While everyone thought she was done racing in long-distance running, Mary Grace delos Santos proved that she still should be considered one of the toughest runners in the region.
The Zamboanga native, who has made a name for herself in Cebu’s running scene last year, showed her old form yesterday, winning the 16-kilometer race of the Run For BB3: Super Heroes Run at the Chong Hua Medical Arts Center grounds.
Delos Santos was rumored to have suffered a leg injury since she was just competing in short-distance races in her previous stints.
Her absence in the long-distance running scene has paved the way for Mary Joy Tabal to shine in local races this year.
But Delos Santos changed that yesterday, as she clocked one hour, six minutes and 31 seconds to rule the women’s 16k race.
Still, the anticipated head-to-head battle between Tabal and Delos Santos didn’t happen since the Southwestern University (SWU) ace Tabal opted to race in the 8k category, which she won with a time of 32:42.
Mendel Lopez, meanwhile, topped the 16k men’s division by clocking 56 minutes and three seconds. Joebert Carolino of Davao clocked 27:36 to rule the men’s 8k race. Jay Yosores (01:12:38) and Heven Palma (01:24:10) won the 16k medical division.
Lenlie Cardenas and Peter Wilson Orbiso both came in first in the 4k division with times of 17:34 and 16:55, respectively.
More than a hundred runners joined the race, which was aimed at helping children patients of the Chong Hua’s hematology-oncology unit.