BAGUIO, Philippines – Hernanie Sore and former Milo marathon queen Cristabel Martes served notice of their respective title aspirations by dominating the opening leg of the 36th National Milo Marathon here yesterday.
The 30-year-old Sore finished the Baguio qualifying leg in 1:14:59, topping the treacherous 21-kilometer uphill and downhill course in the men’s category, while the ageless Martes conquered the distaff side in 1:34:46.
“I didn’t really train for the 21-kilometer distance run so I was surprised that I won first place in this category,” said Sore, who edged Cesar Lastaneto Jr. (1:15:03) and Marson Tarcelo (1:20:18) for the leg honors.
“I will continue to condition myself for the Manila elimination leg at the end of this month.”
Martes, 30, defeated Mercy Taypok of University of Baguio (1:38:30) and Gretchen Felipe (1:49:32) for the ladies’ diadem.
Sore and Martes led a total of 25 male bets and three female runners who booked tickets to the 36th Milo Marathon National Finals on the strength of their performances here.
The City of Pines was a host to more than 6,000 registered runners for Milo’s opening leg race in this year’s National Milo Marathon. Organizers are expecting a total of 200,000 runners through the 18 elimination legs in 17 cities to participate in the nationwide search for the best runners in the country today. The winner in the local category of the 36th Milo Marathon National Finals will receive P 150,000 for the men and women’s division, respectively, while a sum of P300,000 will be given to the winners in the Open category.
After the Baguio leg, the qualifying race will shift to Dagupan on July 8, Tarlac on July 15, Angeles City on July 22, Metro Manila on July 29, Naga on Aug. 19, San Pablo, Laguna on Sept. 2, Lipa, Batangas on Sept. 16, Puerto Princesa, Palawan on Sept. 23, Tagbilaran on Sept. 30, Cebu on Oct. 7, Bacolod on Oct. 14, Iloilo on Oct. 28, Gen. Santos on Nov. 4, Davao on Nov. 11, Butuan on Nov. 18 and Cagayan de Oro City on No. 25. The 36th Milo Marathon National Finals is slated on December 9 at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
Five hundred school children from Baguio were given running shoes as a part of the “Help Give Shoes” advocacy of Milo which is currently on its third year of staging. Beneficiaries came from Rizal Elementary School, Quirino Elementary School, Dona Josefa Elementary School, Mabini Elementary School, and Pine City Elementary School.
Andrew Neri, Milo Sports Executive, said Milo is donating another 10,000 shoes this year on top of the 14,200 count from the last two years.
Meanwhile, national race technical director Rio de la Cruz said that for a foreign runner to qualify in the National Finals, he or she must provide proof of finish in any sanctioned or accredited races by the Association of International Marathons (AIMS) for at least one year before the race day.
The 36th National Milo Marathon is made possible by Timex, the Bayview Park Hotel Manila and Reebok, along with partnerships with the Department of Education and the Philippine Olympic Committee. For more information on the race and its advocacy, visit the Milo marathon website or access the Milo Philippines fanpage on Facebook.