Fair Play: What's in a name? A lot!

WHEN I read about the First Cebu Fun Run, I suspected something bad was going to happen in that event.

Call it instinct or what, but I�ve learned not to trust any organizer who tries to stretch the imagination with the names of their events.



The Pilipinas 25K Marathon comes to mind, which, by some accounts, was also faced with logistics problems and the last time I met one of the organizers, he was badmouthing his co-organizers.

When I read about the First Cebu Fun Run, my first question was, �Who are they trying to fool?�

The First Cebu Fun Run? Certainly not! Not by any criteria you use. I don�t think there�s any event�nor any organizer for that matter�that can lay claim to being the �First Cebu Fun Run.�

And last Sunday, the First Cebu Fun Run that wasn�t the first Cebu fun run turned out to be no fun at all for the winners.

And, unfortunately for the Cebu running community, a Kenyan won it and he got close to nothing for his efforts. So upset was the Kenyan that he refused to talk to sportswriters after his win. But I can anticipate what he will be saying to his fellow Kenyans.

�Crazy people these Cebuano organizers, they promised P6,000 and gave me P500! I tell you, don�t run in Cebu!�

Heck, if it happened to me, I would have probably run away with one of their giant speakers�if they had it, if not, I�ll steal the tires of the organizers� cars�and hold it for ransom!

Yep, the First Cebu Fun Run was a real blackeye for the Cebu running community, which has earned a lot of positive reviews for its excellent races.

Something in the event�s name tells me the organizers are just riding the running fad and didn�t know what they got into.

Their explanation for their failure to give out the cash prizes they promised�only 700 registered and they expected 2,000�also points that out.

Did they count their chickens�P300,000 at P300 per head�before they hatched?

I can only imagine the headache of the organizers when the runners didn�t sign up.

But it was of their own doing.

I�m no organizer and though I�ve covered a few runs I don�t consider myself an expert.

But even I know that if you say you will give out P20,000 in prizes, you have to have P20,000 in your pocket. You don�t pray that you�d get P20,000 in registration fees.

I hope the First Cebu Fun Run will serve as a lesson to the running community�for organizers to deliver what they promise and for runners to choose which events to join, more carefully.

TENNIS. One participant in the C. Lhuillier tennis circuit wasn�t too happy when his picture appeared in the paper the other day.

�Nag file kasi sya ng sick leave that day,� April T told me yesterday. �Ayan, nabisto tuloy.�

Oops. By the way, today is the final day and if you�re a tennis fan, you should be at the Baseline court. Finals will start at 3 p.m.