- The De La Salle Alumni Association Pampanga Chapter is to set to hold the 10th TCS Clark Animo International Marathon on March 10 this year
- With 10,000 runners expected to join the event, it will feature a 42.2 km marathon, a half marathon, as well as 10 km, 5 km, and 2.5 km courses.
The event is promising a more fun and exhilarating run to this year’s event with internationally certified courses and special activities.
“We initially had 600 participants on our first year,” Atty, Melvin Panlilio, President of DLSAA – Pampanga, said. “But our runners and members of DLSAA-P gradually grew through the years, giving us the opportunity to give back to more beneficiaries.
“We’re likewise proud to announce that for 2019, our courses have been given international certification by the International Association of Athletic Federations and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races,” he added.
“The TCS Clark Animo International Marathon and associated races are all conducted on IAAF-AIMS Certified Courses. This provides a guarantee to runners that they have run the correct distance and, therefore, their recorded time are valid and will be recognized internationally for qualifying and rankings purposes. This is not only particularly important for runners who aim to join international races like the Boston Marathon, it is for all runners participating in this event. It is never a good outcome to train for a race like a marathon only to discover, after completing the event, that the course they finished did not have the correct distance and their time invalid,” Jumbo Tayag, Race Director, explained.
To make Animo Run’s 10th year more exciting, cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third placers of the 5 km, 10 km, 21 km, and 42 km distances in the men’s and women’s categories. A special incentive will also be given to runners with the best costume. One runner each from the Adult (18 years old and above) and Kiddie (17 years old and below) categories will likewise receive cash prizes.
This year’s races will see 1,200 participants from Tata Consultancy Services, one of the biggest call center companies in Clark, and a sponsor of the event as well.
Gun start for the 42 km distance will be at 2 a.m.; 4:30 a.m. for the 21 km; 5:30 a.m. for the 10 km; 5:45 a.m. for the 2.5 km; and 6 a.m. for the 2.5 km. Runners are expected to be at the venue 30 minutes before their gun start.
Proceeds of the run will be used to fund DLSAA-P’s environmental and community projects like tree planting, maintenance of the Angeles City Watershed, support for the La Salle Botanical Gardens in Alviera, Porac, Pampanga, as well as the Yellow Boat Foundation for the marginal school children of coastal Pampanga.
TCS Clark Animo International Marathon is made possible by Tata Consultancy Services, Smart, Nepo Center, Cherifer Premium, CMCS Inc, Pampanga’s Best, Genesis Transport, and NLEX Corp. This year’s run is presented by Clark Global City.
