Sorongon stays as queen, Prince reigns as new ‘king’

CEBU, Philippines — They may both seasoned and bemedalled long-distance runners but Ruffa Sorongon and Prince Joey Lee still have to hurdle tough obstacles before reigning supreme in their respective divisions during the Cebu elimination race of the 43rd National Milo Marathon yesterday at the Cebu City Sports Center.

Sorongon, a Cebu-based marathoner from Sultan Kudarat, endured a sore hamstring on the way to claim her fourth straight women’s 21-kilometer title.

She added feather on her already decorated cap after clocking in one hour, 31 minutes and 31 seconds. Evamie Villarin placed second in 1:32:02, while Engie Estillor was a distant third in 1:41:16.

Though slower compared to the 1:30:18 clocking she posted last year, Sorongon time was still good enough for her to qualify for the National Finals.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect that I will retain my title. I was in pain during the race because of my hamstring and it really affected my performance,” said the 28-year-old Sorongon. “The thing that kept me going is that I need to get the qualifying time so that I can still join the National Finals.”

Sorongon felt blessed as she managed to keep her throne. She will now focus on her preparation for the National Finals set in January next year. “I made it to fourth overall last time and I am hoping that I can improve next year. I am not saying that I will win the women’s title but I will do my best.”

Lee, for his part, stood the proudest among the podium finishers as he crossed the finish line with the fastest time of one hour, 11 minutes and 59 seconds to snare the men’s crown.

He outpaced veteran Ariel Saballa, who settled for second with a time of 1:14:29, while Florendo Lapiz wound up third in 1:14:40, clocking.

“All experienced runners will agree that the Cebu leg has the toughest route in all regional qualifiers. I can always opt to join other qualifying legs but I chose to compete here and I was not disappointed with the experience,” said Lee. “From the start, I never expected to win because of the stiff competition and I am a bit surprised with the result.”

In the 10K action, Kenyan Eric Chepsiror and Milessa Dinneen dominated their respective divisions.

Chepsiror ruled the men’s class with a time of 33 minutes and 38 seconds, while Dinneen topped the distaff side with 41:45, clocking.

Johnn Marie Dizon and Asia Abucay Paraase emerged as the fastest in the 5K race with a time of 16:07 and 19:59, respectively, while Louis Gabriel Ariola (10:16) and Laurence Yvony Garcia (11:30) stamped their respective classes in the 3K.

Ruel Algufera and Karen Manayon caught part of the spotlight after stamping their respective classes in the 5K category with a time of 18:02 and 21:13, respectively.

Meanwhile, Milo Marathon Cebu leg organizer Ricky Ballesteros said the event ended up on a highly successful note despite some incidents of runners suffering minor injuries and collapsing along the race route.

“You can always expect some cases like that especially in a big running event. All in all, we are happy with the good and successful hosting and the huge turnout of entries,” said Ballesteros.

The University of the Visayas (UV) and Camp Lapu-Lapu Elementary School dominated the cheerdance competition in the collegiate and secondary level, respectively, while the Cebu Technological University got the biggest delegation award with over 3,000 runners. (FREEMAN)