OUT FOR A NIGHT TIME RUN: ENERGIZER NIGHT RACE FOR SAFE AND ECO-FRIENDLY LIGHTS

Variety is the spice of life, and the same is true for runners, who also like to mix things up in regard to their routine and their training. This need for variation extends all the way to the events and competitions in which runners participate.

To satisfy different quirks and fancies, event organizers have explored a multitude of ways to keep the running community on their toes. This includes running competitions with added obstacles, on off-road tracks and, most recently, holding races at night.

Competitive racing in the dead of night certainly adds a different dimension to the running experience. Being enveloped by darkness requires runners to be more sensitive to the slightest conditions on the road, demanding complete focus and undivided attention. Preparations in the run-up to competition also vary. Training regimen, as well as prep time, tend to differ, too, which only adds to the challenge.

Local runners have already had the pleasure of trying out night races through different competitions already hosted here in the Philippines. This night race craze, however, started in 2011 with one event, the Energizer Night Race.

That race was part of Energizer’s bigger initiative called the “Energizer Night Race for a Brighter World”, a series of nighttime running events held around the world including countries in Africa, Europe, North and South America, and throughout Asia. Over 75,000 participants joined the more than 30 Energizer Night Races held in 20 countries across the globe.

The magnitude of the event’s success, transcended more than mere numbers. This global night race has served as an effective vehicle in raising awareness of the world’s need for safe, clean, and affordable solar lighting. “It’s hard to believe that in this day and age that there are still around 1.3 billion people deprived of electricity and clean lighting,” says Energizer’s Brand Manager, Joan Mendoza. “This event is just one way in which Energizer can bring this issue forth and be addressed for the benefit of less fortunate communities all over the world.”

Running at night guided only by Energizer LED Headlamps, runners get a sense of how important light is. Usually taken for granted in developed areas, light and clean energy are extremely valuable in off-the-grid communities. They dictate a child’s capacity to learn, an adult’s ability to work, and the community’s maximum functionality. They also help promote personal health and the environment by lessening carbon emissions made by alternative light sources such as candles, kerosene lamps, and firewood.

The need for efficient and eco-friendly lighting has led Energizer to partner with One Million Lights (OML), a nonprofit organization that shares the same goal of providing rural communities around the world with the gift of light. Since 2011, Energizer and OML have donated 23 million hours’ worth of light through Energizer Solar-Powered LED flashlights and lamps to different remote communities in Latin America, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Philippines.

Energizer’s efforts to put the issue of light and energy in perspective are part of their “That’s Positivenergy™” campaign that serves as the company’s platform to show its commitment to performance and responsibility. This means providing consumers with durable and energy efficient products for everyday needs.

Running has been an effective way of gathering the public’s support for worthy causes, from community health and fitness to environmental advocacies. By immersing runners in the kind of situations individuals in remote, off-the-grid communities go through, the company hopes participants look beyond the event and appreciate and support what it stands for.

To alleviate the lack of energy and light in far-flung communities, Energizer again strengthens its drive by calling out running and fitness enthusiasts to join in the cause by participating in this year’s Energizer Night Race Manila. The race will be held on May 4, 2013 at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig with the help of partners GMA Network and Schick.

Registration is on-going until April 30, 2013 at BROOKS SM North EDSA, RUNNR Bonifacio High Street, and Toby’s Sports EDSA Shangri-la, Glorietta, and SM Mall of Asia. For more information about the race, visit www.energizerglobalnightrace.com.