JOEL CUYOS established himself as one of the toughest runners in the country after he finished the South to North 250k Ultra Marathon in 42 hours and 39 minutes yesterday in Bogo City, northern Cebu.
The Cebuano Cuyos maintained his pace since Saturday and kept hold of the lead in this grueling run until the finish line.
Claiming second place was Zenchen Lagapa, who finished in 43 hours,19 minutes and 25 seconds, followed by Wilnar Iglesias, who was just one second behind the second placer.
Only seven of the initial 14 survivors of the 28-hour cut-off made it to the finish line, according to organizer Jonel Mendoza of Front Runner Magazine.
The rest of the finishers are Rodney Cabahug (46:40.20), Tony Galon (46:58.06), Randy Rubio (47:02.31) and Barry Red (47:37.10).
The top three finishers won a free pass to future ultra marathons of Front Runner Magazine. They also received specially designed buckles.
The race started with 20 qualified runners last Friday morning in Santander town, southern Cebu. /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL