MORE than 9,300 runners hit the roads of Cagayan de Oro in this year's final leg of the Milo Marathon, which returned after a three-year hiatus.
Kagay-anon foot racers composed of students, parents, fitness enthusiasts and professional runners tested their speed and endurance in the event, which featured the 21-kilometers, 10K, 5K and 3K categories.
"Capping off 2023 with 5 legs with the last one here in CDO as the city's biggest race and the first marathon to run in the newly opened boulevard which makes this leg more special for the Kagay-anons," Milo Sports head Carlo Sampan said.
According to Sampan, the Milo Marathon aims to get more into sports and encourage more Filipinos to be active.
Following its three-year hiatus, Sampan said this year's Milo Marathon gave more Filipinos the chance to experience the marathon to get active and see if they want to continue competitively in 2024 since a lot of training is required for such events.
"As mentioned, 2023 is only a shakedown for 2024 as Filipinos are also slowly getting on their feet and being more active than they were in the past years," Sampan said.
"We launched a campaign in January 2023 called Active Pilipinas with the purpose of activating our much-awaited sports programs to get kids from couch to court as we transition to the new normal," he added.
Milo will be celebrating its 60th year in the Philippines in 2024.
According to Sampan, they are currently gearing up for improved sports programs, especially for the full return of the Milo Marathon, among others. (Jo Ann Sablad)