by the organizers — from the one who came in as champion, to the last one who finished; even up to those who DNF (Did Not Finish).
The very first time I participated in a NOSDEP event in Negros Oriental, I remember I was amazed at their organizational skills and how they take care of the runners; after three years of participating in their events, their efforts and the little things they do for the welfare of the runners have not ceased to amaze me.
I don’t know how this Negros Oriental group convinces the LGUs and the people along the route to help them in their events and get this much support.
I can’t believe I was talking with women in their 70s who were waiting for us runners even until 1 in the morning, in the dark parts of the road towards the mountains, waiting for us to assist us on our hydration and other needs.
Then I learned that any expenses they had to incur was actually money that came from their personal pockets.
A little girl around nine years old was helping distribute water to us runners, while her mother was busy preparing pospas; and maybe it was her father who was also one of the guys preparing the buko for us, or jotting down our racebib numbers as we passed by the halfway turning point.
I saw marshalls on mobile, and marshalls in the junctions of the sleepy roads, who stayed in their posts even until the late afternoon the next day. I could see their eyes red and swollen from lack of sleep, or no sleep at all. By that time, they already needed to rest, and yet, they were there in their posts, until the last runner had passed.
I told some of them to get some sleep since the runners would just come to their tables and get what they needed, like food or a refill of water.
Yet, they were all there awake, alert and enthusiastic for any runner.
It was so cold in the mountains of Valencia that they needed to wear thick jackets but then again, nothing, not even their own physical discomfort, discouraged them form providing us the much-appreciated assistance.
I made it a point to always greet them, and would introduce myself to them, and mention that we all appreciate their efforts for us, and that we are more than grateful of the help they were extending to us.
I would mention to them that their sincerity, generosity and hospitality are actually some of the reasons that my teammates and I keep on coming back to run in Negros Oriental.
In behalf of the Cebu running community, we are forever grateful to NOSDEP, the support marshalls, the barangay tanods in the town of Valencia, the water/food stations along the route of the LGU, and the people along the route. Our respect and humble thank you to each and everyone of you. Your efforts and your whole-hearted support for our beloved sport is truly one-of-a-kind. (Tony Galon/Cebu Ultramarathoners Club)
