"on a shoestring"

So you have finished a marathon. Congratulations and welcome to the club!

After that amazing feat you are asking for more and you suddenly find yourself planning for the next sweet 42.195kms finish. Maybe this list would help you decide for your next marathon run:

1. Great Wall Marathon, China.

The route starts with a 9kms of steep up and down climb. Don’t worry because after this you would find your feet traipsing scenic villages and ricefields. If this is not welcome treat, think about ticking off something from your bucketlist- see The Great Wall of China. Do loads of hill training as you would be finishing where you started- 9kms of up and down climb. So you experience the dreaded “wall” in the Great Wall.

So what are you waiting for? Search quick for a Low-cost airfare to China now.

Happens every May.

2. Taj Mahal Marathon, India.

Don’t tell me you didn’t dreamed of seeing Taj Mahal up close and personal? So while you are into it, why not schedule a marathon during your trip. Please do remember that weather here is too much to handle. Marathoners should do lots of heat training when joining this. Ohh, before I forget, the route ends with a full view of Taj Mahal- a great motivation when runners are hitting “the wall”.

Do you know that Taj Mahal Marathon is also included in Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Places to Run a Marathon?

Photo from www.spectrumtour.com

Happens every October

3. Tokyo Marathon, Japan.

Tokyo Marathon is one of the most attended marathons in Asia with more than 25,000 marathoners joining the event. The route starts at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and runs through Tokyo Imperial Palace - Hibiya Park - Shinagawa - Ginza - Nihonbashi - Asakusa - Tsukiji then finishes ar Tokyo Big Sight.

Happens every February.

4. Sundown Marathon, Singapore.

Be unique. run a marathon at nightfall. Duh? That’s why its called sundown. Sundown Marathon organizers make use of SG’s lovely parks while planning the route. They bring runners through east’s urban parks as well as major local landmarks like Bedok Reservoir, East Coast Park and the Changi Ferry Terminal. So its a tour of Singapore too! Plus you don’t have to worry about the humid Asian weather.

Happens every May.

5. Laguna Phuket International Marathon, Thailand.

I’ve been dreaming of this marathon a lot of this for the past years. Not only that the route is amazing, you will have a very nice course out and back of Laguna. You will pass by local villages, pineapple and rubber plantations. Not yet decided? Think about Phuket and its lush vegetation and island feel.

Happens every June.

5. Milo Marathon, Philippines.

This is the oldest marathon in the Philippines and maybe one of the oldest in Asia. Now running its 36th year, this marathon is the number one marathon event in the Philippines. Both elites and hobbyists target this 26.2 race because this is the most famous and fastest in the country. Everyone wants to beat the cut-off time and tries to qualify for the finals that happens before the year ends.

Photo from Running Photographers FB page

Happens every July and December

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It’s more than a year since I had my first marathon. If only my legs and feet can talk, they would say that they ready for action- ready for training and ready to conquer another 42.195 kilometers.

My mind seems to agree with my lower extremities and my heart is longing to run the roads of CamSur. And I’m excited to try Wakeboarding again before that grueling marathon.

Then came the Bloggers Launch last week, I guess its really time to do another training. I have barely 2 months to prepare and I’m excited to cross that finish line at CWC.

Here are the important details regarding CAMSUR International Marathon.

Race Date: September 25, 2011

Race Venue: CamSur WaterSports Complex (CWC)

Race Categories: 3km (Php 400) / 5km (Php 400) / 10km (Php 500) / 21km (Local, Php850 and International, Php2,000)- / 42km (Local, Php850 and International, Php2,500)

Registration is now open:

Other Important Notes:

I tell you, the local cheering and support is crazy out there!

That according to him (Gerald Anderson). I’m not a fan, duh?! But months have passed and I still cannot move on to what I heard last July 4, 2010 during the awarding program on the Metro Manila Milo Marathon Eliminations.

Gerald said, “I am so happy I just finished my first marathon.”

JourneyingJames said, “You wish!”

Actually, he just finished a 3K fun run. So what’s wrong?

Let me explain to you: When we say marathon- it has a distance of 42.195 kilometers (26.2 miles). So a 3-kilometer run is just a warm up of the 42K. Saying you finished a 3K marathon is hilarious because runners know that a 3K fun run is way too much different from a Full Marathon (42K).

It is like saying you just killed a 3-inch shark with bare hands. Hilarious at best. Next time, educate yourself.

Lesson: Don’t use the word “marathon” with a 3K, 5K or 10K run. Its so uncool to “run a 3K marathon.” Still, a lot of teens were titallating to take a pic with Gerald. Oh btw, Karylle and Toni Gonzaga ran during the event too.

After Running a "3K Marathon?" (Image from E.Esguerra's Flickr)

Some acceptable usages of marathon would include:

21K = Half Marathon distance (half of 26.2 mile)

42K or 42.195K = Full Marathon

50K or more = UltraMarathon

Watching movies till the morning = Movie Marathon. Oh, this is different na pala.

More Photos from the Milo Manila Elims in E.Esguerra’s Flickr Account.