Middle-distance runners Wenlie Maulas and Nikki Roque overcame the challenges of a 21K route and outraced other division contenders Sunday at the 37th National MILO Marathon in Angeles City. Today marks Roque’s first and Maulas’ second entry to the country’s biggest and most prestigious footrace, where they both took home the P 10,000 top purse for their victory.A total of 7,367 students, athletes, and running enthusiasts joined the last qualifying race of the season, where 35 runners earned a slot to the finale on December 8 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City. They will compete with 500 of the country’s finest runners for the championship title and for an all-expenses paid trip to the 2014 Paris Marathon courtesy of MILO.
As a seasoned mid-distance runner, Maulas used his speed and agility to his advantage and crossed the finish line at an impressive finishing time of 1:15:53, followed by Ganny Lou Coloma at a distant second (1:23:51) and Ronald Salgado in third (1:24:01).The 24-year old runner, who recently graduated from the University of the East-Manila, is hailed as one of the best athletes from the campus for winning multiple UAAP Men’s titles in 800m and 1,500m athletics. He also finished 4th place in the 2011 ASEAN University Games in Thailand.
In the distaff side, 20-year old Roque proved that perseverance pays off and finished at 1:58:22, way ahead of Mary Gallano (2:06:52) and Therese Dimalanta (2:07:14). Roque is a government scholar at the Bataan Peninsula State University, and like Maulas, is a varsity athlete with several 1.5K, 3K, and 5K titles under her belt.
“Transitioning to a more competitive area of the sport is not an easy feat, which is why the National MILO Marathon maintains well-designed races for our country’s best college athletes. Whether it is the shortest or the longest distance in the discipline, runners are able to meet a certain level of challenge in the MILO Marathon that drives them to become better on the track. We are proud to welcome new faces in the MILO arena, and hope that they become the next wave of champions who will bring pride to our country,” said Andrew Neri, MILO Sports Executive.
As part of its ongoing commitment to develop sports in the country, MILO has given a total of 33,200 shoes to public school students nationwide through MILO’s Help Give Shoes advocacy. With the invaluable support of the Department of Education and the National MILO Marathon runners, MILO delivered 500 pairs of running shoes to beneficiary schools today in Angeles City, namely Dr. Clemente Dayrit Elementary School, Arayat Central School, Pampanga National High School, Manibaug Elementary School, and San Fernando Elementary School.
