Battle of champions on at Pasig Marathon

The Philippine Marathon for the Pasig River (PMPR) will be a battle of marathon champions this year.

Crisanto Canillo, PMPR champ in 2002 and 2003, Roy Vence 2004; Bernardo Desamito 2005 and Cresenciano Sabal 2006 have all signed up to take on the arduous and tortuous route anew from Fort Santiago to Fort Bonifacio today to prove once and for all who is the best among them.

Eduardo "Bertek" Buenavista, the marathon record holder with a 2:18:00 international record will be the man to beat as he stakes his claim on the PMPR – his first crack at the country’s first and only international marathon included in the world calendar of marathons.

Joan Banayag, last year’s distaff champion, will also defend her crown in the women’s division.

Maddela says five international runners have joined the fiel. They are Kenyan, Robert Wangbugo, German Roland Heinmuller, Englishman Barry Pearce, American Abraham Lim and Mexican Luis Vieira giving the marathon a true international flavor.

Five international volunteers are also helping C&GFI. They are Japan’s Toshiaki Isoi, Great Britain’s Laureen Gibson, France’s Sophie Hamada, Australia’s Debra Hermann and Jennifer Duncombe.

The race starts at 4:30 a.m. in front of the Manila Cathedral and snakes its way through main roads, back streets and highways across six cities – Manila, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Makati, Pasig and Taguig – and 11 of the 13 bridges that traverse the Pasig River

The male champion will receive a cash prize of P 100,000 while the women’s champion gets P 75,000. The top 30 male finishers and top 20 female finishers will all receive cash prizes.

Now on its seventh staging, and third as an international event, the PMPR is organized by the Clean & Green Foundation Inc. for the government’s Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission to focus attention on the Pasig River.

The event is sponsored by Herma Shipping and Group of Companies, Unilever Philippines, Phil. Daily Inquirer, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., Trans Asia, Shell, SM Foundation, San Miguel Corporation, Zuellig Pharma, Ayala Corporation, PAGCOR, PHINMA, Mabuhay Vinyl, Asahi Glass, Burlington, Powerade, Fortune General, Activade and Barbaras.