PLDT Fibr- Color Manila Clark Marathon Race Review

When it comes to color runs there is no name larger than Color Manila. However, on September 24 they tried something different together with PLDT Home Fibr by organizing their first ever marathon event held in the Parade Grounds of Clark, Pampanga.

First Marathon for Color Manila Together with PLDT Home Fibr

Dubbed as the CM Clark Marathon, the event was joined by thousands of competitive and leisure runners. The race offered a unique running experience with fun-filled activities for all ages and culminates to the Color Festival where everybody throws colored powder in the air while partying.

The marathon event started some minutes after 2:00 A.M. and there were about a hundred runners in the starting line. However, the bulk of the runners are on shorter distances of 21K, 10K, 5K and 3K. The first part of the race takes you to run around the parade grounds before heading to the main roads of Clark.

Color Manila Clark Marathon Race Review

The scenic route of the 42K traces the long stretch of Manuel Roxas Highway (straight road from Clark’s Main Gate) where you can see the Air Force Base.  It then turns left in front of SM Clark and goes toward the Clark East Premier Road (CEPR). After the u-turn point (around 15K mark), it goes back and passes through the event area en route to a section Claro M. Recto Highway and snakes through Gil Puyat Avenue. You then make your way back into the Event Grounds to complete the 42K course.

First Half of the Race

I started the race with no particular goal but to finish. The first 10K of the race was flat and it helped me set my pace easily. The road was well lighted and there were only quite a few cars passing through. The marshals and traffic officers were also helpful in making sure that runners cross the intersections safe.

A kilometer after turning left in SM Clark towards the Clark Premier Road, there are several portions of the highway that are not lighted. Luckily, there are several motorcycle units that used their headlights to illuminate some of the darker portions of the route. It was also on this stretch that I noticed some of the markers to be facing the wrong way. The CEPR segment also has some elevation gain, but I wouldn’t consider it going uphill.

On the u-turn point, we did not receive any loop band which I think they should have provided to prevent cheating. On a good note, the whole 42K has several sensors (one was after the left turn in SM Clark) which can prevent such attempts.

Hydration at this section (10K to 21K mark) was very reliable as each station provides both water and 100 Plus isotonic drink. The only downside for me was the sports drink was not served in cups, but on a whole bottle. This means, you need to carry the bottle lest you leave it in the station after a few gulps.

Second Half of the Race

After the CEPR, you then ran on the other side of Manuel Roxas Highway. At the 30Km mark, a kilometer or so from the event venue, the hydration stations were giving bananas and SiS energy gels. Those aid stations were a life saver and helped me regain some of the energy to get me back into the race.

The next 10Km of the race takes you to the inner part of Clark where you can see several military buildings and shops. It was an out and back route where you get to see some of Clark’s famous hotels. At this point I felt only sight-seeing and walking just to appreciate the sunrise.

Who would have thought that just a couple of days ago, it rained for almost the whole week and several storms missed the country. Rain was one of my fears before the race, but luckily my fears didn’t materialized and were instead blessed with a somewhat chilly but sun-filled race day.

After completing the Claro M. Recto- Gil Puyat route, I simply run and walked my way to the event grounds. A few hundred meters from the finish line, there were a lot of people taking photos and selfies in the iconic CM arches. While there were a ton of people blocking the finish line, I’m just glad that a race marshal recognized that I was part of the marathon and helped me cross amidst the crowd.

At the Finish Line

I finished the race at around 5 hours, 34 minutes (unofficial), which I think was not bad considering that I just got the notice to run a marathon in a week.

(With the PLDT Fibr Team, winners of the Takbo.ph & PLDT Fibr Photo Contest, runners from team Powerpuff Boys and Team Pukers)

After my run, I rested in PLDT Home Fibr booth together with a couple of winners from the Takbo.ph and PLDT’s contest. Guests were allowed to watch some Netflix movies which are powered with the Roku Powered TVolution. They also gave away exciting prizes and freebies during the event.

Impression of the Race

Overall, I would say that the CM marathon is one of my best run this year. Everything about the whole experience was simply quite refreshing. The after race party was also quite a blast. Congratulations to the Color Manila team for hosting one heck of a marathon.

Pros

• Straight and flat route can help you achieved a new personal record
• Traffic enforcers and marshals were quite helpful and friendly
• Plenty of hydration supplies, gels and bananas for the 42K runners
• Very relaxed atmosphere coupled with a great weather
• Love the Finisher shirt and finisher medal design
• Energetic crowd and funky after race party

Cons

• More than a couple of markers were facing the wrong way
• Shortage of water on aid stations for 21km runners

Words from the Organizers

“From the bottom of our hearts, we thank our CM runners for being part of five fruitful, fun-, and color-filled running years! We have been growing in years and numbers, yes, but we are just as daring and driven as we were during our first year! We’re proud to say that CM Clark Marathon, our first colorful marathon event in the country, is a brainchild born out of our penchant for making you happier, healthier, and more hyped-up for running. We can’t wait to stage more colorful and more fun, and festive marathons for you, guys!” said Color Manila VP Justine Cordero.

Now on its fifth year, COLOR MANILA has established itself as the most aggressive ‘concept fun-run’ organizer in the country. Over 120,000 runners have participated in its various franchises, which include the CM Challenge, CM Blacklight, CM Costume, CM Glitter, and CM Classic. It has broken its own record with its biggest event to date, CMR5, which had 12,000 runners that participated last January 2017. Visit www.colormanilarun.com for more information.