COACH SETS EYE ON FUTURE CHAMPS BY LOOKING BACK
John Paul Dueñas uses own experience as inspiration in a grassroots running program for children
Finding kids with potential and giving them an outlet in running are what John Philip Dueñas and Mary Joy Tabal have been doing for the past two years in the JPD grassroots program.
Dueñas and Tabal guided more than 100 children from JPD grassroots program in the 41st Milo Marathon National Finals, which started in front of Cebu Normal University (CNU) and ended at the Cebu City Sports Center last Dec. 3.
“Running is a process. You can’t make a good athlete just overnight. It takes time,” said Dueñas, the long-time coach of Tabal, who clinched an unprecedented fifth straight Milo Marathon title last week.
The 30-year-old Dueñas created the grassroots program in the summer of 2015, starting with a handful of children in Barangay. Guba. Now they have hundreds of grassroots kids in four places.
From Guba, the grassroots program now has young runners from Liloan town and the Sisters of Mary Boystown and Sisters of Mary Girlstown.
“Our target is mass evaluation and mass participation. From there, we select potential kids. I think when we reach five years, we can really see the full progress of the kids. But right now, I’m very satisfied with our direction,” said Dueñas.
Dueñas recently passed the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Coaches Education and Certification System (CECS) Level 1 coaching. He’s looking to apply the things he learned among the young prospective runners of Cebu.
“For the 12-Under athletes, it is more on introducing them to the fun side of the sport. As a coach, what you can do is build a foundation. The evaluation of their performance will start when they reach 13 years old,” said Dueñas.
“I studied in public schools both in the elementary and secondary levels. There was no track and field program in my time when I really wanted to pursue athletics,” said Dueñas, who jumpstarted his running career in the Milo Marathon before turning to coaching.
Dueñas said that he was hesitant at first to start the grassroots program and it was the encouragement of Cebu City Sports Commission Chairman Edward Hayco that give him the courage to do it.
“Sir Ed (Hayco) told me that I have to do it because I’m the tool for these kids. We started it in May 2015 in Barangay Guba, and from then on, the number of runners has grown,” he said.
Among the new additions to the JPD grassroots program are more than 60 children from Liloan, Cebu.
“The grassroots in Liloan is fully supported by Mayor Christina Frasco and her husband, Duke. They’re planning to create a scholarship program for these kids,” said Dueñas.
Among the grassroots kids from Liloan is Grade 6 pupil Peter Piamonte, who finished in ninth place in the Milo men’s 3K, despite just being six months into running.
Piamonte of Liloan Central Elementary School is the sixth out of eight siblings. His mother works as a part-time laundrywoman; his father, a taxi driver, died of a heart attack five years ago. He dreams of becoming a good runner so he can earn an athletic scholarship and finish his studies.
Piamonte said that his eldest sister, who teaches in Tayud, Liloan, is the one supporting the family.
“I found Peter when we visited Liloan. We had trials and he was the fastest runner. This kid has potential and with proper guidance and coaching, he will reach his goal,” said Dueñas.
The goal of grassroots running program somehow mirrors the line of Milo Marathon, which is “building champions.”
“We start them young and hopefully we can develop another champion that’s a product of Cebu,” said Dueñas, who guided Tabal from being a sprinter from the Southwestern University to an Olympian and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist.
The 41st Milo Marathon National Finals was joined by around 15,000 runners. It was the first time Milo held the national finals in Cebu.