LIPA City, Batangas, Philippines – Elite runners Joseph Macaladlad and Criselyn Jaro bagged the top purse in the 21K centrepiece events at the Lipa leg of the 38th National MILO Marathon on Sunday. Each pocketed a prize of P10,000 in cash, a trophy and a coveted slot to the National Finals on December 7, for a chance to be crowned as the MILO Marathon King and Queen. MILO will send this year’s King and Queen to Japan on an all-expense paid trip to the 2015 Tokyo Marathon. Over 8,000 runners joined today’s race.Not even the rainy skies and slippery wet roads could stop the racers from running to their heart’s content. In the 21K male category, 24-year-old Lyceum of the Philippines Batangas Criminology student Joseph Macaladlad beat his fiercest rivals, posting a time of 01:17:14, relegating Greg Vincent Osorio (01:19:25) and Jay Laya (01:19:43) to second and third place, respectively.
On the distaff side, 22-year-old Brokenshire College of Davao alumna Criselyn Jaro came out on top with a time of 01:29:16, followed by fellow contenders Mirasol Abad (01:33:47) in second place and Cellie Rose Jaro (01:34:36) in third place.
Each year, thousands of families join the National MILO Marathon and conquer the races together. ”We at MILO are delighted to see children, whether kids or adults, run with their parents and their siblings at the MILO Marathon. It is heartwarming to see families become really engaged in running, such as the Jaro sisters,” said Andrew Neri, MILO Sports Marketing Manager. “The National MILO Marathon is a communal gathering where numerous Filipino families channel their athletic spirits and enjoy family bonding through running together. We encourage more families to join our national family affair that is truly fun for all ages.”
With the support of the Department of Education and the National MILO Marathon runners, MILO’s Help Gives Shoes advocacy will provide 16,000 underprivileged youth with brand new running shoes and reach the 50,000 mark this year. As MILO celebrates its 50th year, Help Give Shoes aims to make the donation to students in Yolanda-hit cities, particularly Tacloban, Ormoc, and Eastern Samar.
