2009 Milo Marathon Champion and 22-year-old Jeson Agravante is again this year’s winner for the 21k men’s category of the Dumaguete Leg as the 34th National Milo Marathon regional eliminations.
He clocked in 1:13:25 which was way within the qualifying time of 1 hour and 15 minutes for the national finals in Manila on Dec 12.{{more}}
Last year’s runner-up Mereeis Ramirez stormed her way past her closest pursuers as she took home the 21k women’s Championship trophy with a strong 1:39:23. Agravante is from Silay City, while Ramirez is from Dumaguete.
It was a sweet victory for Agravante as he crossed the finish line first despite being sick a week before the race that disrupted his training. He said that he was very happy and that he was confident that he could regain his crown and so he did, in fact even faster than his time last year.
This was Agravante’s third straight stint in the 21k category of the Milo Marathon.
The 30-year-old Ramirez, on the other hand, has been participating in the Dumaguete Leg since its inception in the race calendar in 2007.
She recalled in the Visayan vernacular that she was in the top three of the 21k category in her first try, and then was part of the top 10 in 2008. Last year, she fell short and settled for second place; but this year she finally captured the 21k plum.
Agravante was joined at the podium by Rommel Huleza with a time of 1:15:39 and Joel Alcorin with a 1:16:40 finish. Ramirez was joined by Iresh Belleza, 1:40:58 and Alyssa Lagahit, 1:42:10 for the second and third places respectively. A total of 22 qualifiers will see action in the national finals in Manila.
Top officials of Milo led by Pat Goc-Ong, sports executive, were elated with the outcome of the race. Despite the damp track, and absence of electricity, the entire NMM Dumaguete leg finished at a resounding success with 6,269 participants, more than a thousand from the previous year.
Local government officials such as Cong. George Arnaiz, Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria, and Vice-Mayor Allan Cordova graced the event. Cordova participated in the 5k category.
Some 140 pairs of shoes were donated to the students of Camanjac National National High School as part of the Milo Marathon sports advocacy which is aimed towards helping the youth fulfill their dreams of going into sports.
Milo is more than halfway through its goal of providing 4,000 running shoes as the number of running shoes donated reaches 2,160. (PR)
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Contestants sweat it out in the 3-kilometer run of the Milo Marathon which was held Sunday, starting and ending at the Quezon Park. (photo by Melissa Alexandra Pal)
