The first-ever Pokémon Run in the Philippines, which saw an overwhelming response during registration, officially kicked off on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Complex, with 10,000 trainers (Pokémon fans) battling toward the finish line.
“I’m really happy that there are a lot of people that came to this event and we’re really glad and happy,” said The Pokémon Company Asia Business Development Corporate Officer Susumu Fukunaga, through a translator.
Fukunaga added the company will enter into more partnerships in the Philippines because of the very nice reception to the event. He assured participants that more people will be accommodated in the next Pokémon Run.
The momentous event started with a warm-up exercise before runners waited for gunstarts for their categories. The run had 1K, 3K, 5K and 10K events.
“We are very, very thankful kasi successful ‘yung event, walang major issues, and I think ‘yung pinakaimportante sa lahat ay nag-enjoy lahat nung runners, actually, nag-stay sila [sa awarding ceremony dahil] very rare na majority of our participants stayed during the awarding, and I think that gives us more motivation to create more amazing races for them,” Runrio Inc. president and CEO Coach Rio Dela Cruz said.
“Masaya po kasi nakapaglaro ako sa fun run na po ‘to na tungkol sa Pokémon po kasi matagal na po akong fan ng Pokémon po since elementary,” said Joseph Fontamillas, the first-place finisher in the male division of the 1K event.
He said the event was the intersection of his love for running and for Pokémon Go, an augmented reality (AR) mobile game.
Among the runners in the 10K category was 29-year-old Angel John Nolasco, a Pokémon fan with two years of running experience.
While many in the crowd cosplayed either Pikachu or Ash, he dressed uniquely in the event by dresing as Rayquaza, a dual-type Dragon/Flying Legendary Pokémon.
Some fans at the event were first-time runners, including Camille Biglang-awa, who plans to join more fun runs in the future.
The run also featured a raffle that offered runners the opportunity to win significant prizes, including brand-new digital cameras and two round-trip tickets to Japan.
Overall, the venue was bustling with various sponsor booths and featured standees of Pokémon characters. The participants had the exciting opportunity to encounter Pikachu, the iconic Pokémon character.
Participants received Pokémon-inspired merch — a playmat for cards, a TCG fun pack, and race shirt. A Pokémon-themed finisher’s medal was also awarded to those who finished the run within the precribed time.
Meanwhile, Pokémon Fun Day will continue in SM North EDSA in Quezon City until February 13, 2025. Then, it will tour SM branches in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Iloilo, and Davao until October this year.
