MULTI-TITLED runner Prince Joey Lee and comebacking Olympian Mary Joy Tabal-Jimenez are eyeing strong finishes as they lead the Cebu/Philippines team in the 2026 Eva Air Marathon in Taipei on Oct. 25, 2026.
Lee and Tabal-Jimenez were among the Cebuano runners in attendance when the yearly international marathon was officially launched here in Cebu on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the Seda Central Bloc Cebu Hotel.
The launch was headed by key representatives from Eva Air Cebu, led by office chief Deacon Liu and assistant manager Jobelle Canillo, along with Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu Inc. board trustee Ron Manalang, Heritage Muebles Mirabile Export Inc. owner Charles Lim, and Sunshile Lim of Travel Care.
“We can beat our previous time. Of course, placing is secondary now because other runners have also trained hard, but beating our time from the previous race is the primary goal,” said Lee who finished third overall in last year’s marathon with a time of one hour, nine minutes, and 40 seconds.
That race was dominated by a Kenyan runner, while a local Taiwanese participant came in second.
Lee said he appreciated the race route, describing it as scenic but challenging.
Olympian Tabal-Jimenez will be participating in the event for the second time since her comeback.
She said that in last year’s full marathon, her only goal was to cross the finish line, as she had been away from long-distance racing for two years while balancing work and motherhood.
This year, however, she will compete in the half marathon, hoping to showcase her strength and dominate her division.
“After two years of not having that usual marathon mileage and struggling with work and motherhood, I was still able to run the marathon non-stop last year,” said Tabal-Jimenez.
“This is just half of the marathon. I’m hoping for a good finish this time – I have something in mind, but I’ll keep it to myself for now. I need to focus on working towards it first,” she added.
Aside from Lee and Tabal-Jimenez, the team may also include Franklyn Ferdie Yee, SEA Games medalist in duathlon mixed relay; Michelle Zamora, 2025 National PRISAA gold medalist; Artjoy Torregosa, marathon silver medalist; and Jibreel Rivera, a product of Mandaue City’s grassroots program.
The registration fee is US$399 per participant, which includes a roundtrip ticket, free entry to the 3KM event (worth 600 New Taipei dollars), 23kg baggage allowance, airport transfers, race kit, and Team Philippines t-shirt.
It was also announced during the press conference that a kickoff run will be held here in Cebu on Sept. 20. / JBM