Running just got jazzed up.
Imagine racing under a tunnel of kaleidoscopic neon lights, with live, bass-pumping music from today’s hottest bands and DJs. That’s what the Rexona Run 2013 has in store in “Run to Your Beat” on Oct. 20 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City.
There will be live music throughout the race track of the 5k, 10k and 21k legs, and a rocking party at the finish line. Dubbed as the first multisensorial night run in the country, the 5k leg will see live performances by Sandwich, Delta Street, The Diegos, DJ Mia Ayesa, Deuce Manila and DJ Nina; the 10k will have Funk Avy and DJ Khai; and 21k participants will have Rico Blanco, Elmo Magalona and DJ Mars Miranda.
It’s a single race track for all three legs, so people running the half-marathon distance will see all performances.
“There’s music and lights to inspire you as you run. People won’t need to bring their MP3 players because we’ll have the music prepared,” said Neil Trinidad, category head of oral and deos, Unilever Philippines.
The pace of the music for each leg conforms to the specifications of running expert coach Rio dela Cruz, with a BPM (beats per minute) designed to put runners in an energetic state that could give them their fastest run yet. For instance, 170-180 BPM could give you a good 40 minutes to one hour personal record.
That is, of course, if your turnover—or the number of times your feet strike the ground—equals your playlist’s BPM. Going for 170 BPM means each foot hits the ground 85 times per minute. That’s a lot, and only a good, solid training foundation complemented by upbeat music can keep you at a steady pace.
“It’s been proven that listening to music unleashes your energy, allowing you to run further,” coach Rio said.
Keenly attuned
Although, like most serious runners, coach Rio doesn’t listen to music at all when he races—he likes to be keenly attuned to his environment—he actually plugs into his MP3 during leisurely runs. He suggests starting with a slower BPM, such as Ne Yo’s “Closer,” then progressing to medium, before going full-speed for a strong finish.
A good BPM for a newbie would be around 116. A newbie’s goal is normally as simple as finishing the race. With 116 BPM, coach Rio said the pace will be pleasant, and a runner will hurdle a 5k leg happily.
A happy runner, he said, always returns to the tracks.
Rexona’s “Run to Your Beat” will feature different BPMs for all three legs. Although called a night run, the starting gun goes off at 3 a.m. for 21k, 3:30 a.m. for 10k and 3:45 a.m. for 5k.
“We are always finding ways to make the Rexona Run more exciting than the last. This year, we wanted it to appeal to more people and inspire them to do more,” said Rexona brand manager Mar Corazo.
Top three finishers of the 21k will receive P7,000, P5,000 and P3,000 for first, second and third placers; 10k first, second and third placers will win P5,000, P4,000 and P3,000, respectively; while 5k top three placers will go home with P4,000, P3,000 and P2,000.
Rexona “Run to Your Beat” is organized by RunRio. Registration fee is P600 for 5k, P700 for 10k and P900 for 21k, ongoing until Oct. 16 at Riovana Stores in Bonifacio Global City and Katipunan, and Toby’s outlets in SM Mall of Asia and SM North Edsa The Block. Online registration is also ongoing at www.runrio.com. Visit the Rexona Men Facebook page or call/text the race hotline at 8876194 or 0927-3477700.