De los Santos eyes Cebu Marathon title

CEBU CITY , Philippines  – There’s bad news for local and visiting runners who will compete in the women’s division of the Cebu Marathon on January 10, 2010.

Mary Grace De los Santos has set her sight on this running spectacle and is hell bent for redemption after a second place finish in the 2009 Milo national finals.

Delos Santos finished with a time of 3:14:20, but felt she let the title slip through her fingers.

The 21-year-old runner from Zamboanga City, who now resides in Cebu, feels she could have won the title from RP’s Cristabel Martes, who finished just 13 seconds ahead of her.

In an interview with The Freeman, Delos Santos recalls, “I was last to step out of the starting block. I let them go ahead including Martes. In the 15K-mark, I caught up with Martes. She told me, ‘Bata ang lakas ng pacing mo! I-maintain mo lang yan ikaw na ang mananalo.”

When she reached the finish line, Martes was already cooling her heels, laughing all the way to the bank with the champion’s purse.

This time, Delos Santos vowed not take anything by chance.

She’s in the thick of training and is pounding the oval three times a week with personal trainer Moh. Sherwin E. Managil. The training starts at 4:30 am and would slide all the way up to 7:00 or 8:00 am! Then there’s the evening grind that lasts an hour or two.

“She is now between 60%-70% in her preparation. We’re in the oval Tuesdays and Thursdays and go out on Sundays for the long runs. We’re currently concentrating on muscular, cardiovascular, endurance and power drills,” Managil said.

With two more months to go before the Cebu Marathon, Delos Santos is right on target, says Managil.

Her modest goal is to improve her time. “I’ll try to improve on my personal time of 3:11,” she said but when asked what’s the time she’s aiming for she sheepishly said “3:05.”

Managil, who was beside Delos Santos during the interview, could only agree. “She has to train hard and maintain her focus. In Manila we relaxed and became complacent and it cost us the title,” he explained.

Managil said they wouldn’t commit the same mistake in Cebu.

Delos Santos has the credentials to put back up her words.

After the Milo finals, Delos Santos ran a leisurely pace in the Quezon City International Marathon and still placed fifth.

In Cebu, she has won all the races she joined since she first came into the city in 2008. She lost count of the races she won but recalled finishing first in the recent Pink October Run, Don Sergio Osmeña, Echo Dash among many others.

Delos Santos, however, isn’t underestimating other runners. She said national runners like Martes, Joan Banayag, Aileen Tolentino, and Davao bet Monlisa Ambosa might run the Cebu Marathon.

She also said that local runners like Madeline Carter and Leizl Gitaurelas are still a force to reckon with.— Raffy B. Osumo