TO woo more athletes to become serious marathon runners, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and running coach and race organizer Rio dela Cruz have collaborated to sanction the Manila Marathon and the national finals of the Sante Barley Trilogy Run Asia national finals as Patafa events.
“We want to help Patafa in developing the full marathon in the country while encouraging more runners who aspire to be members of the national team,” Dela Cruz said of the agreement yesterday during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum at the Philippine Sports Commission conference room.
With Patafa’s formal sanction, the Manila Marathon scheduled on Aug. 10 and the Sante Barley Trilogy Run Asia 42K national finals on Nov. 9 will be part of the World Athletics rankings competitions, whose courses will also be certified by the world athletic body as well as the Association of International Marathons and Distance races, according to the Run Rio chief.
“So this means that those taking part in the full marathons are in the calendar of World Athletics and their times will be considered in the world rankings and use their times as qualifying for other major AIMS marathons such as Boston and New York, London and Sydney,” he said.
“What is important is that our aspiring marathon runners will have platforms that they can join and serve as a pathway of joining the national team,” De la Cruz said in the public sports program backed by the PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, ArenaPlus, Milo and San Miguel Corp.
He thanked Patafa Secretary General Jasper Tanhueco for forging the agreement with the blessings of Patafa president Terry Capistrano, a former varsity runner for La Salle.
Dela Cruz also said the Trilogy Run Asia series, now in its 15th year, will have its opening leg on March 2 in Cagayan de Oro, followed by a similar one on March 9 in Iloilo, Pasay on March 16 and Davao on March 23.
“The races will be in the 5K, 10K and 16K runs with varying age group champions so that we can encourage more people to run,” he said, “and that the runners in these age divisions will also have their own competition and recognition.”
He said that they will also consider how the champions of the men’s and women’s divisions in the full marathon of the Trilogy Run Asia national finals can compete in overseas marathons as part of their motivation to perform well.
