International stint awaits Manila marathon winners

A stint in one of the world’s most prestigious international marathons will be awarded to the top winners of the third Manila Marathon set to kick off on Sunday on an out-and-back course that starts from the historic Rizal Park.

This was announced yesterday by no less than Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, the moving spirit behind the organizing Manila Sports Council (Masco) chaired by his son, Arnold "Ali Atienza.

"We intend to give the top winners of this year’s Manila Marathon a chance to show their wares in either the Sydney, Chicago, Boston or New York Marathon," said Mayor Atienza. "And we believe that this will be a very good venue to test the physical condition of the country’s top marathoners as they prepare for the 2006 Qatar Asian Games."

In last year’s Big City run, two of the country’s finest marathoners today– reigning Southeast Asian Games champion Allan Ballester and veteran Roy Vence–earned a trip to United States and a stint in the prestigious Boston Marathon from the Masco as part of their buildup for the forthcoming SEA Games the country will host this year.

According to the young Atienza, both Ballester and Vence gave a good account of themselves in the Boston run, which featured the world’s best marathoners and long distance runners.

Half a million pesos in cash prizes will also be up for grabs in the third Manila Marathon which is backed by Nike, Pagcor, PCSO, Milo, Super Ferry, Gatorade, San Miguel Corp., and Concept Movers.

Registration fees for the event, which is gunning for a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records and is expected to lure more than 40,000 runners from all walks of life, have been waived by organizers in exchange for donations of canned goods from each participant for the MASCO’s food drive for indigent and underfed children in Antique and Kalinga.

Runners from Manila’s 897 barangays, 130 public elementary and secondary schools, more from the city’s universities, as well as from the clergy, movie and entertainment industry, private firms, running clubs, other local government units, government agencies, and the military and police have thrown their full support behind the staging of the run.

Registration is still ongoing with top honors to be disputed in seven divisions–the 42-km, 10-km, 5-km, media 5-km, celebrity 5-km, differently-abled 3-km, which will feature men and women categories, and the 15-under kids 3-km race.

Entry forms are available at the MASCO offices located at the fifth floor of the Manila City Hall and at the San Andres Sports and Civic Center in Malate.