Fired off by city councilor Melvin Abela, along Arnaldo Boulevard near the city plaza at exactly 6 a.m., the men’s race was won by Iloilo native Adonis Lubaton while the women’s side champion was homegrown talent Marigen Campos with similar solo victories.
Lubaton, 24, made his move in the last 4 kilometers of the 20K qualifying run and pulled away from erstwhile pacer Neri Barcelo in the last 2.5 kilometers as the latter was hit by stomach cramps.
A former walkathoner from the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, Lubaton clocked 1:09:39 and will lead the region’s representatives to the national finals in Manila of the 26th Milo Marathon which is supported this year by Bayview Park Hotel, Adidas, Cebu Pacific, Ford Phils. and the Department of Tourism.
"Target ko top ten sa national finals kahit first time ko lang sa full marathon," said Lubaton who placed second in last year’s 5K Milo run in Bacolod and this year won a 12K race in Silay City last June.
Antique native Barcelo, 33, failed to duplicate his victory last year in the Milo elimination run in Naga City where he was working at that time, and settled for second with a time of 1:10:08, good for P6,000.
"Expected ko first ako dito, inabot lang ako ng stomach cramps sa last two kilometers," said Barcelo who placed 12th in last year’s national finals.
Third place and the last slot to the finals went to Armyman Roldan Alcayaga, 27, from Cabatuan, Iloilo as he negotiated the 20K distance in 1:13:15 and earned P4,000.
In the women’s side, Campos, 15, earned the money and the glory but not the trip to Manila for the finals because of her age.