The Amazing Kidney Race

The kidney is one of the vital organs that make the complex and crucial body processes possible. As an acknowledgement of the kidneys’ amazing role in human physiology and in celebration of World Kidney Day 2010 with the theme “Amazing Kidneys”, the Philippine Society of Nephrology (PSN), in cooperation with UP Family Life and Child Development Circle, is staging a rare race event dubbed as “The Amazing Kidney Race.” To be held in the scenic and breezy campus of UP Diliman, “The Amazing Kidney Race” promises to give beginner and seasoned runners alike a unique and exciting racing experience.

Institutionalizing the humanitarian dimension of running and race events is what the PSN aims to accomplish in staging “The Amazing Kidney Race.” Proceeds of this race event will be used mainly for supporting the kidney disease awareness campaign of PSN and the operation and treatment of kidney patients, and partly for the UP Child Development Center. Likewise, this race is among the platform events of PSN adjunct to the global celebration of World Kidney Day.

As PSN aims to pull off a fun yet challenging race, “The Amazing Kidney Race” will have four event categories. There is the 15K Relay Race limited only to 50 teams. Each team shall be composed of 5 members who will correspondingly complete the 1k-2k-3k-4k-5k race distances to complete a total of 15 kilometers. Adding twist to this race category are the baton passing and challenges that must be met by the relay runners in the handover zones to complete transition. Then there is the heart-warming 2.2K Parent-Child Tandem Run especially allocated for Mom/Dad-Child team-ups. During the race, participants and spectators will get a touching sight of a parent egging on and encouraging her/his child who is determined to give his/her all. There is also the 5K UP FLCD Circle Challenge, a banner event of event-partner UP FLCD Circle, particularly catered to beginner runners or veteran racers who have the need for speed. And finally there is the centrepiece event, the 15K Eliminator Pursuit, where race participants will get an adrenalin rush as they negotiate UP Diliman campus’ best kept running course secret – the Heartbreak Route. 15K racers will get to know first-hand why it is called as such. And as if the route is still not inviting, all participants who meet the 45-minute half-way mark or 1hour45minutes finish point cut-off times will receive a Finishers’ Medal.

Both 15K and 5K solo race events will have MD and Open categories and subsequent male and female divisions. Top three individual and group finishers in all events and categories will be awarded with medals and certificates of achievement.

“The Amazing Kidney Race” is presented with the support of Activelink, in cooperation with event partners RunRadio @ NU107 FM, RunnerSpeak @ QTV11, Second Wind Running Store, ROX, and the exclusive on-line media partner, thebullrunner.com.


Project Profile of Participants

Expected to send a huge delegation of participants are the 400-plus kidney-specialists who are members of the Philippine Society of Nephrology. Beefing up this number are physician affiliates of other collegial medical associations who will show support to the World Kidney Day celebration. Further reinforcing the participation levels in this race are representatives from the allied medical circle and pharmaceutical companies. And most definitely, “The Amazing Kidney Race” will attract a wide-spectrum of participant-runners, ranging from the intermediate recreational to the hardcore runners, majority of which are urban professionals and the so-called “weekend-warriors.”

Demographically, it is anticipated that around 70% of expected participants will be male, while female contenders will make up as high as 30% of the participants. The bulk of the runner participants are estimated to be coming from the ABC socio-economic strata. The age of participants is projected to range between 20 to 40 years old. However, as running continuously zooms in popularity, it will not be surprising to see a huge turnout of fit teenagers. Anticipated also is the participation of masters-category runners who traditionally throw their full support to races with a worthy cause.

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