Manila, Cebu marathons expected to boost tourism

MANILA, Philippines – Promoting the country through sports tourism is the main objective of the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch Manila Marathon and Cebu Half-Marathon. 

Rio dela Cruz of RunRio, the main organizer, said at Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex that the two events should benefit tourism and at the same time serve as the country’s flagship running event. 

“May impact sa tourism. When you look at other countries they have the Bangkok Marathon then they have one in Ho Chih Minh, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. We hope to make this the flagship marathon in the Philippines,” said Dela Cruz. 

The Manila Marathon takes place on October 6 and according to plans will cover the cities of Pasay, Paranaque, Manila, Makati and if needed, Taguig. The races in 5K, 10K, 21k and 42K will start and end at the Mall of Asia grounds. 

“We want these races to be as big as they can,” added Dela Cruz in the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Smart/PLDT, MILO and ArenaPlus, the leading sports entertainment app in the Philippines.

The Cebu Half-Marathon is set November 24 and should be followed by stops in Baguio, Clark, Bataan, Manila, Legazpi, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Dapital. 

Medals will be at stake for each leg, and runners who will compete in all legs will receive medals with all the legs crafted in them. 

Dela Cruz said they have coordinated with the Department of Tourism and are hoping for stronger ties with the different LGUs (local government units) and eventually the Philippine Sports Commission.

“Sana makasama natin sila sa program. And once okay na (the two events), mas madali na i-promote sa partners,” added Dela Cruz. 

“We are here to promote the Philippines,” he said, adding that so far, 4,000 runners have registered for the Manila Marathon. 

“We are on target,” he said.