Madelyn Carter – Marathon bridesmaid no more

After years of being relegated to 2nd or 3rd place, sometimes missing the podium altogether in the marathon distance, my friend Madelyn Carter, finally claims her first title at the 2012 Kawasan Falls Marathon.

At the Kawasan Falls Marathon, Madz was the fastest of them all at 3:50:27 besting not only the women but also the male runners in the 42K. Though this wasn’t Madelyn Carter’s best personal record, it was still sweet success after seven attempts at the top prize in the full mary.

In her debut race in the 2006 Milo Marathon Finals, Madelyn clocked 3:43. In the 2007 Milo Finals she placed 12th after clocking 3:36:56 seconds. Then in 2008 also in the Milo Finals, Madelyn jumped four places higher and landed 8th place after finishing in 3:31:30.

Madelyn’s run at the well praised and well reviewed Kawasan Falls is a testament to her love and passion for running for running’s sake. There was no cash prize for the winners, only pride and glory.

This is a long way away for someone who only started running almost seven years ago hoping only to lose weight. “I never dreamed of becoming a competitive runner,” says Madelyn. “I started running just to lose weight. Before that all the exercise I knew were house chores and farm work back home in Siargao.” But Madelyn’s got natural talent. You don’t run a sub-four in your first 42K without speed training if you’re not naturally gifted.

It all started in 2005, Madelyn was diagnosed with a thyroid condition which affected her metabolism and made her overweight. She took up walking as complement to her radiation therapy. “Sa una mag-walking ra ko sa Fuente circle ug sa Abellana, tuyok-tuyok lang. Hangtud wa ko kabalo nagsugod na diay kog dagan hinay-hinay lang.” (At first I would just walk around Fuente circle and Abellana (Cebu City Sports Center). Until one day, I don’t remember how it began, I just started running very slowly at first).

Madelyn says she never had any training nor followed any running program. Everything she knows about running she picked up from varsity runners at the Abellana track. “Nakakat-on ko parti anang competition sa dagan sige chika-chika sa mga runners sa mga varsity dinha sa oval. Naamigo ra nako sila kay pirmi man ko naa sa Abellana.” (I became friends with varsity runners at the oval because I was always at the Abellana. I learned about competitive running from them.)

I became friends with Madelyn in 2009 while training with Coach Precing Capangpangan. Madelyn told me then she wanted to take her running to the next level and improve her time some more. Madelyn and I used to do speed intervals together at the Cebu City Sports Center on Thursdays from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m., of course at different paces. Her easy run is my racing pace.

We became fast friends when on weekend races, she would finish her 10K and come back and pace me and the other slow runners so we’d run faster and beat the clock. She paced me during the Cam Sur Marathon in 2010. I asked her once why she does it. She tells Marathon Foodie that in every race, regardless of pace, we all have equal opportunities to turn from ordinary to extraordinary if we push ourselves hard enough. Madz says she likes being there to watch it happen to other runners too.

Run for Pinoy Paralympians

If you want to help send our athletes to the Summer Parympics in London this July, then sign up for the Summit RUN for PINOY Glory .

The run will be on July 7, 2012, a Saturday at the Fort San Pedro in Cebu City. Race Categories are: 3Km, 5Km, 12km, 16Km and 21Km. Registration is ongoing at R.O.X in Ayala Center Cebu and the Cebu City Sports Center. You may also register online at the Shadowfax through their website www.shadowfaxevents.com.

The beneficiaries are the Philippine Olympians Association and the Philippine Sports Association for the Differently-Abled (Philspada). Part of the proceeds will go to athletes and Paralympic athletes bound for the London Olympics on July 27-Aug. 12.