Sermona, Martes lord it over in Baguio run

MANILA, Philippines - Julius Sermona and Christabel Martes dominated their respective divisions to lead the winners in the kick off stage of the 38th National Milo Marathon in Baguio City last Sunday.

Sermona, a SEA Games silver medalist and 2006 Milo Marathon winner, outsprinted Cesar Castañeto at the finish, clocking in at 01:14:42 in the men’s division. Castañeta timed 01:14:47 while Castro Cudli finished third in 01:23:40.

Martes, a two-time SEA Games gold medalist, topped the women’s section with an impressive time of 01:26:48, beating Sandi Menchi Abahan (01:34:23) and Lua Angella Limbo (01:46:41).

”The uphill and downhill route was quite difficult to navigate. It was a very tight race. I had to sprint in the final kilometer,” said the 34-year-old Sermona, a soldier who hails from Bacolod. “I am overjoyed that I won. For the national finals, I need to continue training to be able to give my best performance.”

Martes, the 34-year-old from La Trinidad, Benguet, plans to take her training up a notch for the national finals. “For the qualifying race, I did not do any intensive training, unlike before when I was still with the national team. I also had difficulty in the uphill parts of the route. I had to exert twice the effort,” said Martes. “My training consisted of jogging and recreational running only. I need to step it up and be consistent with my routine to maintain my form for the finals.”

Sermona and Martes both received P10, 000 and a trophy while securing their spots, along with 80 others, in the national finals set Dec. 7 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds.

This year’s national winners will earn berths in the Tokyo Marathon in 2015.