Maglinao, Raterta rule Naga 21K run

MANILA, Philippines - Mario Maglinao and Luisa Raterta dominated their rivals in 21k events to rule the Naga leg of the 38th National Milo marathon eliminations yesterday and gain berths in the national finals set in Manila in December.

Maglinao, the 26-year-old native of Legazpi City, clocked 01:12:47, besting Martin Balaybo (01:13:33), and Eugin Postrado (01:16:43) in the event which drew over 9,000 runners.

“I actually didn’t have enough time to train for the race because I’m always very busy at work, but thankfully I still qualified and won. I will adjust and train for long distance running to prepare for the national finals,” said Maglinao.

Raterta, 33, topped the ladies side in 01:32:10 with Janette Agura finishing second in 01:37:41 and Marilyn Bermundo third in 01:40:59 .

The national finals on Dec. 7 will stake an all-expense paid trip to the 2015 Tokyo Marathon for the two winners.

“It is great to see excellent runners like Mario and Luisa who are able to balance their time between daily life, work, and their passion for sports,” said Milo Sports Marketing manager Andrew Neri. “Through our various sports programs and competitions, Milo is committed in helping shape our Filipino athletes into well-rounded champions as they progress in life.”

Meanwhile, with the support of the Department of Education and the National Milo Marathon runners, Milo’s Help Gives Shoes advocacy will provide 16,000 underprivileged youth with brand new running shoes and reach the 50,000 mark this year. As Milo celebrates its 50th year, Help Give Shoes aims to make the donation to students in Yolanda-hit cities, particularly Tacloban, Ormoc, and Eastern Samar.

The qualifying race will continue in Lucena on Aug. 31, and will head to Puerto Princesa (Sept. 7), Lipa (Sept. 14), Iloilo (Sept. 21), Bacolod (Sept. 28), Tagbilaran (Oct. 5), Cebu (Oct. 12), Butuan (Oct. 19), Cagayan De Oro (Nov. 9), General Santos (Nov. 16), and Davao (Nov. 23).