Safety still priority for Milo Marathon Cebu organizers

Maintaining a safe and a fun-filled race will be the main objective of the organizers of the 42nd National Milo Marathon Cebu Leg.

The annual footrace is slated October 14. The starting point is along the road fronting the Cebu Normal University (CNU) in Osmeña Boulevard while the finish line is set at the Cebu City Sports Center.

The Cebu leg is the grand-slam winner for the best organized Milo Marathon race out of the 11 legs scheduled every year around the country. This is why organizers are doing everything to make sure they keep that prestige going.

One way to achieve that is to make sure that the race will be safe for the participants.

“We will continue meeting with the police because security is our priority as well as the safety of the runners,” said Milo Marathon Cebu head organizer Ricky Ballesteros. “We will have a series of meetings for both production and security to make sure that we will have a safe and fun-filled running event.”

According to Ballesteros, the organizing crew has met with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to come up with the needed security measures in the venue and along the race route. They will continue to have coordination meetings with other stakeholders leading to race day.

“What makes [the Cebu leg] stand out among other legs is the ambiance. They want to run here because they feel safe, it is very festive, and it is really a fun run,” Ballesteros said.

Organizers are expecting to draw 20,000 runners to join in the race that offers 21-kilometer, 10k, 5k, and 3k distances. Winners of this race will qualify for the National Milo Marathon on December 9 in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.

Those interested to register can visit Cebu City Sports Center. Deadline for registration is on October 10.