The steady thud of rubber soles against the track, along with the shrill blast of a coach’s whistle, echoes across the oval like a metronome set to “training mode.” The mid-afternoon gloom leans heavy on the bleachers, casting desaturated tones over the lanes where sprinters and casual joggers share space. Sweat beads along my temple, trickling down past the curve of my AirPods before slipping onto my collar. Just ahead of me, Julia’s stride keeps time with the whistle, her ponytail flicking in rhythm as we circle the track together.
This is Philsports Arena on a weekday afternoon, when the national athletes have wrapped up their morning drills and the oval opens its gates to the rest of us. With no fees and just a bit of willpower, you can lace up, fall into pace with strangers, and feel for a moment as if you’re part of something larger than a workout.
In less than an hour, we’ll be cooling down, trading this steady pounding for an iced latte a few blocks away in Estancia, maybe even a sunset stroll beneath the Arc de Emperador in Arcovia City. But for now, it’s just us and the track.
After nearly a year of renovation, the Philsports Arena track oval reopened to the public in early 2025, giving weekend joggers and serious runners alike the chance to run on the same surface used by national athletes. The oval itself has long been part of Pasig’s sporting history, as it was the venue for athletics during the 1991 SEA Games. But the facelift gave the venue a fresh red track, improved lighting, and better seating. Just register with the security before entering and you can now join the late-afternoon crowd circling the lanes, catching the breeze off the Pasig skyline while sharing space with everyone from school teams in uniform to office workers shaking off the day.
Running itself has grown more visible across Metro Manila in recent years, with marathons, fun runs, and weekend joggers filling streets and parks. Here in Pasig, the reopening of the Philsports oval has given locals and visitors alike another place to lace up and join the movement.
As the laps add up and the afternoon light begins to soften, the thought of cooling down becomes irresistible. The good thing about running here is that you don’t have to wander far for a reward. Just a short walk or ride from the oval lies Estancia, a polished mall complex where air-conditioning greets sweat-dampened runners and cafés serve iced lattes like medals at the finish line.
Coffee in hand and energy restored, Julia and I aren’t ready to call it a day just yet. With the track behind us and café break done, we head to Arcovia to stretch out the afternoon with one last stroll.
If Estancia feels like a polished living room with its sleek shops and café corners, then Arcovia City is the statement piece you walk into next. Just a short ride or even a brisk walk away, the development opens up into wide boulevards lined with young trees, dining establishments gearing up for the dinnertime crowd, and at its heart, the Arc de Emperador—a 23-meter neoclassical arch that has become one of Pasig’s newest landmarks.
Built as a nod to European grandeur but reimagined for a mixed-use township, the arch anchors a plaza where people relax, take selfies, and gaze at the skyline stretching toward Ortigas. As the sun dips, its marble-white silhouette glows against the deepening sky, a surprisingly romantic scene for a city better known for traffic jams (or its mayor) than wide boulevards.
Arcovia isn’t just about the photo-op, though. Its open spaces, dotted with dining spots and al fresco setups, invite joggers, bikers, and families to treat it like a weekend park. Coming here after Estancia feels like a natural extension of the day, concluding with a jog under the arch, the city in the background.
As the day winds down, this short run turns out to be a workout, but also a rediscovery of Pasig. The oval may be newly opened to the public, the coffee familiar, and the Arc de Emperador grandly incongruous in Pasig’s cityscape, but together they bring a new dimension into areas of the city I often take for granted.
Modeled by Julia Marie Napoles
Arcovia–Estancia Area, Pasig Running Basics
Timing
- PhilSports Arena is open to the public from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, so plan your visit in the late afternoon or evening. This actually works well if you want to run or walk during cooler hours, then cap the night off with dinner or coffee at Arcovia or Estancia nearby.
Access
- PhilSports Arena and the nearby Arcovia–Estancia area are well-connected by public transport:
- Ride a Pasig-San Joaquin jeep from MRT Shaw, get off at Kapitolyo and walk through Estancia Mall.
- From Pasig City Market, take an SM Megamall-bound UV.
- From Antipolo, take a UV Express to BGC/Ayala via C5, alight at Arcovia City. To get to PhilSports Arena and Estancia, walk via Lanuza–St. Martin.
- From SM North, take an EDSA–PITX bus via C5, which also passes by Arcovia City.
- For private cars or ride-hailing apps, the easiest drop-off points are Arcovia City or Estancia Mall, both just a short walk (or jog) to PhilSports.
Admission
- Entrance to the PhilSports track and field oval is free, but you need to register your name with security before entering.
- The venue is open daily from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.; mornings are reserved exclusively for national athletes.
The Tourist Gaze 