Pinoy to vie in Queenstown marathon

Long-distance runner Rio de la Cruz of Bato, Camarines Sur, will represent the Philippines in the New Balance Queenstown half-marathon along a scenic 21.095-kilometer route nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in the New Zealand alpine resort tomorrow.

Some 600 runners from over 10 countries are expected to participate in the 42.195-kilometer marathon, the half-marathon and the 10-kilometer fun run with a total prize pool of $30,000 for the three events. First prize in the marathon is $5,000 for each winner in the male and female categories.

De la Cruz, 23, qualified for the Queenstown event by clocking 33:42 to take second place in the 10-kilometer open category of the power race organized by Planet Sports last November. He was the best finisher wearing New Balance shoes.

Planet Sports, the country’s No. 1 sports retailer with over 50 outlets, is the exclusive distributor of New Balance footwear, apparel and accessories in the Philippines. It is a joint venture between Bellestar Corp. Ltd. of Singapore and a Filipino group led by company president Anton Gonzalez.

It’s a rare treat for de la Cruz to visit Queenstown, the birthplace of bungee jumping and ranked 14th best city in the world by the Conde Nast Traveller publication along with London, Paris and Vienna. Queenstown is the only New Zealand city to make it to the top 20 standings, overshadowing Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Gonzalez said Planet Sports and New Balance are proud to sponsor de la Cruz who was recently named to the national track pool and is in line to compete in the coming Southeast Asian Games. He cited New Balance as the "the expert in running shoes because of its strong commitment to innovation."

De la Cruz, a physical education senior at the University of the Philippines, joined his first marathon, the Milo five-kilometer race, in 1997 and clocked 19 minutes. He ruled the Burlington 10-kilometer marathon, the Palarong Pambansa 10-kilometer marathon in Bacolod and the GMA-7 Kapuso 10-kilometer fun run last year.

De la Cruz placed sixth in the Adidas King of the Road Asian Championships in Thailand in 2003 and second in the Pattaya Queen’s Cup 10-kilometer marathon, also in Thailand, last year.

A Quirino High School graduate, the 126-pound de la Cruz said his burning ambition is to someday compete in the Olympics for the Philippines. He singled out discipline, determination and ambition as the three factors that make for a champion runner.

Twice a week, de la Cruz lifts weights in the gym. He began training with the national team in Baguio this month. Early to bed and early to rise are de la Cruz’ mottos. He sleeps no later than 9 p.m. and wakes up at 3 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and at 4 a.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays for his dawn jogs. He has overcome injuries like plantar fascitis and shinsplints to become one of the country’s rising track stars.

"I run because it makes me happy," said de la Cruz who also plays basketball and volleyball. "My day is not complete if I don’t run. I run twice a day, everyday, at distances of 20 kilometers and 15 or 10 kilometers. To win in the Southeast Asian Games, a runner must have discipline and good training."