BAGUIO CITY – Around a thousand runners answered the gun during the Baguio Marathon 2019 held last January 6, 2019, here.
David Kipkoech Kipsang led the long distances winners by taking home the 42.2 K Elite Men’s Division championship with a clock of 3:12:36, followed by 1st Runner Up Richard Kinnud with a time of 4:41:56 and 2nd Runner Up Jubert Castor, clocking 5:30:29.
The 42.2 K Women’s Division Champion had a time of 6:18:14, ran by Donna Marie Cayago. She was tailed by 1st Runner Up Irish Precion with a clock of 8:26:50.
Crisanto Bernal bagged the 42.2 K Pro Men’s Division with a time of 4:15:35. He was tailed by 1st Runner Up Alden Obello with a clock of 4:23:37 and 2nd Runner Up Urbano Dela Peña with a time of 4:24:27.
Gretchen Felipe bagged the 42.2 K Pro Women’s Division Champion by breaching the finish line at the 4:46:54 mark. She was followed by 1st Runner Up Maria Cecilia Kiswa, who clocked 4:52:24, and 2nd Runner Up Rose Nagal with a time of 6:15:53.
Bjornar Slatvag led the winners of the short distances by becoming the 16K Men’s Division Champion, finishing the race with a time of 1:30:03. He was followed the 1:31.43 of Laurence Cris Balanza, and the 1:46:32 by Akio Macaraeg.
Arlene Callang took home the 16K Women’s Division championship by crossing the tape at the 1:57:50 mark. She was followed by Rose Marie Alliado with a clock of 1:58:02 and Mishell Valdez with a time of 1:57:47.
The runners include Baguio Marathon 2019’s Brand Ambassadors Renson Emradura, one-legged paralytic marathon runner, Joebel Gurang, arm-amputee, and the Asia Programs Representative for Habitat for Humanity Philippines, Christian Missionary Federico Reyers Jr. from General Santos City.
The race terrain of the marathon boggled the minds of the participants by using sports science that combines all available types of terrain that Baguio City has to offer: irregular uphills, steep downhills, asphalt, concrete, mud, soil, eco-trail, steps, and gravel.
The initial offering of the run, where the oxygen is purer at a high altitude of 5,000 feet, air is way thinner, and where forecasts may say the sun is up and pretty but thick fog may cover them in a split second giving zero visibility with the possibility of a sudden shower of cold rain, was able to attract runners from the USA, United Kingdom, Dubai, Qatar, Malaysia, Japan, Hongkong, New Zealand, Australia, Kenya, Indonesia, and from many parts of the Philippines.
By: ARMANDO M. BOLISLIS
