Delos Santos wins in Davao

DAVAo CITY , Philippines  – Mary Grace Delos Santos extended her winning streak to Davao City last week when she ruled the 2009 Davao Marathon.

Delos Santos, who had been dominating all the races in Cebu, clocked a “slow” three hours and twenty-eight minutes to breast the tape unopposed. Her closest rival, the second placer in the women’s division, finished almost an hour later.

Her time, although far from her personal best of 3:11, qualified as the seventh fastest time overall or seventh in the men’s category.

The Freeman chanced upon Delos Santos at the oval as she continues to train for the Cebu City Marathon. When asked how she managed to pull it off, she said, “It was dark at the start and so I just ran with the pack for the first 5 kilometers. Then I realized that I was running by myself, so I just continued to run,” she explained.

Delos Santos and her personal coach Sherwin Managil said they didn’t expect to win the race. Managil said that they only wanted to have a long run because the weekly races in Cebu don’t give them time for long runs.

Managil also said that they planned a slow race but then Mary Grace, who was unfamiliar with the route and was afraid of the dark, set the pace that took its toll on other the other fifty runners.

One of them was Monalisa Ambasa, a Davao runner, who matched Delos Santos stride for stride in the first five kilometers only to loose steam as the latter increased the pace. Ambasa dropped out of the race after the first five kilometers.

With Ambasa no longer a threat, Delos Santos had the luxury of just coasting along the route and enjoying the sight as the sun begins to shine.

Managil said Delos Santos was capable of finishing faster than 3:28 but because it was supposedly a long run, she had to restrain herself.

Delos wore her new pair of Newton Racer running shoes courtesy of Runnr Cebu. Two weeks ago, Toby Claudio of Runnr officially sponsored Delos Santos as Newton runner and presented her with a new pair of Newton Racer.

Delos Santos is the first competitive female runner in Cebu to wear Newton running shoes and the second runner in the country to compete with Newton. Sen. Pia Cayetano is the other Newton runner.

Newton running shoes have currently revolutionized running. Aside from being lightweight, its cushioning is stable and responsive.

The actuator lugs (membrane inside the shoe) allows the runner to land forefoot without any pronation. After landing, the lugs activate for added propulsion.

Managil said he had observed that Delos Santos had an added boost in her speed after training and running with Newton for only two weeks.

Delos Santos will be running in the Midnight Run at Ayala on Saturday then go home to Zamboanga to concentrate on the final phase of her training for the Cebu City Marathon on January 10, 2010.

Elmer Bartolo, a native of Davao, but is currently based in Cebu, competed in the men’s division of the Davao Marathon and finished fourth. Robie Aguilon, another Cebuano runner, also competed, submitting a respectable time of 5:20. (RBO)