Registration on for Bicol Milo marathon

By Jam Madrid NAGA CITY --- Registration for the 41st National Milo Marathon is now open for the Naga City Elimination Leg scheduled on Aug. 27, 2017. In a press conference, Naga City Sports Office Coordinator Francis Barja who is also in-charge of the marathon, said the Naga City Elimination leg will cover four event races – 3 km for kids 12 years old and below; 5 km for fun runners; 10 km for half marathon, and; the 21 km qualifying race. Registration fee for the 3 km is P100; P150 for 5 km; P750 for 10 km, and; P850 for the 21 km run. Each registrant will be given a singlet and a race bib. Last year, the number of runners reached 5,600. It targets 8,000 runners for this year on a first-come, first-served basis, Barja said. The city government will deploy 400 marshals to help handle the security of the participants. It has teamed up with the Joint Operations Center composed of personnel from the Philippine National Police, Philippine Red Cross, Naga City Disaster Team, Department of Health, Caceres runners and bikers, barangay tanods, and a hydration team to secure the safety of the participants. The City of Naga, fpr the past ten years now, has been handling the Bicol elimination leg of National Milo Marathon – the longest running event in the country. It has produced players like Mary Joy Tabal who won the Cebu marathon and will represent the Philippines to qualify for the Olympics. The event is fully supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Department of Education (DepEd), Nestle Philippines, and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, wherein the record that a participant will get from the race will be determined from the partners of the international races that he or she intends to join. DepEd has been a partner of MILO in its “Building Champions in Life” sports promotion in which they conduct summer camps and national events promoting wellness program. “What we are looking here is finding champions in the field of sports in the Philippines. We are looking for potential players from the grassroots level. This program of Nestle of ‘Building Champions in Life’ is very significant because this is where the grassroots programs from different sports disciplines are being conducted and are given full support in the specific field of sports where they want to excel in,” Barja explained. Another bright side of this program is the doling out of 600 pairs of shoes to the less-fortunate youth or students in Naga City. Students who have the passion and potential in sports without jeopardizing their academics are among the free pairs of shoes beneficiaries.