FORMER Brokenshire College varsity trackster Arnie Macañeras secured the gold medal in the men's 70-kilometer race for the Philippines at the Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) held on Saturday, September 23, 2023, in Lao Cai Province, Sa Pa, Vietnam.
The 32-year-old Macañeras, a member of the Philippine national team, completed the challenging race in an impressive eight hours, forty minutes, and forty-eight seconds, outpacing competitors Michal Lesniak of Poland and Nguyen Duc Tuan Anh of Vietnam, who claimed the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Lesniak finished at 10:11:48, while Nguyen Duc Tuan Anh registered at 10:24:14.
He dedicated three months of rigorous preparation for what he described as the most demanding race of his career, featuring a 70-kilometer route with a challenging 4,590-meter elevation gain, including steep mountainous terrain.
"Happy kaayo ko kay nag pay off kaayo ang training (I'm very happy, my training paid off)," he said in a Facebook interview with SunStar Davao on Sunday, September 24.
Macañeras, who hails from Kapatagan, Digos City, said, "Challenging kaayo ilang trail para sa akoa (Their trail is very challenging for me)."
He thanked God, his family, friends, Philtra, and clubs for supporting his successful VMM stint.
This marked his debut race in Vietnam, where he noticed the distinctive nature of the trail compared to courses in the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Europe.
The Filipino champion began his decorated amateur running career at Brokenshire College as its top runner, representing Davao City and Davao region in the National Prisaa Games and his alma mater in the National University Games.
He will next compete in Indonesia in December. MLSA