UP Mountaineers runs 138 km on its 37th year

MANILA, Philippines – The UP Mountaineers, a pioneering outdoor organization based in the University of the Philippines – Diliman, will hold a 138-kilometer run from the UP Diliman campus in Quezon City to Real, Quezon to mark its 37^th year. The run will start at 9 pm on June 20, Friday, at the Diliman campus. 

Instead of holding the anniversary run at the UP Diliman academic oval, which has always been the venue, this year’s epic run will be in relay format that will take runners and their bike support crew from the campus to a rented beach house in Real, Quezon. Each relay team will consist of at least four runners per leg and carry the UPM flag with them.

The anniversary run started in 1994 when the idea of doing a 17-hour-run to mark UPM’s 17^th anniversary sparked. That same year, a member from batch 1992 named Sinag de Leon bagged the award for a record of 23 rounds or a total of 50.6 kilometers around the academic oval. The feat was made even more remarkable when she found out that she was pregnant at that time. Sinag is the first Filipina finisher of the Australian Ironman (2002), erstwhile member of the National Triathlon Team (1987-1988), and a former president of the UP Mountaineers (2004).

Members tried to think of different ways to liven up the challenging task such as wearing costumes and cheering for the runners. Every year since then, an hour has been added to the total time of the run to signify the number of memorable years of the organization.

UPM celebrates its anniversary by having its members carry the UPM flag while they run non-stop in the academic oval until another runner replaces him/her. The idea is for the flag to continuously be carried by a UPM member throughout the run’s duration.  During the last 2.2 km (distance around the academic oval) of the run, most of the members usually participate in the run, making the last lap more boisterous and fun. The anniversary run is meant to inspire not just UP students and faculty members to push their own limits, but others as well.

In this year’s anniversary run the UPM flag will be passed on among teams in 14 legs that will cover the entire course. UPM’s anniversary week celebration be capped by a party on June 27. – Rappler.com