In time for the 75th Year Anniversary of the Bataan Death March, the Philippine Veterans Bank, together with its partners, once again revisits history by organizing a couple of events to be held in honor of the country’s World War II heroes – the 4th installment of the marathon Bataan Freedom Run, and a new event for running and biking enthusiasts dubbed the Mariveles-San Fernando-Capas Freedom Trail.
Slated on April 2, the Bataan Freedom Run will feature a 42-kilometer full marathon, a 21-kilometer half-marathon as well as 10-kilometers, 5-kilometers, and 1-kilometer courses for running aficionados, kids, and pets. As in previous years, the BFR follows the route of the Bataan Death March and will start at Kilometer Zero in Mariveles, Bataan.
On the other hand, the Freedom Trail will feature a punishing 160-kilometer run with individual and team relay categories for marathoners as well as similar-distanced bike run. The new event will be held from April 10 – 11and will cover the Death March route from Mariveles, Bataan to Capas, Tarlac.
“Once again, Philippine Veterans Bank, together with our partners, is putting a segment of our nation’s history into the forefront of our national consciousness with the Bataan Freedom Run and the Freedom Trail,” said PVB Chairman Dr. Roberto F. de Ocampo, OBE. “These events are not only challenging physically but also mentally to the runners and bikers but they are doing this to honor the World War II veterans who endured and made the ultimate sacrifice during the Death March seventy-five years ago.”
The 75th Anniversary of the Bataan Death March will be celebrated worldwide and the twin events are PVB’s contribution to the worldwide remembrance of this infamous chapter in WWII history.
Since 2014, the Philippine Veterans Bank, its partners, and the Provincial Government of Bataan as well as the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) have held the Bataan Freedom Run in honor of WWII veterans who endured the death march in 1942. With the new Freedom Trail event this year, organizers expect to bring together an estimated 5,000 participants apart from local spectators, mostly from Bataan, Pampanga and Tarlac, and in Manila, as well as descendants of the Death March survivors here and abroad.
The Bataan Freedom Run, organized by Without Limits, is presented by the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) in partnership with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), Provincial Government of Bataan and Bataan Tourism Council, the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan and the Freeport Area of Bataan Investor Locator Association (FABILA), History Channel Asia, ANC News Channel, and WhenInManila.Com. Proceeds from the Bataan Freedom Run will be used for the maintenance of Death March markers located in Bataan province.
On the other hand, the Mariveles-San Fernando-Capas Freedom Trail, also presented by PVB and organized by Without Limits, is also in partnership with PVAO, Capas Freedom March, Automobile Association
To register and find out more about the Bataan Freedom Run and the Mariveles-San Fernando-Capas Freedom Trail, visit http://www.withoutlimits.ph/