Last summer, I had the opportunity to join a race on the beautiful island of Boracay. I wrote about the experience in the July-September issue of Runner’s World Philippines. Below is my article along with a few extra photos. 🙂

When I’m at the beach, there’s nothing I love more than just lying on the sand. When I’m on vacation mode, the last thing I want to do is get up and run. But on the eve of April 20, I found myself jogging on the soft white sands of Boracay Island. I had signed up for the Skyathon 2012 Boracay Beach Run the next morning and I was trying to figure out whether I’d be able to run in my shoes or if I should just go barefoot. I had never run 10km on sand before so I was feeling a bit nervous and apprehensive.

I was running toward Station 1 when I looked up and saw Willy’s Rock bathed in yellow orange light, while the sky slowly turned shades of pink and deep purple. My breath caught in my throat as I gazed at the majestic sight before me. The Boracay sunset gets me every time—or maybe I was just getting tired! Time to head back and save my energy for the race.

As I turned around and made my way back to the Tides hotel, I saw a different type of light. Establishments along the shoreline emitted colorful flashes from strobes, signaling that it was party time soon. But there would be no partying for me as I had to get up early the next morning for my 10-K. Instead, I settled on a bottle of Banana Rhum shake from Jonah’s after dinner (together with my new friends April, Franc, and Jhe) to cap off the night.

The next morning, about 300 runners gathered at the starting line across Epic beachfront. The sky was just starting to lighten and it seemed like it was going to be a cloudy day. The sea was calm and the waves lapped quietly on the shore. I did a few stretches and took a few pictures while waiting for the race to start.

At about 6am, the starting signal rang and the runners sped off towards Station 1. The 5-K loop went on until the end of Station 1 and back, then moved on to Station 3 before turning back to the finish line at Epic. The 10-K racers would simply have to run the loop twice.

I had decided to wear my shoes during the race but since it was harder to run on dry sand, I opted to run closer to the shore where the sand was harder and more compact. I also decided to just take my time—I was not aiming for a personal best; I simply wanted to relish the sights and enjoy my first race in this island paradise.

The first 3km (1.5km to the end of Station 1 and back near the starting line) went pretty smoothly. There weren’t that many people at the beach yet and there was a relatively wide, clean area near the water where the sand was nice and compact. But as I moved toward Station 3, the shore seemed to slope upward and the hard space between water and dry sand grew narrower. It felt like I was playing a game of tag with the waves, as they moved forward and back, trying to catch my feet. One area was also covered with a carpet of slippery green seaweed. I didn’t want to risk falling on my butt, so I just dug my feet into the soft sandy floor.

On my second loop back towards Station 1, I was getting a bit tired but happy to be on hard sand again. A group of lean, tanned men—all barefoot—in a two-line formation (probably a Dragon Boat team) waved as they ran past me. More people were at the beach now and they gazed curiously at the runners who trickled toward the finish line.

Back at Station 3, the tide seemed to have gotten even higher—and since most runners had the same idea of running on the compact sand near the shore, it was quite difficult to avoid the water. The waves finally won the game of tag and managed to catch my shoes, making them wet. As I ran forward, I noticed barefoot runners on their way back, and felt jealous of their feet skipping on the water.

As I reached the turnaround point on Station 3, I thought, what the heck—I’m taking off my shoes and running the last kilometer barefoot! I didn’t even mind running (or maybe it was more like trudging) on dry sand because I loved feeling the soft, powdery surface beneath my toes. I alternated between run-walking on sand and water until I finally crossed the finish line.

Though it was my slowest 10-K yet (I finished at 1:30), it was definitely one of my most enjoyable runs. I savored every minute of the race, absorbed the sights and sounds, and felt energized by the beauty of the place. And I believe that’s what every runner should strive for once in awhile—to join a race where one can run for the sheer pleasure of it and have fun from start to finish. —A

The best part? Relaxing in the pool after a long hard race!