To the uninitiated, waking up early on a Sunday morning, driving for almost an hour to reach the starting line of a fun run and then sweat for close to two hours finishing that fun run sounds like a crazy idea.
Which is exactly what more than a dozen members of First Balfour Marathon Club (FBMC) members, including the Bicolano Penguin (BP), did last Aug 25.
Alas, the FBMC runners were not alone in this perplexing risibility. 510 runners were gathered along the corner of Laguna Blvd and United Blvd inside Greenfield City located in Sta. Rosa City as the clock showed 4:30am. All were registered participants to a fun run called "Run Jake Run."
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| Route map of the Run Jake Run |
Imagine that. Hundreds of individuals all doing the same "crazy" thing. Why the craziness? Two words. Natural High.
Say what? Yup. You read it right. The attraction of fun runs like the Run Jake Run is the quest for getting high, Of the natural kind, naturally.
What is a natural high? It is actually recognized by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the scientific community as a real phenomenon. A natural high is an activity that has the ability to boost feel-good natural chemicals in your brain known as endorphins without the use of drugs. Natural highs are intense. elated experiences that offer healthy choices as compared to a drug induced high. Natural high is a very positive experience for an individual while a drug induced high is a very negative and illegal experience.
People have the ability to exprience natural highs. They occur because the brain releases chemicals called endorphins. The name "endorphin" is actually a combination of the words "endogenous," meaning coming from the body, and "morphine" which is a strong opiod medication commonly used to treat pain. Hence, together they the word meaning morphine from the body.
How does one achieve natural high? Mental health groups list many ways to get high without drugs. One such listing includes the following: 1. Mindful Awareness; 2. Regular Exercise; 3. Flow State; 4. Social Connection; 5. Doing Good; 6. Interact with a Pet; 7. Gardening; 8. Travel; 9. Physical Intimacy; 10. Dark Chocolate with Green Tea: 11. Clean your Home; 12. Enjoy a Hobby; 13. Stretch your Intellect; 14. Try something New; 15. Laugh.
For a fun run like Run Jake Run, there are at least 2 items present from the said list. Item 2 and item 5. Regular exercise (Item 2) or what we call "Runner's High", and doing good (Item 5) or what we call "Helper's High."
Running a fun run, be it a 3km or a 10km, will definitely give us a Runner's High. This is how the world-renowned John Hopkins Medicine breaks down the phenomenon of runner's high:
"When you start out on your run, your body goes through a transition: Your breathing may become heavy, and you might notice your pulse quicken as the heart pumps harder to move oxygenated blood to your muscles and brain. As you hit your stride, your body releases hormones called endorphines. Popular culture identifies these as the chemicals behind "runner's high," a short-lasting, deeply euphoric state following intense exercise. Or is it...And though endorphins help prevent muslces from feeling pain, it is unlikely that endorphins in the blood contribute to a euphoric feeling, or any mood change at all. Research shows that endorphins do not pass the blood-brain barrier. That relaxed post-run feeling may instead be due to endocannabinoids - biochemical substances similar to cannabis but naturally produced by the body. Exercise increases the levels of endocannabinoids in the bloodstream. Unlike endorphins, endocannabinoids can move easily through the cellular barrier separating the bloodstream from the brain, where these mood-improving neuromodulators promote short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anziety and feelings of calm."
Endorpins or endocannabinoids. one thing we know. Runners swear feeling a certain kind of high after a run. And as we will read later, so do the runners in the Run Jake Run.
A similar animal to the Runner's High is the Helper's High. The concept of "helper's high" arose in the 1980s, and has been confirmed in various studies since then (one recent study that comes to mind is the one conducted by Michael Norton of Harvard Business School with colleagues Elizabeth Dunn and Lara Aknin of the University of British Columbia. Together they showed that people are happier when they spend money on others versus on themselves). Helper's high consists of positive emotions following selfless service to others. Greater health and increase longevity are associated with this psychological state.
Definitely, the hundreds of runners who registered (reg fees ranging from Php 300 to Php 750) for the Run Jake Run experienced helper's high. And what is the altruistic cause that Run Jake Run supports? Allow us to quote from the truthful words of the Race Director - Joel Sabile from his Facebook post dated Jul 4:
"100% of the proceeds will be donated to Mr. Jake Nellas. A fellow marathoner/ultramarathoner and indigenous people advocate. He was a victim of a vehicular accident last May 29, 2024 without any compensation received from the suspect. He is currently in rehab and medication and probably will last up to 1 year with a total hospitalization expenses borrowed."
The BP has known RD Joel Sabile for many years already. He is an altruistic person. Together with his Tribong Malasakit, the RD regularly organizes fun runs to raise funds for outreach activities benefiting a number of indigeneous tribes in Central Luzon and Southern Luzon. Back in January 2016, Joel organized an ultramarathon event to raise funds for a young and upcoming ultramarathoner Rogel Anajao who was hit by a vehicle along C5 in Taguig City while he was participating in the 2015 UP Diliman to UP Los Banos Ultramarathon (80 kms). Now this August 2024, RD Joel Sabile is again organizing a fundraising fun run event, this time for Jake "Gerkint" Nellas a fellow member of Tribong Malasakit who was hit by a vehcle along Greenfield Parkway Road approaching Eton City in Sta. Rosa while he was on an early morning training run.
Before the start of the actual run, the Run Jake Run organizers officially handed over the money to the fun run beneficiary. As it turns out, Run Jake Run provided the cash to Jake Nellas and two more beneficiaries: Jason Rodriguez (a public school teacher who had his foot amputated due to diabetes) and the Labas Elementary School (brigada eskwela).
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| Organizers handing over the funds to the beneficiaries of the Run Jake Run. From left to right: Joel Sabile, Jason Rodriguez, Jheaboy Sesgundo, Nina Camposagrado, Anna Nellas, Jake Nellas, Josephine Sabile, Randy Morales, and Vicente de Lima (BP). |
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Truly, it was such an inspiring feeling to witness altruism at work in the local running community. No doubt, such good deeds inspired the Run Jake Run participants to have a vigorous fun run that Aug 25 morning. And why not? All the runners experienced a double dose of natural high: Runner's High and Helper's High.
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| First Balfour Marathon Club runners who joined the Run Jake Run. From Left to Right: Leonard Buela, Zedrick Del Rosario, Shayne Paypa, Rose Dalawampu, Nikki Manlapaz-Roque, Lily Santamaria, Libby Ilagan, Alice Monfero, Kent Gable, BP, Eralix Carbonel, Michael Banta, Jaryl Cruz and CJ Ortego. |
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| The organizers presented Certificates of Appreciation to the participating companies and running clubs like the First Balfour Marathon Club. |
But don't take my word for it. Here are the responses by a quartet of FBMC members when inquired on the question - How do you feel joining a worthwhile fun run like Run Jake Run?
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| Nikki |
Nikki Manlapaz-Roque (Bib# 10104): I feel blessed that my running capabilities can be beneficial to another person in the form of a fundraising event.
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| Leonard |
Leonard Buela (Bib# 10107): I have always believed runners are a different breed. Only runners understand fellow-runners, be it in seeminly trivial social media posts about running, or willingly "suffer", pay good money and wake up at wee hours of the day when the world is still sleeping, just to train or join races. Joining a fun run to support a cause bigger than ourselves has always been a welcome event for me. Much more so if it is for a fellow runner in need. It gives priceless meaning to why I run.
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| Jaryl |
Jaryl Cruz (Bib# 10101): I have been joining fun runs for more than a year now but this is the first time I have joined one that is for a good cause. It was definitely very fulfilling to do something I enjoyed knowing that it benefitted not only me but also contributed to the recovery and well-being of others.
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| CJ |
CJ Ortego (Bib# 10102): If I were to sum up my experience on Aug 25, I would say that being part of such a meaningful cause, while engaging in physical activity alongside the community and fellow club members, was truly uplifting. Participating in Run Jake Run provided a more rewarding feeling that any other fun run event I've attended. It was both an honor and blessing to be part of such an event that not only promotes health and wellness but also brings people together to support someone in need and a cause greater that themselves. I look forward to more opportunities like this, where we can make a positve impact.
Very positive the response from the FBMC runners. And in addition, the answers from other runners to the same question were incontrovertibly favorable to the notion that indeed the Run Jake Run did a lot of good.
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| Derby |
Derby Canta (Bib# 50007): Well it's so wonderful feeling to lend a helping hand for a cause. The event is also very nice and amazing. It is well organized, very safe to run for fun, meet new friends and re unite with friends.
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| Sangre Pia Runner (in yellow) with running friends before start of Run Jake Run |
Sangre Pia Runner (Bib# 50002): Ang masasabi ko po...Ang simpleng pagtakbo malayo man o malapit, malaki man o maliit na bagay. Sa mga ganitong fun run like Run Jake Run...Sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam na tumatakbo ka lang pero nakakatulong ka sa simpleng bagay at the same time na napapaisip ka na napaka swerte pa rin natin dahil may dalawang paa at buo ang ating katawan na siyang nagsisilbi kung bakit nagagawa pa rin natin ang mga bagay bagay. Nang makita ko po personal si idol Jake..naging emotional ang aking pakiramdam lalo na ng binibigay ang tulong financial para sa patuloy nag pagbilis ng recovery niya..Hindi ko po ikakaila na tumolo talaga ang luha ko..Na feel ko bawat hirap, tyaga at lalo na ang pagmamalasakit sa kapwa pagkakaisa...pagsasama sama para sa pagtulong sa kapwa. At nagpapasalamat po ako talaga sa lahat ng bumubuo ng Tribong Malasakit na walang sawang tumotulong sa mga lumalapit sa kanila at nangangailangan ng tulong. Mula po sa aking kaibuturan ng puso. Maraming maraming salamat po. God bless!
Well-said all. At least, we can be doubly sure that the Run Jake Run participants and its organizers led by RD Joel Sabile do not have the worst kind of heart trouble as what the great comedian Bob Hope said in this famous line:
"If you haven't got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."
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