Early gun start for Cebu Marathon

The 12th Cebu Marathon will have an earlier start to avoid traffic congestion when the race takes center stage on Sunday, Jan. 13, covering the streets of Cebu before wrapping up at the Cebu Business Park.

The full marathon will have its usual start but the half-marathon and the 5-kilometer race will start thirty minutes earlier.

“The marathon starts the same at 3 a.m., but the 21K is earlier this year at 3:30 a.m. while the 5K is at 4:30 a.m.,” said Kenneth Casquejo, the president of Cebu Executive Runners Club, the group behind the race.

“The team already had a meeting with the CCTO (Cebu City Transportation Office). Also we have coordinated with barangays, security, police force and the medical teams,” he added.

Thirty-six countries will be represented in the 12th edition with majority of international visitors coming from neighboring Asian countries - Singapore, Malaysia, China and Japan, among others.

“We hit our target this year. We lowered the number of participants to maintain the quality of the race,” said Casquejo, adding that there will be a very few slots for the 5K that will be opened on Wednesday at the event’s race expo at the Ayala Active Zone.

About 4,000 were enlisted in the 42-kilometer, 21K and 5K categories.

There are 1,650 runners in the half-marathon, 1,450 participants for the full marathon, and 620 runners in the 5K.

The course will still be the same as the one last year, except for the additional routes in Brgy. Labangon and Tisa on the 42K course. /