MANILA, Philippines?When the opportunity to represent the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) in the opening ceremony of the 94k Clark to Subic highway came along, what choice did I have but to take that torch and run?

I became part of this mega production when PDI was asked to provide a "celebrity runner." It would be a stretch to say I fit in the term "celeb" but in Manila, this is a loosely interpreted phrase. Suffice it to say I was "celeb enough" for the organizers who must have read the articles calling me a "marathoner."

Which prompted me to ask if the other people in the relay were also runners as opposed to "walkers." After all, 1k is really a stroll distance. My "media handler" said the other participants were "serious runners." So I presumed they wanted to make good time on the relay so I psyched myself up to blast through my 1k in true race pace fashion.

I was texted, e-mailed and faxed a map of where the assembly would be. I arrived at Clark OMNI at 3 p.m. for registration and got an opportunity to hang out in the BMW tent. This served as the "green room" (backstage area) where VIPS cooled their heels while waiting to get onstage. The cars/bikes were nice enough but the real highlight was their air-conditioned bathrooms with running water. The temperature outside hovered between 100 to 102 degrees.

I was assigned km 49 and was tasked to be there by 5:20 p.m. While waiting, I scoped out my fellow runners. Km 48 was supposedly the project manager who had built the highway and had his entourage of engineers in tow. Km 50 was Mr. Hiroshi who was accompanied by several vehicles filled with men in white uniforms. My crew consisted of my driver, the PDI marketing team and a guy who spoke no English riding in a car by himself. We figured he was in the wrong kilometer.

At 6:30 p.m., an advance motorcycle cop and PDI photographer Edwin Bacasmas showed up with news that the motorcade/cavalcade was 10 minutes away. I was given instructions to take time to pose for cameras when the torch was handed over. After all, this was a ceremonial event-- not a race.

As the torch was handed over to me, I was left to do my thing. I ran like the wind blowing into the sunset en route to km 50 on a lovely stretch of freshly laid asphalt while listening to U2's classic, "Where the Streets Have No Name", on my iPod.

I actually enjoyed the moment despite the heavy torch (which supposedly weighed less then 5 lbs but felt more like 20 lbs 200 meters into the run). I was surprised out of my reverie when photographers flashed me a sign that said, "Slow down!" They were right. I should have slowed down. This was no ordinary run but a "life moment." Moreover, this was probably the only relay race that I would get to run without anyone chasing me down so I ought to savor it. A couple of days later, my "slow down" moment was published nationwide for all to see.

(Leica Carpo, Sunday Inquirer Magazine publisher and "marathoner," is a member of POLO TRI team. She has been running since Sept 2007, has completed the Honolulu and Pasig marathons, and plans to join New York ING later this year.)