Tabal unsure of competing in Cebu City Marathon

SOUTHWESTERN University’s ace runner Mary Joy Tabal remains undecided whether to compete in the Third Cebu City Marathon slated this Sunday at the Asia Town IT Park.

According to Tabal she stopped training since last year’s National Milo Marathon after she was injured.

“I don’t know if maka apil ba kaha ko pero I already registered in the 21k. Maybe I’ll decide at the last minute,” said the 42k champion of last year’s Race To Reduce of the Aboitiz Equity Ventures.

Should Tabal decide to compete, she will be running against some of the country’s toughest female runners including the reigning National Milo Marathon queen and RP Team member Mary Grace Delos Santos who will also vie in the 21k.

However, Tabal’s therapist advised her to slow down to prevent her injury from getting worse like Delos Santos who took more than a year to recover from her foot injury.

Meanwhile, a mean pack of Kenyan racers led by multi-titled Abraham Missous and Josphat Kiptanui are competing in the men’s 42k division.

Madelyn Carter on the other hand, will try her luck in the 42k since two of the country’s best runners are expected to compete in the 21k.

The announcement of the top entries were revealed yesterday during the event’s final press conference at the Cebu City Mayor’s office attended by Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC) members John Pages, Meyrick Jacalan, Jesse Taborada and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama along with Cebu City Sports Commission chairman Edward Hayco and Councilor Edgar Labella, the co-chairman of the council’s sports committee.

Mayor Rama for his part said the Cebu City government will extend its full support to race which is now considered as the biggest and grandest in Cebu.

“We are not complete if we do not compliment our mental capacity without testing our physical capacity that’s why the Cebu City government will join this running event,” said Rama who will run in the 5k category for the second year.

A total of 1,568 runners from 18 countries will compete in the 42k division, 1,340 are running the 21k while 4,114 entries are joining the 5k race.

According to Jacalan, this year’s edition attracted 7,022 runners and they are expecting some 8,000 runners this Sunday.

To encourage local runners to race in the longer distances, organizers decided to have an all-Filipino category in the 42k and 21k events.

Today, a running expo will be held in the Active Zone of the Ayala Center Cebu which includes the distribution of race packets for 42k and 21k runners during mall hours while 5k racers may claim theirs tomorrow.

“Please bear with us during the claiming of the race packets because there will be a very long line, please be patient as you line up to claim your packets,” said Jacalan.

The carbo-loading party and race briefing will be on Jan. 6 at the Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu with P180 entrance fee.