Samuya, Mag-Aso top 21K run

MANILA, Philippines - Veterans Ruben Samuya and Bernardita Mag-Aso dominated their respective divisions to rule the Palawan leg of the 34th National Milo Marathon in Puerto Princesa City yesterday.

Samuya, 38, turned in a 1:13:56 clocking to top the men’s side of the 21K race, his fifth Milo leg crown, and clinch a spot in the national finals set Dec. 12 in Manila.

Samuya floated with the lead pack in the first half of the race before unleashing a strong finishing kick to pocket the top P10,000 prize.

Norlan Warizal settled for second in 1:15:00 while Marco Laipan finished third with a clocking of 1:15:43, just enough to meet the 1:15:00 standard qualifying time for the finals.

The 24-year-old Mag-Aso, meanwhile, posted a time of 1:34:27 to capture the ladies crown. The UST graduate also passed the 1:35:00 qualifying mark for the national finals.

Former RP team mainstay Enate Sayrol came in second with a 1:42:18 clocking while Maricris Laipan timed 2:08:48 for third.

A total of 5,469 runners took part in the event graced by Mayor Edward Hagedorn.

Top officials of Nestle Philippines led by Pat Goc-Ong, sports events executive, donated 120 pairs of shoes to the San Pedro Elementary Central School students in Puerto Princesa as part of their sports advocacy. The previous regional race legs have raised 2,920 pairs of shoes donated across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.