A new virus has plagued Cebu. Forget H1N1 flu or Dengue fever. This strain has afflicted thousands, not only in Cebu but the rest of the world. This epidemic is so infectious that even people from other countries have come to Cebu to catch this virus even more.

You would know if a person has this virus. Among the symptoms include wearing New Balance shoes or lacing Adidas soles, sporting Garmin GPS watches or perhaps a Suunto heart rate monitor, wearing lightweight shorts and shirt and a pounding heart rate of 174 ticks per 60 beats with puffing breaths and sweat dripping all over their bodies.

Yes! This virus is the healthy and invigorating activity called running. And Cebu has caught the fever. In fact, Cebu City started the New Year with a big race.

The biggest marathon that Cebu City has ever hosted was set for January 10, 2010. The starting gun broke the silence of dawn on this beautiful Sunday. The Cebu City Marathon featured three distances: the 5K run, the 21K race, and the full 42K event.

Assembly time for the 5K run was set at 5:00 a.m. Starting time was scheduled at 5:30 a.m. With regards to the 21K race, runners are assembled at 4:30, with race time set at 5:10 a.m. Lastly, the 42K run was scheduled way ahead of the other races, accommodating the time needed for the runners to finish the run. Accordingly, the 42K runners assembled as early as 3:30 in the morning. The race started at 4:00 a.m.

And just like any other big marathon event, nationals from other countries have also joined the race. Kenyans, in particular, posed as a huge challenge for the local runners. Simon Losiaboi and his compatriots Willy Tanui, David Kipsang and Kimber Keberes were among the Kenyans set to invade the Cebu streets.

The support and assistance of the Cebu City Government has been very valuable. Aside from closing the major roads for the safety of the runners, policemen and traffic personnel were deployed to ensure the smooth and orderly flow of the race.