HK marathon win fires up Tabal to go for Rio

MANILA, Philippines - Mary Joy Tabal bucked cold condition and bested a tough international field to win the Standard Chartered Hong Kong marathon last Sunday then vowed to go for a berth in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In a report by Matthew Scott of the South China Morning Post, Tabal said becoming the country’s first woman to make it to an Olympic marathon event is her ultimate goal.

“Hopefully, I can do good,” said the 26-year-old Cebuano runner. “I actually prefer the marathon and to represent the Philippines in the Olympics would be a dream come true for me. I am feeling strong but I just have to improve my endurance.”

Tabal clocked 1:21.41 to beat Taiwan’s You Ya-jyun (1:22.46) and Shiho Asada of Japan (1:24.27) for the HK plum, topping her second place finish last year.

She recalled struggling at the start of the race because of the weather conditions.

“I started behind the elite runners but knew in these wet conditions I had to get to them quickly. Once I did, I just thought to myself ‘run as fast as you can’,” said Tabal.

“At the start it was so challenging because I was so cold,” she said. “But I had a good pace from start to finish and once I got to the lead – even though I was feeling so cold – that was it. I overcame that – I’m just not used to the cold and the rain – and I won. I just told myself to relax and to get to the lead,” she added.

Tabal will aim to make the Olympic qualifying time slot when she competes in the Boston Marathon this April.