t0422irene-natgeo_feat2_1 — “REPEAT runners have trained over the years, and are now into full marathons,” says Jude Turcuato, vice president and territory head of Fox International Channels Philippines

The NatGeo Earth Day Run goes full marathon for the first time this year.

Runners are getting faster and looking for more challenges, said Jude Turcuato, vice president and territory head of Fox International Channels Philippines. This led his team to include a 42K distance in the NatGeo Earth Day Run, April 27, in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

“We started with 10K maximum distance, then added 21,” Turcuato said at the recent launch in Hyve club, BGC. “Repeat runners have trained over the years, and are now into full marathons.”

NatGeo Earth Day Run started in 2009 as Fox’s campaign to celebrate Earth Day, a global event that advocates protection and care for the environment.

As with last year’s run, there will be earth-friendly practices such as paperless registration at www.natgeorun.com and distribution of race bibs made of recycled materials. Marshals will be on bikes instead of motorcycles.

Turcuato said 12,000 participants will run in the 3K, 5K, 10K, 21K and 42K distances. Joining fee is P550-P1,500. Claiming of race kits, which include bibs, timing chips and singlets, is ongoing in the NatGeo booth on the ground floor of SM Aura, BGC.

Fiberglass boats

The NatGeo Earth Day Run last year raised P1 million for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) reforestation project. Instead of giving away medals, trees were planted in behalf of the runners.

t0422irene-natgeo_feat2_2 — WWF HEADS boat-construction sessions with builders from Leyte and Palawan who are recovering from Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

We caught up with Gregg Yan, WWF-Philippines communications and media manager, for updates on the project. He said the P1-million donation was used to plant fruit-bearing trees in Abuan Watershed in Isabela Province.

“We planted a lot of satsuma citrus trees which are profitable. It bears fruit in as early as five years,” Yan explained.

This year’s NatGeo Earth Day Run will benefit WWF’s Bancas for the Philippines project, which aims to provide 600 fiberglass boats to communities in Northern Palawan and Eastern Visayas that were affected by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

Project manager Patrick Co said distributing fiberglass boats will help restore food security and self-sufficiency to the fisherfolk, many still relying on donations.

“It will help the communities rebuild their lives, and at the same time introduce fiberglass boat technology,” he said. “Bancas are traditionally made of hardwoods, which are now rare.

“Fiberglass boats, if properly taken care of, can last longer than wooden boats. It requires less maintenance because it won’t attract termites or barnacles. And we don’t need to cut down trees to build them.”

Visit https://natgeorun.com; www.wwf.org.ph.