About 8,000 spirited runners charged under the rain during the Lipa leg of the 38th National MILO Marathon
Elite runners Joseph Macaladlad and Criselyn Jaro bagged the top purse in the 21K centrepiece events at the Lipa leg of the 38th National MILO Marathon on Sunday. Each pocketed a prize of P10,000 in cash, a trophy and a coveted slot to the National Finals on December 7, for a chance to be crowned as the MILO Marathon King and Queen. MILO will send this year’s King and Queen to Japan on an all-expense paid trip to the 2015 Tokyo Marathon. Over 8,000 runners joined today’s race.
Not even the rainy skies and slippery wet roads could stop the racers from running to their heart’s content. In the 21K male category, 24-year-old Lyceum of the Philippines Batangas Criminology student Joseph Macaladlad beat his fiercest rivals, posting a time of 01:17:14, relegating Greg Vincent Osorio (01:19:25) and Jay Laya (01:19:43) to second and third place, respectively.
21K category winners Joseph Macaladlad and Criselyn Jaro outsprinted competitors during the Lipa Leg of the 38th National MILO Marathon
Macaladlad, originally from Mindoro but residing in Batangas, has been running for six years and has been joining the MILO Marathon for three years now. He makes the most out of his passion for running by joining races to help him with his schooling. “I really love running. I’m grateful that I am able to use my winnings for my college tuition and expenses,” said Macaladlad. “I’m very happy that I won. Even if it was very rainy, which proved to be a big challenge, the cool weather was nice and I had a lot of fun in the race.”
On the distaff side, 22-year-old Brokenshire College of Davao alumna Criselyn Jaro came out on top with a time of 01:29:16, followed by fellow contenders Mirasol Abad (01:33:47) in second place and Cellie Rose Jaro (01:34:36) in third place.
Davao native Criselyn Jaro ran ahead against contenders to be the 21K female race winner of the 38th National MILO Marathon in Lipa City
The Jaro sisters are no strangers to the running scene. Running definitely runs in their family, with their names consistently appearing at the top of running results in the different race categories of the MILO Marathon, amongst various races. “My sisters and I are all runners. We grew up into a poor family, and we had to go to school which was about 11 kilometers away from our house. We would run to school to avoid being late, and that was the start of our foray into running,” shared Jaro. “Our family is our inspiration, and our eldest sister Cynthia is our biggest influence. She was the one who first started running competitively, and we all followed in her footsteps. Through running, we are able to help our family enjoy a better life.”
Each year, thousands of families join the National MILO Marathon and conquer the races together. ”We at MILO are delighted to see children, whether kids or adults, run with their parents and their siblings at the MILO Marathon. It is heartwarming to see families become really engaged in running, such as the Jaro sisters,” said Andrew Neri, MILO Sports Marketing Manager. “The National MILO Marathon is a communal gathering where numerous Filipino families channel their athletic spirits and enjoy family bonding through running together. We encourage more families to join our national family affair that is truly fun for all ages.”
10K top finisher Jomad Angus crosses the finish line in the 38th National MILO Marathon in Lipa City
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 50th year, Help Give Shoes aims to make the donation to students in Yolanda-hit cities, particularly Tacloban, Ormoc, and Eastern Samar.
The qualifying race will pick up in Iloilo on September 21, then proceed to 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.
The 38th National MILO Marathon is made possible by Timex, the Bayview Park Hotel Manila, ASICS, Lenovo, Manila Bulletin and Gatorade, along with endorsements from the Department of Education, Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.