Cebuana runner makes silver splash in SEA Games debut

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Mary Joy Tabal has made more than a few supporters back home in Cebu proud after clinching a silver medal in the women’s marathon event at the ongoing Southeast Asian Games in Singapore on Sunday, June 7.

Faced with heavy rains and strong winds, Tabal clocked three hours, four minutes and 39 seconds – a minute and 14 seconds behind gold medalist Thanaronnawat Natthaya of Thailand. The bronze was brought home by Vietnam’s Hoang Thi Thanh. 

“Walai kabutangan sa kalipay namu…Blessed kaau me ni coach [John Philip Duenas],” Tabal, a native of the Cebu City barangay of Guba, tells Rappler in Cebuano.  

“Wala jud me pasagdae sa Ginoo. Gina guide jud me niya permi. Ako jud gesiguro for us ni Philip para ang mga doubts bitaw mawala, and ma prove namu ba na worth it amu training, worth it jud iya training program worth it to sacrifice races, worth all the pain and sacrifices jud. Mao jud ni biggest dream ni coach Philip, ang SEA Games and lipay kaau siya na I got this medal.” 

(There isn’t enough space for my happiness. Me and coach [John Philip Duenas] are so blessed. God has not forsaken us. He has always guided us. I made sure to get a medal for us both to erase all doubts and so we could also prove that our training was worth it. His training program was worth to sacrifice races, it was worth all the pain and sacrifices. 

“This is his biggest dream, the SEA Games, and he is so happy that I got this medal.)

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Tabal, a first-timer at the biennial event, had dreamed of appearing at the SEA Games after having already won numerous titles from national and international events. 

She was made a part of the Philippine Team in December, but it wasn’t until last month that she was given an allowance for training. With so much at stake, Tabal and Duenas began training immediately after Tabal took part in the LA Marathon last March as the reigning Milo Marathon queen. 

Duenas came up with a training program for Tabal specifically for the SEA Games with the help of accomplished marathoner Dick Beardsley.

“I wasn’t really confident of Joy’s chances to make podium in this event because based on their rankings with her opponents’ times, she is at fourth. And their times are so close, they are just separated by seconds and a minute,” said Duenas.

The game plan was for Tabal to stick to the lead pack for a chance at a medal. She did just that, even if the pace was slower than her usual. 

“Coach Duenas told me that in an event like this, you cannot expect to put out a good time because the target would be on the medal. Because it is my first time in the SEAG and also first time to compete against these runners, I just followed their lead and stayed with their pace, although it was really slow,” Tabal said.

Duenas said that it got too slow because they were minding each other and none of them decided to break away.

The weather conditions didn’t help matters.

Tabal also said that she and the others got lost because there was a part of the race route that was dark and there were no marshals and cones and the roads were confusing.

She didn’t dare breakaway however, because they were still far from the finish line and she needed to make sure she could make podium.

“The pace got too slow after 21 kilometers and I was thinking it would take us three hours to finish the race, but I saw Poliquit (Rafael) lying in the 15-km mark so I reminded myself to stay with the pack because what happened to him might happen to me,” said Tabal.

“I needed to control myself and I told myself that I would only breakaway after 30-km because that was also what coach Philip advised me. He told me to stay with the pack and only break away from them at 30-km and run at my own pace.”

Tabal was inspired to stick with the plan after witnessing compatriot Eduardo Buenavista lead the men’s marathon. However, she started doubting her plan when she no longer saw Buenavista in the lead in the last 10-km of the race.

“Seeing him (Buenavista) no longer in the lead, I started having second thoughts about breaking away in the last 10-km. I told myself that maybe misfortune would strike and none of us would be able to get a medal so I decided to stay with the pack to make sure that I make podium,” said Tabal. 

There were still five of them in the pack before Myanmar dropped out from the pack, leaving just four –Tabal, Natthaya and the two Vietnamese runners pacing each other.

“Since there were still four of us, I was thinking one of us should still drop from the pack so upon entering the final 10-km, the route became a bit of downhill so I started picking up pace. The runner from Thailand took my lead and we started pacing each other and we were able to leave the two Vietnamese runners behind,” Tabal said.

However, with just seven kilometers left, Tabal said that she and Natthaya started slowing down and they continued pacing each other. Finally, Tabal started feeling dizzy with just three kilometers left and she thought she was about to collapse, allowing Natthaya to take a 50-meter lead.

Tabal said Duenas was there in the last 2-km, shouting to stay close to Natthaya because the game plan was falling apart. All Tabal could think of was how her own physical condition was falling apart. 

That’s when her inner monologue made a timely appearance: “Joy, gold is super attainable, your first SEAG is so nice because you got gold.”

But a part of her was also thinking: “You are already sure to get a silver. If you push yourself you might collapse, and then you will lose the silver.”

Tabal opted to play it safe and finish the race, earning the silver.

While Duenas would’ve preferred that Tabal sell-out for gold, he is more than satisfied with the silver. Tabal’s goal was more modest, aiming only for a bronze.

A day before the race and even a few minutes before the start, Tabal said she was so nervous but excited at the same time.

“I really wanted to challenge them so I was really excited but I was nervous because I also wanted to finish strong and make our country proud,” Tabal said.

Duenas said that if given another chance in two years time, a finish one spot higher is more than possible.” – Rappler.com