Iloilo City all-set for MILO Marathon finale

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Organizers of the MILO Marathon, which is now on its 49th run, said on Friday, Dec. 5, that it is all set for its national finals, which will be held in Iloilo City this Sunday, Dec. 7.

The race will begin at the premises of the La Paz Plaa on Sunday morning, with five categories—42K, 21K, 10K, 5K, and 3K.

Andrew Neri, general manager of RUNRIO, Inc., MILO’s partner organizer, said that they have prepared “over and above” for their final race of the year for the last three months.

There are 20 ambulances and 20 motor medics on standby for emergencies and 18 teams along the race’s five routes, as well as over 40 hydration stations for every 1.5 to 2 kilometers.

Neri said that they are expecting over 25,000 runners on Sunday, including the 400 42K qualifiers from different legs across the country.

“We’ve prepared for over three months for this [final leg]. We are very prepared, and hopefully we can deliver a very safe, secure, and well-managed race on Sunday [Dec. 7],” Neri said.

He also acknowledged the threat being posed by Tropical Depression Wilma, saying that they are coordinating with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) for the latest weather conditions.

He was not closed, however, to cancelling the race if the situation would possibly endanger the runners and other stakeholders.

“There might be chances of rain, but rain is okay, as long as it’s not a storm [or a] flood. We are closely monitoring [the weather]. Safety and security of the runners is our priority. If we need to postpone, we will postpone. We can’t continue if there will be a storm,” he said.

Neri also addressed the common problem of participants who just walk instead of run, a common complaint aired by motorists.

He said that marshals who will be stationed would push runners to continue running, and that they have cut-off times for start and finish.

“We cannot guarantee that we [will] encourage them to run but our marshals [will] encourage them. But what we assure motorists is that we will have a cutoff. For example, at 7:00 AM we will say that the roads are not open. We are coordinating that,” he said.

The 42K category will kicks off at 2:00 AM with a 6-hour cutoff time, while 21K category will begin at 3:00 AM with a 2.5-hour limit.

The 10K runners will start at 3:30 AM, with a maximum of 2 hours to complete the course, and the 3K gunstart is scheduled to start at 5:30 AM, followed by the 5K at 5:35 AM, both with a 1-hour cutoff time.

WHY ILOILO CITY?

MILO Sports Head Carlo Sampan said that Iloilo City’s selection as host of the race’s final leg was because of the support from the local government, stakeholders, and running communities here, as well as requests from the runners.

He also cited the growing number of local runners from Iloilo, mentioning three previous champions of the race—Jimmy De La Torre (1981 and 1982), Paquito Rizalde (1995), and Herman Suizo (1997).

“[The runners] enjoy the batchoy, they enjoy the sceneries, […] but at the same time, the sports tourism aspect. Most of the runners see that our racecourse is very scenic,” Sampan said.

“More than just [that] it’s safe, it’s scenic, it’s good because the roads are wide [and] well-maintained. Safety has been the primary concern and priority of our stakeholders. So, the help of our partners like the CDRRMO, traffic [management], [and] medical [teams] to make sure that our finals in Iloilo are safe and memorable,” he added.

THE RACE’S FUTURE

Veronica Cruz, Senior Vice President and Business Executive Officer of Beverages and Confectionery at Nestlé Philippines, emphasized that the race will celebrate its 50^th edition in 2026, targeting 50 races across the country.

She said that they will make the race even more inclusive in the future, citing their existing initiatives, such as the Kids categories and allowing persons with disabilities to participate in the race.