Those who joined the Cebu Marathon for the first time this year were quick to forgive Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC), race organizers of the Cebu Marathon 2026 for their latest fiasco.
I understand. I forgave them, too — three years in a row since 2023. But, frankly, now, I feel foolish for allowing myself to be trapped in this abusive relationship.
You see, you cannot choose peace (as others graciously opine) when you are being abused. You end abuse by calling it out. You don’t choose silence. Or the status quo. Because when you do, you perpetuate the cycle of abuse.
Just as we need to distinguish a mistake from a pattern of behavior so should we distinguish a simple error from clear ineptitude. One blunder is an error. Recurring blunders is ineptitude.
There are many races each year, none of them perfect. But some are definitely better than others.
Cebu Marathon organizers constantly use their numbers to justify their logistical lapses. They had 11,500 runners this year, 12,200 runners last year. But SM2SM Run had 14,600 runners while IPI Run,16,000 runners last year and both races ran seamlessly.
Bohol International Marathon (BIM) with 4,300 runners last year is a much smaller race compared to Cebu Marathon but BIM has consistently delivered an unforgettable race experience since 2023 and continues to put Bohol on the map for all the right reasons.
It is not the case with Cebu Marathon. And this is where my strongest objections lie. Why do we continue to allow CERC to carry the name of Cebu when it has only sullied our city and province with their string of incompetencies since 2023?
Eighteen years of experience to date and yet, CERC still managed to commit a mortifying blunder this year, now anecdotally transmitted to 47 countries.
Until a few days ago, some runners have allegedly not yet received their medals or even a reply to their emails from race organizers. Race day was Jan. 11.
I’ve been asked many times why CERC continues to fail each year despite their years of experience. I believe they fail not because they do not know how to do things right but because they do not care to do things right.
I do not take it against any race organizer to hold a race for personal, monetary gain. All I ask is that you deliver the product as promised. If you sell us an expensive race, you owe us a seamless race experience.
After four years and four races marred by logistical failures, you owe us, runners (your customers), more than an apology. You owe us restitution. What’s done is done. But if you have any sense of decency left, you will step down as organizers of an annual race that carries the name of our city and province.
Stop sullying the name of Cebu. That, you owe not just the runners but all Cebuanos.
Stop preying on clueless first-time runners. Stop cashing in on the name, Cebu. Many runners join the Cebu Marathon despite its failures to fulfill a promise or “panata” to the Santo Niño. Stop hijacking the Santo Niño.
Let’s stop choosing peace. Let’s call it what it is: a leadership failure marked by ineptitude and indifference as with the previous years.
It’s time for the city to give the privilege of organizing a race bearing the name of Cebu during the Sinulog to another organizer worthy of venerating the Santo Niño and elevating Cebu.
I’m not proud of myself for contributing to the coffers of these organizers since 2021. I didn’t know better then. In 2023, I knew better but continued.
It stops now.