Monday, January 21, 2008 ‘Next stop: international’--Sinulog run winners
TOP finishers of the Mizuno-Shell Sinulog Half Marathon last Saturday Merlita Arias and Leiszl Geteruelas plan to run in an international race after their respective wins.
Arias finished Saturday’s race in fifth place with one hour, 38 minutes and 59.60 seconds, 10 minutes behind her best record of one hour and 28 minutes during the Milo 21K marathon elimination in Davao City in 2006.
Although she is on active rest after her full recovery from the Milo finals last year in Manila, she opted to join the Sinulog marathon as “…part of my training for the race in Malaysia.”
The race, slated this Aug. 23, is dubbed as Mt. Kinabalo Mountain Race.
Arias will try to improve her best place finish in this year’s competition in Malaysia after she only settled for sixth last year in Mt. Kinabalo.
Flexible
On the other hand, Geteruelas, the newly- crowned Sinulog half marathon winner in her division last Saturday, also expressed her willingness to participate in the international competition.
Geteruelas, who now holds the national record in the 21K marathon, plans to join the 21K Hongkong Half Marathon on Feb. 17.
Though she thinks that the time between the Sinulog half marathon and the Hong Kong run is so short for preparation, she said this is only for experience.
If it pushes through, this could be her third time in an international sporting event.
She first joined an arm wrestling competition in Japan in Dec. 6, 1991 and finished fourth. She was also eighth finisher in the Malaysian Climbathon in Sept. 29, 2006.
“Climbathon is an uphill race to the summit and going back down,” said Geteruelas.
Meanwhile, Patafa technical coordinator Joey Santos congratulates the winners and the Cebu Executive Runners Club for a successful race.
Santos was here to observe and officiate the time in last Saturday’s event. (NSM)
