| Future champion? One of the 23,325 runners who attended the 35th Milo Marathon National Finals held at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. PHOTO BY JESSIE LAURETA |
MARY Grace de los Santos and Jho-Ann Banayag led a 1-2-3-4 finish by Filipino runners in the women’s division even as James Tallam and six other Kenyans almost swept the top 10 spots in the men’s division Sunday in the 35th Milo Marathon National Finals at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
The 24-year-old de los Santos timed 2:53:07 to pocket the P300,000 top purse while former two-time champion Banayag settled for second with a clocking of 2:55:08 and earned P150,000. Mary Joy Tabal of Cebu also gained P75,000 for finishing third in 3:01:41 and last year’s titlist Flordeliza Donos completed their domination in the distaff side by placing fourth in 3:06:05.
However, the foreign invasions turned out well in the other side after the 24-year-old Tallam of Eldoret, Kenya ruled the men’s division in 2:28:02. His compatriots Willy Rotich finished second (2:28:29) and Abraham Missos settling for third (2:29:27) and David Kipkoech Kipsang occupied the fourth position (2:31:05).
Only Jeson Agravante of Negros Occidental (2:34:30) and Irineo Raquin (2:34:52) who made it in the top 10 by finishing fifth and sixth respectively, but all the rests including seventh placer Benjamin Kipkazi (2:38:39), 9th finisher Eliud Kiprugut Kering (2:40:31) and 10th placer Josphat Kiptanui (2:43:02) were Kenyans. Douglas Mwiti, who ended 8th with a time of 2:39:44 was Ethiopian.
“The weather was good and we are determined to win the race. That’s why, we have a good performance,” said Tallam, who also won the Metro Manila elimination which had Panique finishing only second in July.
This came after the country’s top runners defending titlist and men’s record holder Eduardo Buenavista (2:18:53) and Eric Paniqui, the bronze and silver medalist respectively in the 2011 Southeast Asian Games, showed up but quit halfway. Both have not yet recovered from their stint in the biennial Games.
“Vertek [Buenavista] and Eric [Paniqui] have just came from the SEA [Southeast Asian] Games. The competition there is very tough, So I understand they have not yet recovered. But they just came to show support and avoid disqualifications because they have taken their res-pective uniforms already,” explained race organizer Rio de la Cruz.
The absence of strong performance by Buenavista and Paniqui, paved way for the complete domination by foreign runners led by Tallam, who has been in the country for just eight months.
Thus, the annual event, which carried a theme of “Building champions in sports and in life by empowering Filipino runners and inspiring the youth through ‘Help Give Shoes’ advocacy,” was ruled by foreigners for the first time since it moved international in 2010.
“The Kenyans are fast and strong, but I think if Buenavista and Panique were in good condition, the Filipino flag will still prevail. Based on my assessment we can beat the Kenyans and the Ethiopians if given the right preparations,” said Agravante.
De los Santos, a native of Zamboanga-Sibugay, said that her inclusion with the Team Philippines for the Sea Games at the last minute was a blessing in disguise because it allowed her to continue rigid training in time for the Milo National Finals.
“I trained hard for this because as a member of the national training pool, I practiced two-times a day in Baguio City. I’m so very happy that I made it especially this is my first Milo major victory. At least my training paid off,” said de los Santos, who but broke away from the company of Banayag in the last 13 kilometers along Libingan ng mga Bayani in Makati to cross the finish line all alone.
