Fernandez and Uytiepo also participated in last year’s edition of the race together with SEA Games marathon champions Roy Vence and Cristabel Martes. Vence will return to Hong Kong with last year’s Adidas King of the Road champion Allan Ballester while Martes is skipping the race due to injury.
Fernandez, an amputee, and Uytiepo were the most applauded runners last year. Fernandez’s photo is also splashed in this year’s registration forms, which is circulated worldwide.
The duo’s trip is supported by Philippine Airlines, Standard Chartered Bank, Adidas, Pharmaton, Timex, Rudy Project, Casa Ilongga, Philippine Sports Commission and the city government of Iloilo under Mayor Jerry