A FESTIVE weekend is about to unfold as 8,632 runners and fitness enthusiasts light up the vibes of Cebu on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, for the grand return of Cebu Marathon, which will feature the engineering marvel Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).
The renowned running event, part of the activities for the Sinulog Festival, draw participants from abroad and different parts of the country.
A record has been made for this year’s race as 4,029 will be standing at the starting line for the 21K category (half-marathon) and 2,125 runners for the 42K (full marathon).
For the short distance, meanwhile, the 10K category has 1,800 participants and 5K raked in 670 runners.
“We will have plenty of runners from all over the country and around the world joining the Cebu Marathon. There will also be a record number of 42K and 21K runners,” said John Pages of the Cebu Executive Runners Club.
This will be the first time Cebu Marathon in the post-pandemic era after being moved to a virtual race for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It also marks a historic feat as the first running event to include CCLEX in its route.
The Ironman Philippines used CCLEX last year for the bike portion of the swim-bike-run event.
“Since this is the first time for runners to climb the CCLEX, the participants are excited to join this experience. There is no better way to kick off the new year and to start the Sinulog festivities,” added Pages.
The race expo and race kit claiming is set from Jan. 5 to 7 at 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Mountain Wing, SM Seaside City. All runners must claim the race kits themselves.
However, the runners from out-of-town arriving on Saturday may ask a representative to claim their race kit.
The official list of registrants is also now available online.