Filipino Olympic marathoners

A lot of my marathoner friends asked me how many Filipino runners participated in the Olympics Marathon and how did they fare?  In my article in the Frontrunner Magazine,  I wrote that the Visayas  is the goldmine of running.  The same is true in the Olympics.  We sent six runners to the Olympics starting with Mexico in 1968. Our first bet was Ben Silva-Netto now in his 70s and secretary general of the PATAFA.  Silva Netto went to the 1968 Mexico  Olympics and clocked 2:56:19 to placed 49th in a field of 57.  Then in 1976, Victor Idava also of Bicol represented the country in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, clocking 2:38:23 to place 57th.  Leonardo Illut of Cebu started the Visayan domination when he earned a ticket to the 1984 Los Angeles Games after beating the  great Ilonggo runner, Jimmy De La Torre.  The late Jimmy is of course one of the best marathoners in the country.  He has won 3 Milo Marathon titles, the 1981 Sea Games Marathon crown, the 1987 Penang Marathon and was a two-time Boston Marathon veteran.  Jimmy was part of my legendary Nike Team which won 12 team championships of the  PAL  Manila Marathon.  Illut who is also deceased (he was shot inside a cockpit in Valenzuela years back) wound up at 77th place when he submitted a time of 2:49:39.  Undoubtedly the best-placed Filipino marathoner was my protege'  Herman Suizo of Sta. Barbara, IloIlo.  I discovered Suizo in 1986 and after only two years, upset Gintong Alay's Primeo Ramos to win the Filipino category of the 1988 PAL  Manila Marathon.  Suizo who runs like a Kenyan clocked 2:25:18 to wound up 52nd place in a field of 116 in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.  Suizo held the National record of 2:19:50  until another Ilonggo Vertek Buenavista came along and broke it after 10 years.  My other protege'  Roy Vence from Bogo City represented the Philippines in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.  Vence was 100th in 2:37:10.  Vence is a six- time Milo Marathon Champion and  2000 Sea  Games Marathon champion . He was a recent Cebu-visitor, participating in the 1st Masters Athletics.  The sixth Pinoy marathoner to join the Olympics was IloIlo-born Vertek Buenavista, the current national record holder (2:18:44).  The 4'11 Vertek was 67th in the 2000 Athens Olympics.  Still another Ilonggo, Rene Herrera went to the 2012 London Olympics but  did not participate in the marathon. 

WV MASTERS ATHLETICS

With the success of the Cebu Masters Athletics Invitational Championship,  we are considering the clamor of other areas to hold the Masters Athletics.  So like the genie in the magic lamp, we are granting their wish.  My "tokayo" Raffy Osumo of Runnr will be assisting me when we stage the WV Masters Athletics at the Panaad stadium in Bacolod City in February next year. Of course we will have the support of former congressman now Mayor.  Moniro Puentevella, my classmate at La Salle. We will have runners coming from IloIlo, Roxas City, Silay City, Bacolod City and Bago City.  Some notables are Suizo, former Milo Marathon champion  Eriberto Diaz, Dr. Bob Ledesma and Manuel de Oro.  We will also be assisted by one-legged triathlete Rudy Fernandez.

NOTE:   Participants to the 1st Cebu Masters Athletics Invitational Championship may claim their certificates at the PSC office at the Cebu City Sports Center.  Look for Lerma Binaoro.