Run Batanes! 50 Miles/21 kilometer

I would love to complete my first ultra-marathon in Batanes.

It will be a totally fantastic experience to shoot two birds in one stone. First I'd be able to cross "visiting Batanes" in my bucket list and if successful, I'd be crossing "running an ultra-marathon", too.

If you have written those two events in your own bucket list, then you have a chance to accomplish those with the Run Batanes! 50 miles/21 kilometer set on May 4 of next year.

Organized by Jonel Mendoza of Front Runner Magazine, registration is now open for the monumental event.

I am not surprised at all that Mendoza can think of such a run. After all, Mendoza is known for his non-traditional brand when it comes to organizing trail runs.

Only Mendoza can think of such crazy races, which have brought and gathered runners from around the globe to experience Philippine outdoors and hospitality.

Press Release: Tallam, De Los Santos post back-to-back MILO Marathon national finals win

With Eduardo Buenavista at the forefront, about 21,388 runners
marked a milestone in MILO Marathon history, as organizers
report that they surpassed the initial 200,000 collective
target by over 10,000 runners, shattering last year’s 200,000
headcount.

Defending MILO Marathon champions James Tallam and Mary Grace de los Santos claimed their back-to-back wins in the 42K Open category run on Sunday in the event which started and ended at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Tallam posted a remarkable finishing time of 2:26:34 and led fellow Kenyans Josphat Too (2:28:52) and Alex Melly (2:29:06) towards a 1-2-3 finish in the men's category while 25-year-old de los Santos dismissed a strong line of contenders to bag the MILO Marathon race title and lead two-time MILO Marathon Queen Jho-an Banayag (2:55:56) and Kenyan Everline Atancha (3:03:39) towards an easy finish.

Tallam, Delos Santos repeat as MILO Marathon national finals champions

The smiles of Eduardo Buenavista (right) and Cebu's pride Mary 

Joy Tabal showed their fulfillment after topping the 42K local  

division category during Sunday's  36th MILO Marathon  

national finals which started and ended 

at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

(PERRY LEGASPI)

Congratualtions to defending champions Kenyan James Tallam and Mary Grace delos Santos after they posted back-to-back wins in the 42K open category of the 36th MILO Marathon on Sunday.

Not to be outdone, Eduardo Buenavista and Mary Joy Tabal shared the limelight with victories in the local division. 

The Kenyans, however, took the thunder out of Filipino runners in the 21K event as David Kipsang and Jackline Nzibo respectively won the men and women categories of the open division.

In the local division of the 21K race, Immuel Camino and Jocelyn Elijeran topped the men and women races, respectively.

Continue reading for the rest of the top finishers in all categories and divisions.

Bayanihang Pampaaralan launches "Run For 10"

As I have said in my previous posts, I love to run in advocacy races because it provides me opportunities to indulge my adrenalin addiction and at the same time help organizations succeed in their own advocacy.

So, I am asking fellow runners to participate in a nationwide advocacy run on January 13, 2013 which hopes to benefit  thousands of Filipino schoolchildren nationwide by providing them with classrooms where they could effectively listen to their teachers and learn lessons.

“Run for 10” will be staged for the benefit of TEN Moves!, the social mobilization campaign of Bayanihang Pampaaralan that seeks to raise funds for the construction of 10,000 classrooms nationwide by encouraging individuals to donate Php10 everyday for 10 months or a lump sum of Php3,000.

In Metro Manila, Run for 10 will start off at the Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City, with 2.5 km, 5 km, and 10 km race distances. Simultaneous runs will also be held in at least 10 other key areas nationwide: Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Legazpi, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zamboanga, and Zamboanga Sibugay.

De Los Santos goes for a repeat victory in 36th MILO Marathon natonal finals

Will De Los Santos repeat as this
year's MILO Marathon Queen?

A sea of green will sweep the streets of Manila once again, as over 19,909 runners are expected to join the 36th MILO Marathon National Finals on December 9 at the Mall of Asia (MOA) in Pasay City.

Organizers report that they reached the 200,000 target headcount set at the start of the season, providing a thrilling conclusion to a successful nationwide marathon event.

Rivalries will run deep among the country’s top qualifiers as they race against competitive foreign talent in the men’s and women’s division races. Last year, MILO Marathon Queen Mary Grace de los Santos crashed foreign competition and led a cast of Filipina runners towards a 1-2-3 finish, while MILO Marathon King James Tallam led Kenyan and Ethiopian runners to a massive 1-2-3-4 finish in the men’s division race, sparking a heated rivalry among local veterans.

This year, former MILO Marathon Kings and Queens return to reassert their dominance on their home soil. MILO Marathon Kings Julius Sermona (1:13:02, Angeles), Cresenciano Sabal (1:13:55, Cagayan de Oro) and Eduardo Buenavista (1:13:29, Tarlac) are among strong contenders in the 42K men’s division race.

Agura settles for 2nd spot in QCIM

NEWCOMER Everlyne Atancha exploited  Filipina runner Janet Agura’s early mistake to break away and  cop the women’s title, highlighting another Kenyan domination of the 4th SMDC Quezon City International Marathon last Sunday in front of the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Winner of the Bangkok Marathon just two weeks ago, Atancha, 24, was only a 100 meters ahead of Agura when the latter  took  a wrong turn inside the UP Diliman campus at the four-kilometer point after a marshal failed to guide her to the right course of the race that began at twilight.

The 35-year-old La Salle-Lipa athletic coach lost ground and by the time she got back on track, Atancha was too far ahead and coasted to victory in a slow time of three hour and 29 seconds to win the top pot of P75,000 in the international division.

“It was humid and I was still recovering from my race in the Bangkok Marathon,” said the 24-year-old Nairobi native after victory.