INTERNATIONAL BEER DAY RUN: An EPIC Virtual Run

Population.  Friendship.  Beer. 

Interesting evolution of the theme(s)  of the Virtual Takbo (VT) series of the Pinoy Runners Global (PRG) .  Last  July 11-13, PRG organized the World Population Day Run. More than 2 weeks later, a PRG barangay, the Pinoy Runners Barcelona hosted the International Friendship Day Virtual Run & Walk Virtual . And now, for Aug 7 to Aug 13 there is the International Beer Day Run.  Kind of like, it is a natural progression from POPULATION which is a group of people who in the spirit of FRIENDSHIP, will now be enjoying/celebrating  an ice cold bottle of BEER.    One can dare say that the "G" in the PRG stands for  "genius."

One would expect that a day celebrating the goodness of beer will be on an October.  After all, the word "Oktoberfest"  is tatooed in the minds of all those who hold beer to be very dear.  But truth be told, there is indeed an International Beer Day (IBD)  and it was  founded on August 2007 in Sta. Cruz, California  by  guy named Jesse Avshalamov who is the Co-Founder  and Chief Marketing Officer of Medinas, a Berkeley-based healthcare tech startup.  From 2007 to 2012,  IBD was celebrated on August 5. After IBD 2012, the founder took a poll of fans and chose to move the holiday to the first Friday in August.   In his Linkedin account, Mr. Avshalamov talks  about the IBD as an experiment on virality gone horribly right.  Horribly successful as it is now celebrated in 207 cities, 50 countries and on 6 continents. To celebrate IBD, the founder has 3 precepts:  

• Gather with friends and enjoy the taste of beer.
• Celebrate those responsible for brewing and serving beer.
• Unite the world under the banner of beer, celebrating the beers of all nations together on a single day.              

Some of them being beer connoisseurs (a half dozen are shown in the photo cover of this article) , the good people of PRG saw it fit to celebrate IBD and has tasked the Endurance Pinoy Irish Club (EPIC) to host a virtual run called the International Beer Day Run (IBDR).  This event will have run distances from 5kms, 10kms, 15 kms, 21kms, 32kms and 42kms and runners can partake of this veritable runfest from Aug 7 to Aug 13. Run all you can.  

EPIC is a PRG barangay that represents the Pinoy runners in  Ireland.  It is a welcome coincidence that the PRG barangay hosting the IBDR is from Ireland, a country which has a love affair since 1759 with one of the most successful beer brands in the world . It was in the year 1759 that Arthur Guinness first started brewing Guinness, a traditional Irish stout beer made from barley, hops, water, and a specific strain of ale yeast.  In many Irish bars, you can simply order "a pint of the Black Stuff."  Often considered Ireland's national drink, Guinness is available in a few varieties today.  At 198 calories a pint, Guinness is better for the waistline than most non-light beers. And even more welcome news for the health-conscious, a study by the University of Wisconsin  showed that it can reduce the risk of heart attacks and blood clots, as it contains the same type of antioxidants found in red wine. 

One of Brgy EPIC's Team Captain, Mike Gonda, enjoying a Guinness. The color is not black, not even brown. It is a deep, dark red, a color attributed in part to the roasting of malted barley during the beer's preparation.

One of the  persons to talk to about EPIC and the IBDR is one of its Team  Captain Rolando "Junjun"  Espina. Among  Philippine ultra marathon cognoscenti, his name is familiar.  A  nurse based in  Ireland who took up running 10 years ago to combat hypertension,  Kap Junjun  is the first Filipino runner to finish the Sparthatlon  which is based on the historical run of Pheidippides who ran from Athens to Sparta, a total of 246 kilometers,  before the Battle of Marathon in 490BC. He joined and finished the Sparthatlon in Oct 2016 and his goal was to have the Philippine flag raised in the finish line.  Mission accomplished for  him and all ultra marathoners of the 3 Stars and the Sun felt the pride in the Philippines. Epic accomplishment.

Rolando Espina, the first  Filipino to join and finish the Sparthatlon. 

Thanks to PRG's Rona introduction, the Bicolano Penguin (BP)  was able to interview one of the heads  of EPIC. Here is our brief Q & A:

Bicolano Penguin (BP) :  Why EPIC hosting the International Beer Day Run?  When was EPIC established? How many members does EPIC have?

Rolando Espina (RE):  EPIC was actually asked by PRG if we can host the event, but unfortunately I am busy with preparing for a 100 mile ultra marathon and juggling work as a medical frontliner and family too.But PRG did all the rules and regulations, so I've passed on the message to the group and they were happy about it and the rest is history.  EPIC is a new club and started only this year.  We are Pinoy endurance athletes living in Ireland. So far, we only have 19 members. We'd set guidelines /qualifications for an athlete to become a member. For example, he or she had run a minimum of 100km ultra marathon or a full distance Ironman or 400kms official cycling sportive in order to be qualified. Plus, sub 3 in full marathon or sub 4 in 50kms ultra marathon.  

BP:  What is your favorite beer?  Do you drink before or after the race?

RE:   Guinness is just one of my favorite brands but I prefer Belgian beers.  Yes, I drink the night before any endurance events.        

With a beer before the race, with the Philippine flag after the race. This weekend,  Rolando Espina  finished second overall in the Connemara 100 Miles ultra in the western coast of Ireland.   

Inspiring words backed up by epic  feats. How can a Pinoy runner  not be moved to lace up them running shoes and go head out of the door into the runner-friendly weather of early August?  This is precisely what happened  this weekend.  The BP  decided to register for the IBDR. Logged into the PRG portal (https://portal.pinoyrunners.org/login) and picked out the longest distance available. This is the 42kms, the  full marathon distance. And why not?  Such a choice is merely echoing  the spirit of the San Miguel beer commercial - "Mahaba-habang Inuman". 

But not much running photos this time. Instead, the  BP requested a bunch of running friends and idols in life to send me solo photos of them in communion with a bottle of beer. Some of them are not really  avid beer drinkers but in the spirit of solidarity which the beer innervates  in many of us, they granted the  request.  In addition, we have PRG runners showing both their preference for running and beer. It will inspire the body and sole to rock and run  with the marathon distance. Here is that collection:

Pinoy Runners Global from Guam to Milan celebrating the beers of many nations.  

Fellow row5runners Myla , Belle  and Bem   enjoying their beer. 

Honored to have people I admire share their photos holding a bottle of beer:  Ms. Leah Navarro, my fave  OPM singer & a Patriot; Tony Galon, an environmental advocate  in Cebu who founded the 5-Pcs Daily Habit; and Wilfredo Villanueva, an Atenean  whose articles I follow at the Society of Honor blog.  

As for the BP, I tackled the full marathon distance in the IBDR with the pious countenance akin to the devotion of a beer lover to his favorite pub -  Keeps coming back for more.  Much of the day this Sunday (Aug 9) was raining thanks to  Tropical Storm  "Enteng" lingering in the Luzon area.  But the run must go on and the BP adopted a tactic of intermittent running: when the rain gets strong and heavy, go back first to home base to wait for the rain to subside and then run again.

Soaking and wet, the BP finished the 42kms just before noontime Sunday. Along the way, I celebrated the  birthday of a running buddy in our company by pausing for a minute at the 31-km mark and then stop for 5 minutes  to pray at  the 36-km mark in memory of a recently departed nephew.  Quite a coincidence that during a 42km run celebrating  all that is good about beer I get to pray in loving memory of David who, as I am seeing in tributes to him posted in facebook by his cousins, was a budding beer dilettante. He was not an avid drinker but actually was into beer tasting in the pursuit of knowledge. The symbolism of the beer facebook posts  for him was not lost in me:  the imagery of the bottle of beer  captured the close friendship the cousins  all have  with David as manifested by the good times they all shared with him over a bottle of beer or 2. 

In sharing  tribute to David, his cousins used the beer as a symbol of deep camaraderie.   

42 kms for my International Beer Day Run.  Two 40+ kms in consecutive weekends. Powered by the  spirit bottled in a beer. 

Beer captures the spirit of friendship and camaraderie in this lifetime and the next.  

Mahaba-habang usapan. Mahaba-habang inuman. Mahaba-habang takbuhan.

Epic.