NAGA CITY – Close to 3,000 devotees of Bicol’s patroness, the Our Lady of Peñafrancia, converged at the Peñafrancia Church’s Plaza de Dovarrubias in Naga City, Camarines Sur early Saturday morning.

But instead donning a church outfit, they were all in sports gear. Some came with their mountain bikes.

Young and old, and even some women and priests, participated in the 6.5-kilometer fun run and fun walk at the city's main streets.

The event kicked off the feast of the tercentenary of the Bicolanos’ devotion to the Lady of Peñafrancia in mid-September.

Close to a hundred also participated in the fun bike through 7 villages of Naga City which ended at the Basilica Minore.

Caceres Archbishop Leonardo Legaspi also took the chance to proclaim again the supposed miraculous healing of his lung cancer just weeks ago.

Ernie Payong, 37, of San Jose, Camarines Sur, championed the fun run while 28-year-old Benjamin Paña of Magarao, Camarines Sur bagged the first place in the fun bike category.

Despite not finishing first place in the fun run, 75-year-old Alejandro Chua was recognized in the event for being the oldest participant.

Organizers said the day’s sports events were manifestations that being a devotee of Ina – as the Lady of Peñafrancia is called by the locals – does not only mean being a prayerful Catholic.

At the end of the awarding ceremony, the tercentenary doodle wall of ABS-CBN Bicol was also inaugurated. The ABS-CBN Regional Network Group is a major partner of the tercentenary celebrations.

Kapamilyas in Bicol as well as devotees wrote on it their petitions, prayers and thoughts for Ina.

Later in the day, army and Air Force personnel with local environment groups and village people cleaned up the Bicol River and its banks where the yearly fluvial procession of the Lady's image was held to end the festivities.