Vermosa Green Run 5.0 achieves sustainability goals

On Sunday, June 28, the Vermosa Green Run made a comeback for its fifth year, drawing over 2,000 runners and their dogs to the Vermosa Estates in Imus, Cavite.

Running enthusiasts, run club members, elite runners, fun runners, and the running community in the media all participated in the five-tiered dawn run. The 21K gold medal went to Edgardo Panopio and Lorely Magalona, the 10K gold went to Jomm Lacanilao-Gay and Patrice Quiday, the 5K gold went to John Mark Balogo and Ira Alvaro, the 3K gold went to Jessi Valentine and Danielle Sophia, and the 1K Dog Run went to Moises Calastravo and his dog, Onzi.

As part of the Run, participants were urged to contribute used plastic bottles. Afterwards, these would be given to the Makati Development Corporation (MDC) to be upcycled into eco-bricks, which would help Ayala Land projects build sustainably. 

The runners' dog bandanas, finisher shirts, and singlets were all made completely from recycled PET bottles, converting plastic waste into high-end athletic wear.

"We wanted our runners to experience sustainability both literally and symbolically. This year, we offered a discount for donating used PET bottles, and the community supported this! Celebrating our landmark fifth consecutive year, the energy across our 3K, 5K, 10K, 21K tracks, and 1K Dog Run was unmatched. Seeing families, elite athletes, and pet lovers come together at the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub shows that our community's passion for fitness is deeply intertwined with environmental action. Looking ahead, our goal is to continue scaling this impact. While Vermosa remains our flagship home because of its expansive, nature-forward open spaces, we are constantly exploring deeper corporate and community partnerships. We want to bring more runners into the fold each year, proving that active, high-performance lifestyles can be completely sustainable." ~Lani Tan, General Manager of the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub

By raising vital funds for ecological projects, encouraging sustainable lifestyles, and directly supporting initiatives like tree planting, environmental runs like the Vermosa Green Run help save the planet.

In order to automatically join the Haribon Foundation's Forests for Life Movement, groups of ten are invited to participate in this year's Vermosa Green Run, which encouraged corporate and group registrations. By bringing together people, organizations, and local communities to restore degraded forests using a science-based rainforestation approach focused on planting and nurturing native tree species, the Haribon initiative supports native tree planting and forest restoration projects in partner communities across the country.

"Our partnership with the Haribon Foundation is a cornerstone of why we do this. Over the past few editions, the funds raised have gone directly into Haribon's Adopt-a-Seedling and rainforestation programs. For this milestone 5th edition, we were overwhelmed by registrations where we attracted many groups of 10. That means hundreds of new native trees will be nurtured directly because of our runners’ strides today. Crossing the finish line is fantastic, but knowing your team left a lasting ecological legacy is the real victory." ~Letty Oh-Naňagas, Vermosa Marketing Manager

Beneficiaries of The Green Run at Vermosa 2026 are Haribon Foundation, Takbo Kabitenyo and Pawssion Project as the expression of its advocacy for ecosystem conservation, an active lifestyle and youth sports development, and animal welfare.

Supporters of the fifth edition of the Vermosa Green Run are Oishi, Merrell, Pocari, Salonpas, Booster C, Fitbar, Gatsby, Milo, Apex, Topbreed, Dunsk Kuhner, Baby Boo, Chef Special, Entrée Gourmet Pet Treats, Saint Roche, The Gourmet Specialist, Zert, and Wonderpaw.

Thousands run for a greener, leaner, brighter future

More than 2,500 humans and over 300 dogs of different breeds joined the third edition of The Green Run, the annual multi-category run inside Vermosa, AyalaLand’s 700-hectare modern suburban estate in Imus, Cavite, on Sunday, June 30.

The unprecedented surge of participants in this running event with various distances to suit fitness levels and running purpose reflected the still growing enthusiasm for running and the desire to get involved in meaningful advocacies for a greener, brighter future.

Fun runners, fitness enthusiasts and aspiring marathoners joined elite athletes on the tracks, lacing up for 21K, 10K, 5K, and 3K distances, while fur parents bonded on the trail with their ShihTzus, Poodles, Jack Russels, Huskies, Retrievers, and Aspins in the crowd favorite, the 1.4K Dog Run.

“We are extremely happy and grateful for the overwhelming support and response of runners in this year’s Green Run. More than just bringing fun and promoting healthy living, we are delighted to also give the running community a worthy cause to support. The Green Run’s main mission is to give back to the community by concretizing our commitment to protect the environment, championing young athletes and promoting animal care. This year, we welcomed Takbo Kabitenyo to the growing family of Vermosa. We opened the Ayala Vermosa Sport Hub to youth runners from Cavite who have a strong potential to become national athletes. We are committed to providing them with training support and the use of our state-of-the-art facilities. We look forward to producing athletes who will bring pride to our country in the future while providing them with opportunities to have a better quality of life.” ~Chrissy Roa, AyalaLand Inc. Marketing and Communications Group Head

Aside from Takbo Kabitenyo, the Green Run continued to support the Haribon Foundation this year and added Pawssion Project as a beneficiary to also advocate for animal welfare.

The Green Run 2024 was made possible by its partner brands: Avida Sentria Storeys, Ayala Malls Vermosa, Kremil-S, Diatabs, Merrell, Pocari Sweat, Park Access, Chris Sports, Fitbar, Naturals, Healthway Medical Network, Fuwa Fuwa, Nutrition Depot, Mogu Mogu, Sante Barley and Oishi.