CRESENCIANO SABAL finally proved his point. And so did Jho-An Banayag.
Sabal and Banayag put on an electrifying pace which everyone found too hard to match to rule their respective divisions in grand fashions in the 29th National Milo Marathon before a huge Sunday crowd at the Quirino Grandstand.
Always a contender but never a winner, Sabal used the absence of the top guns as his motivation to win the classic event, the country’s premier marathon event, and enshrine himself in the pantheon of champions.
Not only did he win the event, the soft-spoken Sabal also ripped the national record set by, of all people, Eduardo Buenavista.
Imagine beating the record of Buenavista? That’s really amazing. Very special.
Just like Sabal, Banayag, the pride of Davao, also finally emerged from the huge shadows of her more prominent rivals by topping the distaff side in a dramatic finish.
Banayag and last year’s champion Stella Mamac-Diaz engaged each other in a heated but friendly race but Banayag’s youthful energy prevailed over Mamac-Diaz’s experience.
For Banayag, the win was doubly sweet since it was her first time to beat her mentor who has long dominated the Davao leg of the Milo eliminations for years.
Though Roy Vence, Allan Ballester and Buenavista were absent — all are members of the national tract team which is busy preparing for the coming SEA Games — that did not deter Sabal’s desire to win the event. It even fired him up the more to prove that he can be as dominant as the three.
Sabal made his gallant move early in the race and that strategy paid off handsomely as no one was able to keep pace with his long, flowing strides.
Sabal completing the lung-busting 42.195-kilometer course in two hours 21 minutes and 33 seconds. Buenavista’s old record was 2:22:52.
"Nais ko kasing patunayan sa sarili ko na kaya kong makipagsabayan sa mga tulad nina Vence, Buenavista at Ballester," said the 26-year-old Sabal, who earned his ticket to the finals by topping the Lipa City elimination.
Sabal, who finished a far third in last year’s finale, pocketed the top
R75,000 prize and an additional R10,000 for setting a new Milo Marathon record.
Juniel Languido, who qualified in Cagayan de Oro City, and Rodolfo Tacadino of Isabela placed second and third, respectively. Languido (2:27:35) pocketed
R50,000 while Tacadino (2:31:19) settled for the R30,000 in the event held in partnership with Bayview Park Hotel-Manila, ADIDAS, Cebu Pacific, Smart Kid, Department of Tourism, Addict Mobile Prepaid and Powerbar.
Liza Delfin placed third at 3:14:03.
The men’s 10K run was ruled by Alley Quisay (32:19), Alquin Bolivar (33:40) and Ben Alejandrino (33:51). The women’s division was once again ruled by Mercidita Manipol (37:14), who is unbeaten in the 10K run since 1998. Placing second to Manipol was veteran runner Gloria Diaz (42:12) and third was Librada Tamson (42:51).
The men’s 5K race was topped by Nelbert Docusin (17:05), Jerome Beredo (17:19) and Jay-ar Rivera (17:30) while the distaff side was dominated by Bernadette Mag-aso (20:30), Emma Magango (20:49) and Mary Ann Mubog (21:24).
The Media Run was topped by Bandera correspondents Lito Oredo and Zenaida Dadacay. Abante’s Ramil Cruz placed second in the men’s side even as Bandera assistant sports editor Melvin Sarangay settled for third.
The Kiddies 3K race was topped by Jimboy Bernal and Juvy Dee in the 6-9 years old category and Eddieboy Ucag and Hazel Orivida in the 10-12 age group.
