The D Spot

I would like to introduce Joy Rojas, Filipina Runner. She has been running since she was in her early 20s. She would run from Manila to Tagaytay (7 hours), and to so many places in the Philippines. I first met her in August at a sponsored party in CRIBS. She mentioned about the project, Takbong Pangarap, which will finally become a reality in May. We then met again over a quiet meal along Katipunan a few weeks later, and talked more about the Project. Joy was supposed to run with Matt Macabe for the Takbong Pangarap Trans USA 2009, but unfortunately, Matt was not allowed by his doctors because of an open heart surgery he had last year. It will be Joy’s first trip to the USA.

I find running (at least running with Mucci, our golden retriever, in the Quezon Memorial Circle), a good exercise. It is also a bonding time with my kids.

This following is a PRESS RELEASE of The Philippine Online Chronicles, which is internally linked to WikiPilipinas.

On her 44th birthday, May 11, 2009, Joy Rojas will begin a journey like no other. Championing the belief that there’s “no limit to the Filipino spirit,” the ultramarathoner will embark on a cross-country run through the United States of America, making her way from California to New York entirely on foot.

Rojas’ ultramarathon will begin in Eagle Rock, California and continue through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey towards New York City, where Filipinos will welcome her and accompany her to her finish line on Fifth Avenue. No other person from the Philippines has run this course; when Cesar Guarin became the first Filipino to run across America in 1987, he traversed the country from east to west. Quite literally, Rojas will be blazing trails.

She will be rewriting history too. Once Rojas reaches the finish line at the Philippine Consulate in Manhattan on September 8, she will go down in record as the only Southeast Asian woman to have accomplished such a deed. All in all, approximately 182 men and 11 women have run across the world’s fourth largest nation. Only 11 of these people have completed the course solo with a support crew in tow.

Rojas’ endeavor, ambitious and promising as it is, is named Takbong Pangarap. Literally translating into “Dream Run,” the trans-America sprint is not just something Rojas will be doing to push her own limits and exceed herself. A tuberculosis survivor, Rojas will ensure that her run will benefit the Anti-Tuberculosis Program of the Inner Wheel Club of Quezon City District 378 and the Social Services Division of the Philippine Heart Center.

As she makes her way through America, Rojas will also be running to inspire the Filipino-American communities she touches base with along the road. In her interactions, she will share how it is actually possible to achieve impossible dreams if one simply works on it—as she has, and as she will.

She will also be carrying the dreams of others literally on her back. As she goes through the USA, people may pledge PhP5,000 in support of Rojas through PayPal or Western Union services. When they do, Rojas will wear a runner’s bib with their dreams or messages written on it for at least five kilometers. They will also get collectible shirts autographed by Rojas and her trainer and running partner Mat Macabe.

Macabe and project coordinator Chuck Crisanto will accompany Rojas across the USA. Macabe was also supposed to run Takbong Pangarap with Rojas, but had to undergo open-heart surgery in 2008 and can no longer attempt the ultramarathon upon his doctors’ advice. He will now run with Rojas for parts of the route, bike beside her, or man her support vehicle.

Takbong Pangarap is sponsored by Adidas, Smart Communications, Asiana Airlines, HSBC, Rustan’s/Shopwise, Sony Ericsson Philippines, the Manila Peninsula and Sen. Pia Cayetano.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Sponsor or pledge.  Call Buensalido & Associates at 817-4471 or Chuck Crisanto at 0917-898-3621


2. For Pinoys in the US, run a few kilometers with Joy for moral support. According to Chuck, they are hoping that Pinoy runners in New York (calling Mike Mesina and Jud) can accompany Joy in the last 20km of her run. This will be on Sept. 8, around 1 p.m., starting at the foot of George Washington bridge until Joy crosses the finish line at the Philippine Consulate around 3 p.m.  For inquiries, email takbongpangarap@yahoo.com
/>
3. Buy these patriotic Coach shirts.  A portion of the proceeds goes to Takbong Pangarap.  For more info, call Chuck Crisanto at 0917-898-3621 or email him at:  chuckcrisanto@yahoo.com

• Despite Ondoy, despite Haiti, despite Chile...life has to go on (help save Mother Earth)
• Today, I Fell in Love
• Meeting Our Presidentiables: Nicanor Perlas--An alternative to traditional “winnability”
• Leptospirosis Alert: a silent killer on the loose (an information campaign)
• Blog Action Day '09 Climate Change: There is HOPE...if only
• Approval of HR 1109--like a thief in the night, they again robbed the Filipinos of their democratic rights
• POC Presents Takbong Pangarap with Joy Rojas (Bloggers' Meet on 18 April)