Kenyan runner seeks third straight win

CEBU, Philippines - World-class Kenyan runner Simon Losiaboi guns for his third straight title when he sees action today in the Running Mad 2 at the UP Grounds, Lahug. Losiaboi has won the Rock and Run 12K Run and the Cebu Lakandula Lions Club-organized Roar to Grow 10K since he arrived in Cebu three weeks ago.

Race director Raffy Uytiepo said it’s impossible to stop Losiaboi as he owns a best personal time of 28 minutes in the 10-kilometer distance and has ran against the best of the world including current marathon record holder Haile Gerbsellasie of Ethiopia.

Cebu’s top runner Mendel Lopez agreed that Losiaboi would be hard to beat. Lopez who is now Losiaboi’s training partner settled for second place in both races.

Over 1,000 runners will answer the starting gun in today’s race with the champions, (male and female) in the 12K division poised to winning P3,000, the second placers P2,000 and the third placers P1,000. Fourth to tenth placers will each receive P300.

Mary Grace Delos Santos will also be gunning for another win after winning Rock and Run 2 and Roar to Grow, a Cebu Lakandula Lions Club organized event. De los Santos has won all the races she entered since she started competing in Cebu in 2008.

In the 6K division, the champions (male and female) are assured of P2,000, the second placers P1,000 and the third placers P700. Fourth to tenth placers pocket P200.   (FREEMAN NEWS)