DAVAO City’s veteran runner Olive Firmeza lived up to her billing by bagging the SarBay 50 Ultra Marathon female division crown while Arnie Macañeras of Kapatagan, Digos City defended his men’s title in Sarangani Province Saturday, June 1.
Firmeza, a 44-year-old widow since 2006, braved the challenging route of the 50-kilometer race and finished it in three hours and 14 minutes.
“First time nako muapil ani. Aim ko na top three kay aware ko na daghan dayo (It’s my first time to join. I aimed for the top three because I was aware that there were a lot of out-of-towners),” the mother of two told SunStar Davao in a Facebook interview Saturday.
The PhilHealth-backed champion bested entries from Cagayan de Oro City and Tagum City who placed second and third, respectively.
She, who hails from Buhangin, said, “Buhis buhay ang ruta Ma’am. Hehe. Last 10K uphill unya grabe ka ngitngit ang kalsada. Kadaghan motor ug tricycle. Challenging kaayo (The route was life-threatening. The last 10K was uphill and the road was too dark. There were motorcycles and tricycles. It was very challenging).”
She, however, received P5,000 and a plaque for her feat.
Macañeras, meanwhile, ruled the men’s event with a time of 3:45, smashing his 2018 record of 3:52.
Representing Davao Striders, the 27-year-old Macañeras expected to win again. “Sa preparasyon, mas kusog ko karon kaysa dati (Preparation-wise, I’m stronger now than before),” he said in a separate interview.
Macañeras studied at Brokenshire College and stayed in Davao City for 11 years. In those years, he collected several titles and medals in local, regional and national competitions.
He is currently based in Kapatagan.