MILO Marathon welcomes 39th season; King and Queen to Boston Marathon

Runners preparing for the marathon to start (Photo from Milo’s official Facebook page)

MANILA – The National MILO Marathon, the country’s most prestigious running event, is set to mark its 39th season this year, with the first of 18 regional legs set in Dagupan on June 28.

A globally-renowned race event, the MILO Marathon continues to attract not only running enthusiasts and professional athletes, but also runners from all walks of life from across the country and internationally.

The National MILO Marathon expects 230,000 runners to participate this season.

Throughout the years, the esteemed race has not only catered to professional athletes but also welcomed aspiring runners in the 3-K and 5-K distances where young aspiring sprinters have emerged as division winners.

Aside from the new race locations in Balanga and Calapan, runners will surely look forward to this year’s National Finals, which will be held in Angeles, Pampanga on December 6.

Through these new venues, MILO will provide participants fresh challenges with better race routes which showcase the great running experience that the MILO Marathon is known for.

“With these routes, runners will be able to get a chance to enjoy being away from the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila, with less traffic and pollution. We believe that our runners will appreciate this,” said Rio Dela Cruz, MILO Marathon Race Organizer.

Last year’s winners Rafael Poliquit and Mary Joy Tabal will be looking to defend their coveted National MILO Marathon King and Queen crowns as they go head-to-head with the country’s best this season.

In line with MILO’s commitment in supporting the country’s finest athletes in establishing their prowess in the global competitive arena, this year’s National Finals victors will be given a chance to join the 2016 Boston Marathon, one of the six World Marathon Majors, and the world’s oldest annual marathon which ranks as one of the world’s best-known road racing events.

“The Boston Marathon is considered as the Mecca of all races, where the best of the best runners compete. We at MILO believe that our Filipino runners have what it takes to go head-to-head with the world’s finest athletes,” said Andrew Neri, MILO Sports Marketing Manager.

“It will surely be a challenging yet fulfilling experience for our 2015 MILO Marathon King and Queen as they represent our country with pride in the Boston Marathon.

To further inspire the 42K homegrown runners to push their limits and help champions move forward, local runners who finish amongst the top winners of the open category will also win the prize for the local category corresponding to their respective ranks.

Bonus prizes will also be given to the first runner who breaks the 2:15:00 invisible time barrier (Php 100,000), the first male runner who breaks the 2:18:53 men’s course record of 5-time MILO Marathon King Eduardo Buenavista (Php 50,000), and the first female runner who breaks the 2:48:00 women’s course record of back-to-back MILO Marathon Queen Mary Joy Tabal (Php 50,000).

“We want to provide our Filipino runners the motivation and additional level of competition, and support them in their journey as champions,” added Neri. “We at MILO believe that everyone has different reasons for running, but all runners keep moving forward as they tread the way to becoming a champion.

“We invite everyone to join us in the 39th National MILO Marathon and let their champion story begin.”