Filipino ultra-marathon runner completes Saudi leg of global run

MANILA, Philippines—Cesar Guarin, the pioneering Filipino ultra-marathon runner, ran 60 km in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 1 on the 7th leg of his global run around the world, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.

Starting and ending at the Philippine embassy in Riyadh, Guarin ran around Riyadh and to the Tuwaiq escarpment to complete the 60 km.

Embassy personnel, together with members of the Filipino community, cheered him on.

‘Inspiration to us all’

“We are very proud of Cesar. He serves as an inspiration to us all here in the kingdom,” the DFA quoted Philippine ambassador Ezzedin Tago as saying.

Guarin, who arrived from Kuwait, proceeded to Oman on Friday.

According to the DFA, the 7th leg of Guarin’s global run began in Bahrain and consisted of stops in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. The leg’s final stop is in the United Arab Emirates. It involves a solo run of 1,265 km.

So far, Guarin has completed about 17,000 km around the world. He started his quest in the Philippines in 1983, and since then has run across the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia.