Challenged neither by the course nor the competition, reigning MILO Marathon King Eduardo Buenavista treated spectators to a thrilling comeback Sunday at the 37th National MILO Marathon in Baguio City. Not to be outdone, a be-medalled Cristabel Martes also proved her mettle in the 21K track and earned herself a back-to-back win in the local race. Both Buenavista and Martes have four National MILO Marathon titles under their belt and are considered to be two of the best runners in the country. Leaving no room for error, two-time Olympian Buenavista made good use of his quick reflexes to take the lead at the starting gun, and closed his finishing time at an impressive 1:12:39. With Cesar Castaneto (1:14:21) and last year’s local champion Hernanie Sore (1:19:55) trailing behind him in desperate pursuit, the 35-year old Cotabato native sustained a matchless pace and claimed his third Baguio title.
In the distaff division, long-time Baguio bet Martes posted a wide margin over her closest pursuers Gretchen Ablaza (1:49:41) and Rowena Ba-A (1:50:43), and maintained the distance from start to finish. Unfazed by the uphill track at the end of the route, Martes clocked in at a swift 1:31:33 and claimed her sixth trip to the National Finals
She also expressed that runners like her who are in their 30s perform extraordinarily well in the sport. “Being 34-years old, I am currently at my athletic prime. I want to maximize my physical peak and use it to cultivate and develop future running champions. However, I have to start focusing more on motherhood,” said Martes, who is both a coach at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and a mother to one daughter. “I respect what MILO is doing to help young athletes and I am proud to be a part of their cause.”
As an ongoing commitment to inspire more Filipinos especially the youth to overcome all of life’s obstacles and engage in a wholesome sport like running, MILO provides pairs of running shoes to underprivileged students nationwide through MILO’s Help Give Shoes advocacy. With the invaluable support of MILO Marathon runners and partners, a total of 500 pairs were delivered to beneficiary schools today in Baguio, including Benguet High School, Bakakeng Elementary School, Manual A. Roxas Elementary School, Jose Rizal Elementary School and Josefa Carino Elementary School, bringing the total shoe count to 31,700.
“The MILO Marathon was the first sports event launched by MILO in the Philippines, and we have since truly grown as a local stage for athletics. This is evident in the number of runners we have engaged in the sport as well as in the caliber of talents that we attract and produce to date,” said Andrew Neri, MILO Sports Executive. “Eduardo and Cristabel are greatly recognized in the country and in Southeast Asia, and bear out the class of competition that the MILO Marathon continues to raise for both elite athletes and beginners. As we near the end of another season, we look forward to shaping a new band of champions through more quality races and our sports development efforts centered on education across all regions.”
