Tabal guns for rare four-peat in Milo Marathon
WITH few days left before the 40th Milo Marathon Finals, the reigning three-time women’s champion Mary Joy Tabal is feeling confident about her preparation for the race on Dec. 4 in Iloilo City.
“Based on my preparation, I can say that I’m ready for the race. We had a good training camp with my coach John Philip Dueñas. I’m confident with my training,” Tabal told Sun. Star Cebu yesterday.
The 27-year-old Tabal staged a successful run for a cause last Sunday for the benefit of Guba Elementary School, a public school in the mountainous part of Cebu City. The Guba Elementary School will receive 300 armchairs from the proceeds of the event with the help of Motor Ace Philippines and Rotary Club of Cebu.
Tabal said that they al- ready hit the peak of the training last week, and right now she’s doing 60 to 70 percent of the training load before tapering next week.
The Olympian said that she’s expecting a good competition from the foreign and local runners.
“I’ve learned that a lot of Kenyans will be racing for this year, I’m expecting good competition from them. All the local qualifiers are also competitive,” said Tabal.
The Milo Marathon awards the fastest Filipino in the race, and gives a separate award for the overall rank, which includes foreign runners.
In the history of the Milo Marathon Finals, no runner has won for four straight years. A win by Tabal will set a record for the longest running event in the country.
As part of her prepara- tion for next month’s race, Tabal joined the 2016 Great Eastern Women’s Marathon last Nov. 13 and finished seventh overall in the women’s open 21-kilometer category.
Tabal will race in the women’s 42K in the Milo Marathon. She will leave for Iloilo City on Dec. 2. “We plan to check the route on our arrival in Iloilo City. We’re going to check it by car so I can familiarize myself with the route before the race,” she said.