The MILO Marathon has been in existence for 39 years. Finally, I got to join this prestigious race for the first time and ran 10k for the second time since I started engaging in this sport last year. The Manila leg of the country's biggest footrace, held at the SM Mall of Asia grounds, was joined by children, students, aspiring runners, and professional athletes of all ages last July 26.
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| husband and wife bonding |
Top finishers for the 42k were elite runners Eric Panique and Luisa Raterta who each received P50,000 in cash and a trophy. Victors of the 21k category, Gregg Osorio and Victorina Calma, brought home P10,000 and a trophy each. All runners who finished within the specified age-bracket and cut-off time per division will also receive a coveted slot in the National Finals in Angeles on December 6 where they will have a chance to be crowned the 2015 MILO Marathon King and Queen.
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| 24k top finishers with Coach Rio and a Milo executive |
Speaking of cut-off times, I only learned about it the day before when I checked MILO's Facebook page and felt really pressured to finish 10k before 1 hour and 30 minutes is up! Thankfully, we were booked at Microtel by Wyndham (booked through agoda) located at the Mall of Asia grounds so I got to sleep and rest longer before I started walking to the race venue around 4AM. Hubby, who ran 42k, left the hotel a couple of hours earlier.
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| bird's eye view of the race from Microtel's 11th floor |
I wasn't sure if I could finish 10k before cut-off but the incentive to beat my personal record of 1:35 pushed me enough to run faster and not walk in between as much as I often do. I'm glad that the race route was not that hard. We even got to pass in front of Microtel so my son was able to take shots of runners while watching from our room's window at the 11th floor.
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| zooming in on the race route from Microtel's 11th floor |
After making the last turn heading for the finish line, I could see the timer was already at 1:26 when I was still about two blocks away. It was such an awesome feeling to find out that my official race time is 1:27:59! Check your individual race result here: https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-13006
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| new PR on my race result -- I made it to the cut-off time! :) |
Right after, I went around and stood by near the 42k finish line where I waited for my husband (read his MILO Marathon blog post here). It was nice seeing a wide variety of people finishing this distance, both young and old, some in weird but fun costumes. I'm not sure if I'd have the guts to do that in the future. I guess I'm sticking to wearing my regular running pants, my favorite cap, and my belt bag that contains my iPod and smartphone (so I can use the Runtastic app).
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| my barefoot hubby just before he crossed the 42k finish line |
Likewise, if you want an easier way to find an official photo of yourself during the run, just enter your bib number at this website: http://photo-ops.ph/39th-milo-marathon-manila/
This year's MILO Marathon King and Queen will be sent by MILO to the USA on all-expense paid trips for a chance to run in the prestigious Boston Marathon, the world's oldest annual marathon and one of the world's best-known road racing events.
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| finished my second 10k, yey! |
For more information on MILO Philippines, log on to their official website at www.milo.com.ph or like www.facebook.com/milo.ph. You may also follow @MiloPH on Twitter and @MiloPhilippines on Instagram.
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