Hail the new marathon queen

CAPAS, Tarlac, Philippines —  Christine Hallasgo devoted the whole year in rigorous training after finishing 10 minutes behind the more illustrious Mary Joy Tabal in a

national race last year.

The native of Bukidnon was amply rewarded with the gold medal yesterday and was crowned the new SEA Games marathon queen.

Delivering a tour de force performance, the 27-year-old Hallasgo clocked two hours, 56 minutes and 56 seconds to bump Tabal off the pedestal at the New Clark City Oval here.

It was a stunning upset from someone who made the national pool only last Jul and didn’t have the luxury of training abroad.

“I only made the training pool last July,” said the 26-year-old Public Administration graduate at the Bukidnon State University.

“I sacrificed not seeing my child and family for a long stretch just to train and focus on the SEA Games,” added Hallasgo, who has a three-year-old daughter.

It was a big turnaround from Hallasgo’s performance in the National Finals of the Milo Marathon a year ago when she finished third, 10 minutes behind eventual winner Tabal.

Hallasgo had former SEAG gold winner and Olympian Eduardo Buenavista to thank for.

“If not for him (Buenavista), I wouldn’t have achieved this,” she said.

In the men’s side, local bets Jerald Zabala and Anthony Nerza finished fifth and sixth respectively. Indonesia’s Agus Prayogo took the gold in 2:26:48.

Tabal answered the gun as the heavy favorite, being the 2017 gold-medal winner in Kuala Lumpur and veteran of the 2016 Rio Olympics veteran. She trained in Japan where the weather is relatively cool, and checked in at 2:58:49 to settle for the silver.

Vietnam’s Pham Hong Le Thi took the bronze in 3:02:52.

“Exhausted ako,” said Tabal, who passed out at the finish and had to be stretchered to the nearby medic room but recovered in time to join the Hallasgo at the podium.

“I think it will be more competitive if we started earlier. Everyone was so exhausted in the emergency room. I heard someone cry and shout, I was also shouting,” said Tabal. “I also heard screams in another room so everyone was really exhausted, but then it was part of the race.”

Tabal, however, was gracious in defeat.

“I’m very happy and proud to be able to represent the country. I’m happy for Christine winning the gold. I’m happy for our one-two finish,” Tabal said.