GOOD news for running enthusiasts.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Joy Young wants to form a regulating body for the sport that will help prevent the overlapping of the schedules of running events.
And it won’t be just for Cebu.
Young wants to coordinate with the sports commission of Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City City.
Young said he is happy how the running boom can help in the health and wellness of Cebuanos but is concerned with the number of running events in one weekend.
“This is very feasible because they (sports commissions) are the ones who are in control of the sports events in their cities. If they will form a regulating body, which will be in charge of giving approvals of the runs, then they can avoid
overlapping of running events,” Young said.
He said too many running events in one weekend and even in one day cause conflict among organizers.
“To avoid this kind of problem, there is a need to form a regulating body that is in charge of synchronizing the running events,” Young said.
Cebu City Sports Commission Chairman Edward Hayco, who is aggressively identifying sports events that can benefit Cebuanos, supports the idea.
“Vice Mayor Young and I had already talked about it. It is a brilliant idea. I will ask Tony Del Prado, to consult with the other sports commissioners from Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue on the forming a regulating committee for running,” Hayco said.
He added they encourage more running events but these should be properly scheduled.
Veteran marathoner and organizer Dr. Potenciano Yong Larrazabal III is happy about it.
“I agree with the Vice Mayor’s call of forming a regulating committee. I fully support it. I will attend their meetings if invited,” Larrazabal said.
Pilipinas International 25K Marathon organizer Tito Dela Merced is also optimistic about it.
Both the events of Merced and Larrazabal will be held this Sunday.
“Ganahan kaayo ko nga naay regulatory body para ma avoid ang overlapping sa mga running events. But they should not be biased. First come first serve sa scheduling sa events” Dela Merced said
Joel Garganera, another veteran runner, emphasized the importance of coordination in organizing a running event.
“There is a need to strengthen coordination, not only in the three cities but including Talisay City,” Garganera said.
He added if there is proper coordination, then it will prevent conflicts among organizers. He also pointed out the importance of the safety of runners.
“If there is a regulating body, then they can come up with different rules like the uniformity of the fees for those in charge of the security and safety of the runners and among others,” Garganera said.