It was always her dream to compete and win for the country in an international competition. In December 2011, Mary Joy Tabal, the star of Cebu’s Southwestern University running team almost had her shot at an international event—the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon—if not for a mix-up with her sponsors which ended with Tabal failing to register in time for the race.
Undaunted, Tabal bided her time training by training hard (as usual) while waiting for the next opportunity to compete in foreign shores came up. In May 2012, the opportunity to carry the flag and make the country proud came up when she found sponsors who bankrolled her trip and entry to the Singapore Sundown Marathon.
Just when Tabal’s dream of winning in an international competition seemed within reach, an interrogation by immigration officers and an almost missed flight threatened to snatch away her dreams yet again.
But this petite road warrior would not be denied her date with destiny. Mary Joy emerged the fastest woman in the 21K category of the Singapore Sundown Marathon after clocking 1 hour 25 minutes. It was a double victory since her longtime coach, Philip Duenas also emerged top male in the men’s 21K race.
The Singapore Sundown Half Marathon was your first international competition, please describe what it was like for you.
MJT: Yes, Singapore Sundown Half Marathon was my first international competition. It feels so good knowing that I won on my first try. This was one of my dreams to compete internationally.
How did you prepare for this race?
MJT: Actually my Coach (Philip Duenas) and I were preparing for two competitions either the Philippine National Games or Singapore Sundown. We opted to run in Singapore because everything was according to plan, the round trip ticket and hotel accommodation were ready and it would have been a shame to let go of the opportunity to compete in an international race. We prepared for Sundown the way we always train for the other races. We do morning and afternoon sessions.
Did you encounter difficulties going into the race (like your encounter with immigration almost missing your flight) and how did you deal with it?
MJT: We were held for questioning in the immigration here in Cebu for almost 20 minutes. The immigration officers were asking us details of the race like if it’s really true that there’s a run there or are we really gonna join a run, and they were asking us if we were invited by the organizers. And because our hearts are clean and our intention is really to run nakalusot ra pud me. We’ve been to Singapore last December 2011 but we were not able to run because we failed to register in time for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon which was part of my prize at the 2011 Great Lapu-Lapu Run.
What’s your regular training regimen like? What do you do for muscle conditioning and cross-training?
MJT: I train everyday except on Saturdays, and I train two hard trainings in a week. I sometimes swim and bike as my cross-training.
What about diet? Do you follow certain rules or eat whatever you like?
MJT: I eat whatever I like except for those too oily foods.
What are your dream races?
MJT: My dream races are to compete and join international runs.
What is your next big race?
MJT: I think my next big race is the Camsur Marathon or the Milo Marathon.
In your opinion, who is your most formidable rival or competition? Who do you look up to in the sport of running?
MJT: I think every runner I compete with is my rival because we all aim to win. I always wanted to be like Jhoane Banayag in terms of her discipline in training and also her attitude towards her fellow runners.
What’s your greatest frustration in this sport?
MJT: My greatest frustration in this sport is having injuries.
Any message to your fans and supporters/sponsors?
MJT: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Three Sixty Pharmacy, Rogin-E , Citigym, Southwestern University, Duen Alien Runners and to my Coach Philip Duenas for the support and trust. I could not have achieved this without you guys.