Tabal shines in 7-Eleven run, snares Beijing Marathon berth

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuana long distance running star Mary Joy Tabal added feathers on her cap after ruling the All-Filipino category of the 7-Eleven 1000 run at the Aseana City in Parañaque.

The newly–crowned queen of the National Milo Marathon emerged as the fastest Pinay and ranked second overall in the 21K premier division.

Tabal was also the champion in the 21K half-marathon division of the Cebu City Marathon.

Tabal was declared the women’s champion in the All-Filipino class with the time of one hour, 22 minutes and 38 seconds followed by Kenyan Jachline Nzivo (1:20:15).

Aside from the Paris Marathon this summer, Tabal will now also prepare for her stint in the Beijing International Marathon later this year as 7-Eleven promised the top three male and female Filipino runners an all-expense paid trip to Beijing.

Tabal’s rival Mary Grace Delos Santos and Aileen Tolentino also qualify for Beijing Marathon.

“It’s quiet a difficult race because of the large number of participants that makes it hard for me to pass through,” said Tabal. “There were about 80,000 runners who joined the race.”

For his part, Cebu City Marathon champion Jackson Chirchir gets his second victory for this month as he captured the 21K men’s open title with a time of 1:06:19.

Meanwhile, the top three Pinoy male runners who will also fly to Beijing are Elmer Sabal (1:11:41), Mario Maglinao (1:14:13) and Alley Quisay (1:15:56). — (FREEMAN)