IN AN effort to avoid a repeat of the negative experiences of the past two years, the Cebu Marathon will have a new organizing team when it returns on Jan. 10, 2027, in Cebu City.
The Cebu City Sports Commission, headed by chairman Dr. Rhoel Dejaño, and DJT Events, the new event organizer led by Danika Johanna Tan, formally launched the Cebu Marathon 2027 on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at SM Seaside City, together with representatives from the event’s sponsors. The 2027 Cebu Marathon is presented by Cebu Landmasters Inc.
“The marching instructions from the mayor [were] to monitor, to sit down with them and see to it that the previous experience and the previous things that happened will not happen this year. I think that is the only thing that he asked—that there will be no repeat performance of what happened previously,” Dejaño said.
“We read, we monitor, and the mayor also reads all the comments and feedback that we received in the previous edition. When that actually happened, we were talking the whole day because the blame went back to the mayor and the city, with no mention of the organizers,” Dejaño added.
The Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC), the founding organization of the Cebu Marathon, will now have only a limited role in the event, serving mainly in a consultation capacity.
“We are officially introducing Cebu Marathon 2027 under a new organizing team. The CERC, the founding organization of Cebu Marathon, entrusted DJT Events to organize the Cebu Marathon. As we continue to transition to this new chapter, we will continue to work closely with them through guidance and consultation only,” Tan said.
“But moving forward, DJT Events will fully direct, organize and operate the Cebu Marathon.”
The Cebu Marathon was marred by controversies involving finisher medals in the past two years.
In 2025, the distribution of finisher medals appeared to be poorly managed, resulting in participants scrambling to get their medals and creating a major issue during the event.
A similar problem occurred in 2026, when participants complained after discovering that no medals were available at the finish line. Runners had to wait for several hours before they could finally receive their medals.
Several runners from other countries were also disappointed after finishing the race without receiving their medals.
The incidents inevitably created a negative image for Cebu City, prompting the local government to take action to address the issues.
This was among the reasons the organizers of the growing event, which also coincides with the Sinulog festivities, were replaced with a new organizing team.
For the 2027 edition, the annual Cebu Marathon will feature four categories open to runners of all skill levels.
Registration fees are pegged at P2,999 for the 42K division, P2,799 for the 21K, and P1,499 for the 10K and 5K categories.
Participants in the 42K and 21K will receive a complete premium race package that includes an official race shirt, Salt+Fin DriFit finisher shirt, finisher towel, race kit bag, commemorative finisher medal, and post-race meal.
Participants in the 10K and 5K will also receive a premium package featuring official race apparel, medals, bags, and post-race refreshments. In addition, all registered participants across all categories will automatically be entered into the Omoda–Jaecoo J5 HEV Grand Raffle.
Substantial cash prizes also await the winners. The 42K men’s and women’s champions will each receive P70,000, while the second-place finishers will take home P30,000 and the third-place finishers P20,000.
In the 21K, the champions will receive P25,000, while the top finishers in the 10K will go home with P10,000.
There will also be age-group divisions for the 21K and 42K categories covering 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, and 70 years old and above.
Special awards will also be given for Most Festive Costume and Oldest Runner, giving veteran runners and participants looking to enjoy the festive atmosphere more opportunities to compete and be recognized.
The race route will include the 8.9-kilometer Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).
Registration will run from Aug. 15 to Nov. 15, 2026, with all registrations to be made online through the official Cebu Marathon website, cebumarathon.com. ph. / JBM