Herrera, Cardona win Dagupan leg of 38th MILO Marathon

DAGUPAN City, Philippines, 06 July 2014 – Elite runners Rene Herrera and Lany Cardona set a swift pace for the 21-K division run at the 38th National MILO Marathon on Sunday in Dagupan City. 

Each received a cash prize of P10,000, a trophy, and a coveted spot in the National Finals on December 7 for their respective victories.

Out of more than 10,000 runners, 48 qualified for the National Finals in this leg. As an added incentive to the prestige of winning the country’s premier footrace, MILO will be sending this season’s MILO Marathon King and Queen to compete with the world’s finest athletes at the Tokyo Marathon in 2015.

Herrera (left) and Cardona show
their trophies after the awarding
ceremonies (MILO Photo)

The 35-year-old Herrera led the pack, clocking in a time of 01:12:36. Robino Javier followed close behind, finishing at 01:15:59, and Ronnie Rosete placed third 01:19:37. Herrera, who hails from Guimaras, is a member of the Philippine Navy and a five time SEA Games gold medalist. He also competed in the 2012 London Olympics.

“I have joined the MILO marathon since 1995, and this year, the race is part of my training for my qualification in the Philippine Team for the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea,” expressed Herrera. “Qualifying for the National Finals is an added boost for me and it will certainly help me in my hopes to be part of the national team.”

Herrera has been training in Baguio, the Philippine Team’s base in preparation for the Asian Games in September. His training regime consists of morning and afternoon sessions with extensive runs in the city’s Marcos Highway. Coach Jim Saret, creator of the MILO R2-APEX Running School, has also invited Herrera to be his assistant coach for beginner runners in the Baguio roadshow of the running school in June this year.

In the distaff side, Lany Cardona took advantage of the good weather and placed first, posting a time of 01:30:20. Rivals Cinderella Lorenzo (01:33:27) and Cristina Melchor (01:50:58) placed second and third, respectively. The 23-year-old housewife from Bolinao, Pangasinan is the record holder for winning the most number of gold medals in the PATAFA National Open.

“We are lucky it is sunny today, which is great for running. It has been raining the past days when I’ve been training,” said Cardona. “For the qualifying race, I prepared by running four times a week. I also joined several races. I will continue my training and I hope to be at my best for the National Finals.”

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 50^th year, Help Give Shoes aims to make the donation to students in Yolanda-hit cities, particularly Tacloban, Ormoc, and Eastern Samar.

“MILO’s Help Give Shoes is wonderful program which reaches out to underprivileged children who aspire to run and become future champions. I used to be one of those kids, and the advocacy continues to inspire me,” said Herrera. Cardona echoes the same sentiments. “What MILO does for the children is admirable, and I’m more than willing to contribute and help our aspiring athletes. We all share the same passion for running, and it’s great that the kids will be able to pursue their dreams,” she added.

The qualifying race will resume in Tarlac on July 13 before heading to Angeles (July 20), Manila (July 27), Naga (August 24), Lucena (August 31), Puerto Princesa (September 7), Lipa (September 14), Iloilo (September 21), Bacolod (September 28), Tagbilaran (October 5), Cebu (October 12), Butuan (October 19), Cagayan De Oro (November 9), General Santos (November 16), and Davao (November 23). The National Finals will be held on December 7 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City. (MILO Press Release)