Milo run leads to Paris for Vertek, Tabal

MANILA, Philippines - Long-distance specialist Eduardo “Vertek”  Buenavista had seen Paris when he represented the Philippines in the 2003 World Championships.

On the other hand, Mary Joy Tabal has never been there. She doesn’t really know much about the city, considered as the most romantic place in the world.

But in April next year, Buenavista and Tabal will run alongside the very best when they compete in the 2014 Paris Marathon.

They booked their tickets to Paris yesterday by emerging as the top Filipino finishers in the 37th Milo Marathon at the Mall of Asia grounds.

They can’t wait to go.

“I will prepare hard for the Paris Marathon. To compete there has always been my target,” said Buenavista, a veteran of the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, and winner of five gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games.

In the 2003 World Championships, Buenavista competed in the 5000m race but did not get past his heat.

He won yesterday’s race in two hours, 27 minutes, 14 seconds, followed by Rene Desuyo (2:32:34), and Irineo Raquin (2:32:57).

Buenavista, 35, earned P150,000, Desuyo P100,000 and Raquin P75,000. They left the MOA grounds with their trophies and checks in their hands.

Buenavista’s winning time was way off his own Milo Marathon record of 2:18:53. But it’s still enough to send him back to Paris for the race he’d chased all his life.

Buenavista and Tabal, both under five feet, stood 10 feet tall on stage during the awarding. Under a rain of green-and-white confetti they raised the trophies almost half their size.

Tabal, a consistent winner in the local circuit, won her first Milo Marathon title with a time of 2:48:00, towing Mary Grace delos Santos (2:54:27), Christabel Martes (2:57:15) and Luisa Raterta (3:07:18)

“I’m very happy. It’s a new challenge and a new experience for me. It’s a bonus,” said Tabal, who broke the old course record of 2:48:16 set by Joan Banayag in 2006.

She’s looking forward to Paris.

“Kakain ako ng French fries,” the 24-year-old Tabal said.

As she prepared to receive her award on stage, Tabal munched on soda crackers and pressed her fingers on her belly. She said she was starving and hasn’t eaten for 12 hours.

But the smile almost never left her face.

“Gutom na gutom na ako pero okay lang,” said Tabal, who prepared for the race by running 150 kms a week in Cebu the whole month of November.

Tabal actually finished second in the Open category won by Margaret Njuguna of Kenya (2:42:18), and won P250,000 plus a P20,000 bonus for the breaking the record.

Except for the Kenyan, Tabal said she trailed no other female runner throughout the race.

“But I didn’t expect to break the record. I just kept on running and didn’t even bother to check my time,” she said.

Njuguna will fly home with P300,000 in its dollar equivalent while Delos Santos won P200,000. For topping the local division, Martes bagged P150,000, Banayag P100,000 and Mirasol Abad (3:07:46) with P75,000.

The Kenyans swept the Open division in the men’s side with Joshpat Chobei crossing the finish line in 2:18:23, James Tallam in 2:18:41 and Alex Melly in 2:22:26.

It proved to be a blessing in disguise for Buenavista because he really wanted to represent the country in the Myanmar SEA Games this month.

But he said he wasn’t given the chance. Maybe they think he’s too old to compete.

“It was the decision of the coaches and I couldn’t do anything. But I know I can still compete,” he said in Filipino.

“May asim pa naman,” added Buenavista, who set the pace in the first 10 kms before yielding the lead to the Kenyans.

From there, no other local runner came close to him.

The Milo footrace, the most prestigious in the country, drew a record field of 26,681 on the final day and a total of 220,000-plus after 17 regional races throughout the year.

In its inaugural race in 1974, only 747 runners answered the starting gun. Last year, the event drew 214,000 runners nationwide

“We have broken the record,” Milo Sports executive Andrew Neri said in firing off the post-race press conference, joined by race director Rio dela Cruz.

The Milo executive said two slots have been reserved for the Filipinos in the Paris Marathon.

For Buenavista and Tabal, this year’s race is all about going to Paris.