28 qualifiers book slot to finale
DAGUPAN City, Philippines, November 10, 2013 – Alquin Bolivar and Mirasol Abad, both members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), combated strong winds and the slippery terrain to win the 21K division of the 37th National MILO Marathon Sunday in Dagupan City. Both runners are set to lead 26 other qualifiers to the finale in December, where they will compete with the country’s best runners for the championship title and for a trip to the 2014 Paris Marathon courtesy of MILO. A total of 8,043 runners joined the day’s race.
28-year old Bolivar, who hails from Cagayan de Oro, said that he took the lead at gun start, but struggled with his pace at the 12th kilometer mark because of the challenging weather. He eventually pulled away and locked a distance at the last few kilometers, crossing the finish line at 1:13:47. Behind Bolivar were national athlete Robeno Javier at 1:13:53 and Crifrankreadel Indapan at 1:16:02.
“I’m planning to use my training for the AFP Olympics to prepare for the National Finals,” said the Duty Sergeant. “Through running, I and other members of the AFP stay in shape for work. We are able to develop good health and perform better.”
He also expressed the MILO Marathon helps him promote the AFP and show that they are not just public servants but athletes as well. “A lot of the country’s athletes – those who are disciplined and motivated by their sport – are able to achieve bigger opportunities like being recruited by the AFP. The MILO Marathon has become a breeding ground for public servants,” he added. MILO Marathon regional champion Gerald Sabal and two-time MILO Marathon Queen Jho-An Banayag are also members of the AFP.
In the distaff side, 28-year old Abad outlasted female competitors and crossed the finish line at 1:30:49, way ahead of Mercy Taypoc (1:32:52) and Lany Cardona (1:35:20), all while battling a mild cold. Abad, who is a member of the Philippine Duathlon Team, is considered one of the top duathletes in the country. She adds today’s victory to her collection of titles in other national races.
“My training includes a combination of biking and running for 3 hours to extend my endurance and improve my speed,” she said. “I also plan to join the Philippine National Duathlon Championships later this year to prepare for the MILO Marathon National Finals.”
Abad also expressed that the MILO Marathon helps develops teamwork and camaraderie among members of the AFP as they frequently run together in the National MILO Marathon.
“MILO salutes the passion and dedication that the men and women of our nation’s armed forces render to defend our countrymen. We at the National MILO Marathon are very proud to have engaged an admirable set of people who continue to lead their fellow athletes to imbibe the core values of a champion. We hope to draw more local heroes to join the discipline and inspire runners to take their love for country and true athleticism to the competitive track,” said Andrew Neri, MILO Sports Executive.
With the support of the Department of Education and the National MILO Marathon runners, MILO has given a total of 32,200 shoes to public school students nationwide through MILO’s Help Give Shoes advocacy. Through this ongoing commitment to develop sports in the country, MILO delivered 500 pairs of running shoes to beneficiary schools today in Dagupan City, namely East Central Integrated School, Dagupan City National High School, Bonuan Boguig National High School, North Central Elementary School, and Bued National High School.
The qualifying race will resume in Tarlac on November 17, before advancing to Angeles on November 24 for the last regional race of the season. The 37th MILO Marathon National Finals will then be on December 8 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds.
The 37th National MILO Marathon is made possible by Timex, the Bayview Park Hotel Manila, Reebok, SMART and SM Mall of Asia, along with endorsements from the Department of Education, Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee. For more information on the race and its advocacy, visit the MILO marathon website (milo.com.ph) or access the MILO Philippines fanpage on Facebook. Follow MILO on Twitter (@MILOPH).
About the National MILO Marathon
The National MILO Marathon is an annual marathon event open to amateur and professional runners. From its humble beginnings in 1974 as a single marathon race in Metro Manila attended by 747 participants, the National MILO Marathon has grown to be the biggest, longest, grandest national running event in the country attracting more than hundreds of thousands of runners across the country. The race is organized by RunRio, Inc.
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