Rizal runner relishes return of local marathon

MANILA, Philippines – With the return of local marathon events after three years, runners like James Kevin Cruz made sure not to miss out. 

And Cruz even opted to push himself to the limit as he took a crack at the full 42-kilometer experience in the recent Manila leg of the MILO Marathon at the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay.

“I grabbed the opportunity and asked for help from my friend to give me a training program for this,” Cruz, who hails from Montalban, Rizal, said in Filipino. 

Impressively, Cruz ruled the most grueling category, clocking 2 hours and 31.58 minutes – about three minutes better than the second-placer.

“I prepared for this,” said Cruz. 

It was his third time to join the country’s biggest marathon event, albeit over shorter distances, recalling that he couldn’t place in the top three due to lack of training.

But during the pandemic, when all running events were shelved, Cruz still decided to stay active. 

“I made sure that my fitness was still there, like continuous jogs,” he said. “When things became more open, I started to train really hard. I also got funds to train for marathons.”

Cruz was just one of the 12,000 runners in the 44th edition of the marathon, the first in over three years.

The marathon staged the 3K, 5K, 10K, 21K, and 42K race categories, and for the first time, introduced a virtual division that registered more than 2,000 participants, said MILO sports head Carlo Sampan.

“We had many participants from outside Manila, even outside the country that joined us, and we plan to hold the next leg in Batangas City on May 28,” said Sampan.

Unlike previous years, though, many national athletes didn’t get to join as they’re in the middle of preparations for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia this May.

Also promoted in the marathon were other sports in line with the company’s Active Pilipinas campaign launched in January.

“We have to move with the times, so we thought of influencing the Filipino families that from couch to court we see the effect of sports, that’s why we held sports clinics like taekwondo, and basketball because the social aspect of the sport is a big help in holistic development,” said Sampan. – Rappler.com