Last Sunday, at least 8,000 runners converged at the Ayala Triangle to participate in Angat Buhay Foundation’s Angat Bayanihan Run.

Yes, it was a fun run, but it was obvious what the highlight of the event was — Naga Mayor Leni Robredo. I do not consider myself a kakampink and only attended primarily to support my running group, WeKenRun, which organized the race for Angat Buhay.

I ran 10 kilometers of what was a very pleasant route inside the Makati CBD, out to the end of the Kalayaan flyover and back. But the atmosphere was palpably filled with a different kind of anticipation. As the program progressed after the race and the hosts hinted that the guest of honor had arrived, there was an immediate surge of energy among the crowd.

When the host began making the introduction, one could hear a collective gasp among the wide-eyed runners of all ages, donning a very daintily designed white and pink dry knit shirt. When Mayor Leni stepped up onstage, there was jubilation. Repeated chants of “Tatakbo na yan! Tatakbo na yan!” could be heard across the Triangle.

What struck me was how unforced it all was. There was no soundbite, no rehearsed applause line — just a woman thanking volunteers and explaining, plainly, where the help was still needed. Robredo, who chairs Angat Buhay, used the moment onstage to announce that the fundraising initiative would soon expand beyond Metro Manila. Her humility was evident in how she deflected the attention back to the volunteers still doing the actual work, noting that donations from the run help sustain teams still active in areas hit by recent earthquakes in General Santos City, Davao, and Sarangani province — a reminder that Angat Bayanihan is not a one-day photo op but an ongoing relief operation.

In an arena where invective-spewing politicians have become trendy, her calm demeanor was, frankly, comforting.

Lest this column become political — my real takeaway from the event is that running events can be a genuine force for good. Runners are an untapped audience for advocacies of all kinds. I am not saying the race was politically motivated — Angat Buhay has plenty of legitimate ongoing projects, from disaster relief to community livelihood programs, that the proceeds go toward. But why shouldn’t runners be tapped for causes? Why shouldn’t races carry a purpose beyond finisher medals and PRs?

This race also made very clear how potent “Leni power” still is. Registration slots sold out in an unprecedented fifteen minutes — organizers had to open additional slots because of the clamor, and even those went quickly.

The next legs are already scheduled: Naga City on 16 August, Iloilo on 18 October, and General Santos City on 29 November — with organizers targeting ten provincial editions by next year. We runners certainly don’t mind paying for race registration, especially when we know exactly where our money is going.

I watched Mayor Leni onstage, unhurried, unbothered by the noise of the chants, and I thought about how rare that has become. We keep saying we want competence and quiet integrity in our leaders, and then we’re surprised when 8,000 runners show up before sunrise just to catch a glimpse of someone who embodies exactly that.

No, she did not run last Sunday. But given the other options we have, she definitely should be running — in 2028.