SOME Cebuano runners and athletes have found an interesting way to keep competitive and physically fit amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) health crisis with the Spectrum Runners Club doing a treadmill challenge for its members. Just like fun runs on weekends, the winners will get cash prizes.
Runners who cover the most mileage within that span are proclaimed winners of the one-hour challenge.
The treadmill challenge, however, is only for members who are currently staying in the house of club president Gerry Mayo.
“I want all the members to join but the problem is they don’t have a treadmill. So the challenge is only for members who are staying in my house,” he said.
For the first staging, Gimar Magdalino won the men’s side after covering 16 kilometers in one hour. He won a P1,500 cash prize.
Rinmarch Gonzaga covered 15.7K, Jerome Casinillo logged in 15.2K and Desidirio Sano Engbino ran 15.1K. The second to fourth placers won P1,000, P500 and P300, respectively.
Evamie Villarin, the 2019 Milo Marathon Regional runner-up, won the women’s treadmill challenge as she recorded 14K in an hour, while Marie-Me Catayas Ablando finished second with a 12K run.
Mayo said the purpose of the challenge is to motivate team members to stay fit despite the city being under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
For next Sunday, members will run two hours on the treadmill. Runners with the longest mileage will win the cash prize.
The University of San Carlos (USC) track and field team also has its own way of motivating members who are mostly now in the province—the ABS Challenge.
USC track and field head coach Arvin Loberanis said he made this challenge for athletes to stay in shape and to be always ready when things slowly get back to normal.
Loberanis had advised his athletes to go home to their provinces before Cebu was placed under the ECQ, but he required them to continue exercising even inside their homes. An athlete who can’t complete the ABS challenge will have to pay a prize when the training camp resumes.
“If they don’t do this, they can’t claim the boarding allowances and training allowance. That’s what we have agreed,” he said.
Loberanis explained that he asked his athletes to under the ABS Challenge to keep them active and fit.
“If you won’t give them this kind of challenge, they will not work hard. It’s hard if you just tell them to exercise because you can’t monitor them. This ABS Challenge is one of the proofs that they’re doing what they should do,” he said.
His athletes send Loberanis photos of their training and updates on their ABS Challenge once a week.
Cebu City and the rest of Cebu Province are under the ECQ as the country attempts to flatten the curve in its fight to contain the highly contagious coronavirus.