Why Joy Tabal is invincible in the nat’l running scene

Mary Joy Tabal smiles as she runs through Pope John Paul II Avenue in Cebu City during the SM2SM Run.
CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO

Unbeatable?

Can anyone beat Mary Joy Tabal in footraces within the country?

At the moment, it seems that no one can.

The 28-year-old Tabal proved that she owned the long distance running scene in the country after ruling for the sixth straight time the 21-kilometer race of the SM2SM Run yesterday.

Tabal clocked one hour, 22 minutes and 38 seconds to win the crown.

The Olympian from Barangay Guba, Cebu City, who was a gold medalist in the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games last year in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia last year, has been unbeaten for the past five years.

The last time Tabal lost in a race was in January of 2013, when Kenyan Jacky Nzivo topped the 21k race of the Cebu Marathon.

She placed third behind former rival Mary Grace delos Santos.

Her rise to stardom started that year when she won her first title in the National Milo Marathon grand finals, dethroning erstwhile Marathon Queen Delos Santos.

She would then win four more successive National Milo Marathon titles to be crowned the country’s undisputed Marathon Queen.

So what makes Tabal special?

According to her long-time trainer John Philip Dueñas, Tabal has a natural talent in running but it is her determination and discipline that carried her to where she is right now.

And it is Dueñas who reminds Tabal to keep that fire burning.

“[An] athlete should not be satisfied with their current performance. [He or she] should always aim higher,” Dueñas said of the MotorAce Kawasaki-backed Tabal.

Even other running clubs in Cebu admit that Tabal is in a league of her own at the moment.

“Joy is a natural talent. For me, I don’t see anybody right now who can beat Joy Tabal,” said Dr. Gerry Mayo, president of the vaunted Spectrum Runners Club during the Feb. 1 edition of Cebu Daily News’ Sportstalks on Facebook Live. “She has determination, discipline and motivation. She has this natural ability that cannot be found in others.”

That is exactly what Tabal said when asked about her recipe to success.

“There should be determination to achieve a goal and courage to overcome the challenges that comes along the way,” said Tabal.

But for how long can Tabal stay on top?

She believes she can still continue winning until she’s 33 to 34 years old. It will all depend, though, on her will to stay above.

“Until I have a strong will to continue, I can run for more years. My ultimate goal is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.”