37th Milo Marathon Kick-Off

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The Milo Marathon holds a special place in my heart. I may have started joining races in 2009, but training for my first marathon in 2010 opened me up to the longer distances beyond 10K. (And it was during recovery after that marathon that I decided to try triathlon. The rest is history.)

Now that Milo Marathon is on its 37th year, I’m still glad to take part in getting the word out about it. As the country’s longest-running footrace, Milo Marathon has discovered and fostered our homegrown running talents and has inspired thousands toward excellence in running. At the media kick-off yesterday in Bayview Park Hotel, Milo revealed its new developments for the races.

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race director Rio dela Cruz and Milo sports executive Andrew Neri

The first big reveal was that the Milo Marathon king and queen (first male and female Filipino finishers) would be sent to compete at the Paris Marathon in April 2014. Milo Marathon used to send its winners to the Boston Marathon many years ago, and that is still the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances surrounding this year’s Boston Marathon, Milo decided it might be better for now to send the winners elsewhere.

The Paris Marathon is optimal because it allows the winners to recover from the finals race (which happens on December 8) and then ramp up training. It’s a little more than four months, which is perfect. Coach Rio also ran Paris last year so he knows that it’s a good event, and he’s already spoken with the organizers to ensure that there are reserved slots for our runners.

Another big development that excited me is that at the Manila elimination race, runners can qualify for the finals through both the 21K and 42K categories! Last year, it was just a misprint on the registration form, but now it’s for real.

21K Qualifying Cut-Off Times:
Age Group – Men – Women
18-34 – 1hr 30min – 1hr 40min
35-39 – 1hr 35min – 1hr 45min
40-44 – 1hr 40min – 1hr 50min
45-49 – 1hr 45min – 1hr 55min
50-54 – 1hr 50min – 2hrs 00min
55-59 – 2hrs 00min – 2hrs 10min
60-64 – 2hrs 10min – 2hrs 20min
65-69 – 2hrs 20min – 2hrs 25min
70 up – 2hrs 30min – 2hrs 30min

42K Qualifying Cut-Off Times:
Age Group – Men – Women
18-34 – 3hrs 45min – 4hrs 20min
35-39 – 3hrs 50min – 4hrs 25min
40-44 – 3hrs 55min – 4hrs 30min
45-49 – 4hrs 00min – 4hrs 35min
50-54 – 4hrs 05min – 4hrs 40min
55-59 – 4hrs 10min – 4hrs 45min
60-64 – 4hrs 15min – 4hrs 50min
65-69 – 4hrs 20min – 4hrs 55min
70 up – 5hrs 30min – 5hrs 30min

Like before, 21K and 42K runners must meet the finishing cut-off (2 hours 30 minutes for 21K, 6 hours for 42K) in order to receive a finisher’s medal. I’m glad Milo is sticking to their guns with these cut-offs since it’s one sure way of getting people to respect the distance.

Milo is also addressing security concerns with a full-course security sweep right before the race, bomb sniffer dogs at baggage check-in, and SWAT team deployment. The added measures contributed to the slight uptick in prices: the kiddie 3K and students’ 5K are now at P75. Adults 5K and 10K fee remain steady at P100 and P500, respectively. The 21K is now P600 and 42K is now P700, an adjustment that Rio and Andrew said has to do with the different package given to 21K and 42K finishers, as well as the logistics required for these distances. (My thought here is that in previous years people may have signed up for the 42K because it was more sulit at the same price as 10K, without training for the distance!)

Unfortunately, the Manila elimination race falls on the weekend before my Ironman 70.3 so I’m supposed to take it easy. I might still be on the race course to support and cheer on the marathon runners, though. And I’m thinking of joining one of the provincial races — any suggestions which one?

See you at the Milo Marathon!

Race: 37th Milo Marathon
Dates: Puerto Princesa (June 30), Lipa (July 7), Naga (July 14), San Pablo (July 21), Manila eliminations (July 28), Iloilo (August 4), Dumaguete (August 11), Tagbilaran (September 15), Cebu (September 22), Cagayan de Oro (September 29), Butuan (October 6), Davao (October 13), General Santos (October 20), Baguio (November 3), Dagupan (November 10), Tarlac (November 17), Angeles (November 24), Manila finals (December 8)
Manila Venue: SM Mall of Asia
Reg Fee: P75 (3K Kiddie/5K Students), P100 (5K Adults), P500 (10K), P600 (21K), P700 (42K)
Registration Sites: online or through area race organizers
More Information: Milo Marathon official website