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By RHICK LARS VLADIMER ALBAY AND ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – Led by reigning champions Rafael Poliquit and Mary Joy Tabal, some 18,000 runners are set to join the National Milo Marathon Finals today, as Iloilo hosts the prestigious finale for the first time in the national competition’s 40-year history.
“Iloilo City will be at center stage of [the biggest] marathon in the country,” shared city sports development officer Rommel Castro. “The best local and international runners will be running our streets. Most will be first timers [in the city] while others might have already fallen in love with Iloilo.”
Poliquit and Tabal, who recently competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, are both raring to go head-to-head with runners from all over the Philippines to defend their crowns in the final race of the season.
The event features five race categories (42K, 21K, 10K, 5K and 3K), all set to kick-off at the Iloilo Business Park and end at the Iloilo Convention Center. Their routes will feature major sites and landmarks in the city – among them the Iloilo River Esplanade and Megaworld Boulevard.
Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, for his part, welcomed all participants and said Ilonggos will surely show their support for the national Milo finals.
“We are all very excited to be hosting the most prestigious and longest running footrace in the country. We are honored to be part of the historic culminating event of the National Milo Marathon’s 40th anniversary. We hope all our runners will enjoy the race experience we have prepared for them,” said Mabilog.
The 40th Milo Marathon had 13 elimination legs nationwide, starting in Dagupan in July 17 and culminating in Iloilo today for the national finals.
“As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, we hope to continue to energize champions and inspire millions more through our runners who have become our agents of motivation that energized Filipinos to be at their best in their respective endeavors,” said Milo sports marketing manager Andrew Neri.
“We hope to continue this cycle in the future seasons and see more champions who have embodied values such as resilience, grit, and discipline, which have made them winners in sports and in life”
Earlier in November, Milo donated 200 tennis shoes to be distributed to underprivileged athletes in five public elementary schools in the city, under their “Help Give Shoes” initiative.
The National Milo Marathon is not only a breeding ground for local talents but also a program that empowers children nationwide through their “Help Give Shoes” advocacy in partnership with the Department of Education.
Iloilo has produced its share of champion runners led by former Milo marathon kings Jimmy de la Torre, Edwardo Buenavista and Herman Suizo. /PN
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