33rd National Milo Marathon Cebu leg this AM: Thousands of runners to flood City streets

CEBU, Philippines - It’s a make or break situation for the Cebuano runners as they compete not only for the top three spots but also for the cut-off time to qualify for the grand finals in the Cebu leg of the 33rd National Milo Marathon early this morning starting at the Cebu Normal University grounds and ending at the Cebu City Sports Center.

Unlike in the previous editions wherein the top three runners in both men and women’s divisions automatically advance into the national championships, the organizers this time have set qualifying times of one hour and 15 minutes for the male runners and one hour and 35 minutes for the female entries.

This means that only those who will make the cut will enjoy an all-expense paid trip to Manila to compete in the full marathon on October 11.

Among the top runners to watch out for in today’s race are Mendel Lopez and Leizl Lumindas-Gitaruelas.

Interestingly, Lopez and Gitaruelas failed to join last year’s action. And call it an unusual twist of fate in the men’s bracket, reigning champion Rogelio Reli won’t be around to defend his title as he reportedly just got out of the hospital.

Gitaruelas though is expected to face an uphill battle against defending women’s title-holder Madelyn Carter.

“What’s important for me now is to qualify for the finals.This is more important to me than the (prize) money and defending my title,” Carter said.

A total of 19,943 runners will join the race, 17,697 of them under the 5-kilometer category. The 3K drew 953 entries, the 10K has 993, while 300 will vie for supremacy in the 10K class.

In another first in the record-breaking Cebu phase of the annual tilt, the First High School For the Hearing Impaired will take part in the cheerdance presentation - an exciting sidelight that everybody is looking forward to as young Cebuanos show off their creativity, flexibility and gracefulness.

“This is the first time that deafs and mute join the cheer dance.This is something to look forward to,” said the award-winning sports organizer Ricky Ballesteros.

It will truly be an awe-inspiring moment to see how deaf and mute students dance in a synchronized manner and in tune with their selected music.