MANILA, Philippines - At 32, Eric Panique feels that he’s still at the top of his game, and still dreams that one day he’d be crowned national champion of the Milo Marathon.
Yesterday, he took another big step in that direction by ruling the Metro Manila eliminations of the country’s most prestigious and longest-running footrace.
Over 34,000 runners were flagged off under cover of darkness at the barricaded Mall of Asia grounds. Those in the premier 42 km race (2,550 of them) were unleashed at 3 a.m.
The biggest batch of runners in the 21 km race, numbering over 25,000, took the road 90 minutes later, followed by runners in the 10 km, 5 km and 3 km side events.
Men and women, young and old, some pets wearing race bibs in tow, turned the MOA grounds and long roads up ahead into a sea of Milo green.
Over two hours later, as the sun was just about to show, Panique crossed the finish with an official time of 2:37:44. He held his hands up in victory.
His closest pursuers came two minutes behind at least. Mario Maglinao was second in 2:39:47, Rene Desuyo in 2:45:57, Eugene Postrado in 2:48:09 and Carlito Fantilaga in 2:55:25.
In the women’s side, Luisa Raterta was the winner in 3:10:36, followed by Cryselin Jaro in 3:25:03, April Rose Diaz in 3:34:02 and Rowena Baa 3:39:43.
The top finishers earned slots to the National Finals on Dec. 6 in Clark in Pampanga.
Raterta, a mother, led from start to finish.
“Enjoy mo lang ang race. Walang pressure (Just enjoy. No pressure),” she said. Like Panique, she’s never been crowned national champion.
“Kailangan paghandaan mabuti (You need to work harder on that),” she said.
Up on stage, the top finishers were awarded glass trophies and cash prizes. Panique and Raterta won P50,000 each.
Cornered by reporters, Panique, a bronze medalist in the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar, talked about the race and his goal of winning the national finals in December.
He said he trained long and hard for this race, doing 200 kilometers a week on morning and afternoon runs in Baguio City, where he is based. That’s how he trains for a big race.
“Kapag hindi mo ginawa yan kakapusin ka (If you don’t do that you will fall short),” said Panique, the trophy clipped in his right hand.
The father of two had won the Metro Manila elims twice, the first in 2013, but never had won the national finals, with runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2012.
Panique has been trying hard for years now.
Kaya pa naman (I can still do it). Basta kailangan walang tigil ang ensayo (Don’t stop training),” said Panique, who still hopes to vie in the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia.
By choice, Panique said he got off to a slow start, letting the others set the early pace. It was in the last eight kilometers of the race where he made his move.
“Lumalayo na kasi sila (The distance was growing). Kaya sa last two ko na nakuha. Sa loob na ng MOA (I took the lead in the last two kilometers inside the MOA grounds),” he said.
Panique won with just enough to spare and a lot to improve on. In the 2011 Hong Kong Chartered, he clocked 2:27 and in Myanmar he did 2:30.
As he trained in Baguio, the native of Negros Occidental recalled the bad weather that almost forced him to skip the race.
“Nag-uulan kasi. Nilagnat pa ako two weeks ago (It was raining. And I was under the weather). Pero tuloy pa din (But I went on),” he said.
Things got better last week, and he felt he could win.
“Gumanda naman ang pakiramdam,” said Panique, adding that out of excitement, he rolled over his bed on the eve of the race.
He said he booked a room in a small hotel in nearby Pasay City, and hit the sack at 8 p.m. Saturday. He was up and ready to race at 1:30 a.m.
“Putol-putol ang tulog,” he told The STAR.
But it didn’t show in the race, as he relied on his late surge to win his second Metro Manila crown. It’s just a step toward the ultimate goal.
“National finals pa din ang target,” said Panique, aware that the men’s and women’s champions in December would earn slots to the 2016 Boston Marathon.
He said he’s never been to the United States, and it’s a bonus if he gets to compete there.