Lonely Hearts Club
for the most part, running is a "me" sport. you hit the roads (or treadmill) and carry yourself to a destination only you can chart. in the philippines, it has evolved into a social sport where running in a group is preferred.
with that said, I don't want to be Rey Ferdinand Maribao just now.
not in this moment in Cebu where running, fun runs and marathons have become a sport that has cut across social status, gender, race, age and yes, WEIGHT. the demographics include beginners, recreational, serious, competitive and elite runners but not all can boast of bodies like the running couple noy and amale jopson or pull off the weird crazy "do" of rio. the point is, running has become the newest equalizer and has always espoused an "inclusive" attitude.
so you can imagine when Rey casually commented in facebook that runners should not join the ungo runners club as they do more walking and running than actual running, and to add insult to injury, he said that he prefers his own group the Fit Runner's Club (FRC) as there are NO fat people joining their group.
i am tempted to put it off as hypoxia or the lack of oxygen in the brain, probably from too much running. but in the end, it was just plain stupidity and if there was anything lacking, it was "common sense".
to date, rey probably is the most ridiculed fellow in the cebu online community with other runners reacting negatively and has gone to the point where they even posted his not-so-lean pictures on the web. it was a matter of time before someone else pulled up his latest run records in the 2010 Cebu City Marathon (5 Hours and 50 minutes) that showed a not so spectacular performance, indicating the probability that he probably did a bit of running and walking himself. in addition, his own club, the FRC, issued a statement effectively disowning him.
if that's not enough, individuals and running clubs are mulling an effective ban for him to join organized runs. some are even considering a boycott of runs where he is registered. nothing is worse than a whole community turning its back on Rey.
i have nothing aganst him except probably his stinging comments about "fat people". it reminds me of insensitive "friends" whose opening line after a long time of not seeing each other would be to comment: "you've gained weight!"
except that majority of the running community members are not his friends and whatever friends he's made are about to disappear. if i were him, i'd watch my back in the next race as he's about to join the lonely hearts club, at least for his running pack.
common sense, where art though?
with that said, I don't want to be Rey Ferdinand Maribao just now.
not in this moment in Cebu where running, fun runs and marathons have become a sport that has cut across social status, gender, race, age and yes, WEIGHT. the demographics include beginners, recreational, serious, competitive and elite runners but not all can boast of bodies like the running couple noy and amale jopson or pull off the weird crazy "do" of rio. the point is, running has become the newest equalizer and has always espoused an "inclusive" attitude.
so you can imagine when Rey casually commented in facebook that runners should not join the ungo runners club as they do more walking and running than actual running, and to add insult to injury, he said that he prefers his own group the Fit Runner's Club (FRC) as there are NO fat people joining their group.
i am tempted to put it off as hypoxia or the lack of oxygen in the brain, probably from too much running. but in the end, it was just plain stupidity and if there was anything lacking, it was "common sense".
to date, rey probably is the most ridiculed fellow in the cebu online community with other runners reacting negatively and has gone to the point where they even posted his not-so-lean pictures on the web. it was a matter of time before someone else pulled up his latest run records in the 2010 Cebu City Marathon (5 Hours and 50 minutes) that showed a not so spectacular performance, indicating the probability that he probably did a bit of running and walking himself. in addition, his own club, the FRC, issued a statement effectively disowning him.
if that's not enough, individuals and running clubs are mulling an effective ban for him to join organized runs. some are even considering a boycott of runs where he is registered. nothing is worse than a whole community turning its back on Rey.
i have nothing aganst him except probably his stinging comments about "fat people". it reminds me of insensitive "friends" whose opening line after a long time of not seeing each other would be to comment: "you've gained weight!"
except that majority of the running community members are not his friends and whatever friends he's made are about to disappear. if i were him, i'd watch my back in the next race as he's about to join the lonely hearts club, at least for his running pack.
common sense, where art though?
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