12th Cebu Marathon: Sorongon bags female 42K crown on her third try

These are the top 5 winners in the female 42K category of 12th Cebu Marathon in Cebu City on January 13.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Ruffa Sorongon is cementing herself as the next Cebu marathon queen as she clinched the 42-kilometer female title in the 12th Cebu Marathon which started and ended at the Cebu Business Park early Sunday morning, January 13.

Sorongon is from Sultan Kudarat but has been residing in Cebu for the past six years mainly because of running. And, in that span of time, she has been topping big races including last year’s 42nd National Milo Marathon Cebu leg.

“Di oi, naa si ate Joy (referring to Cebu’s marathon Olympian Mary Joy Tabal),” said Sorongon when asked by the Cebu sports reporters if she could call herself the Cebu marathon queen.

(No, there’s ate Joy.)

Before Sorongon bagged her first 42K Cebu marathon title in her third attempt, she started the year with a second place finish in the 12K distance of the Compostela Centennial Run last January 6, then first place in the 10K of January 12’s University of the Visayas Centennial Run.

“Ako ni gi dedicate sa ako papa kay bag-o ra to nigawas sa hospital,” said Sorongon who added that her father got confined due to his kidney ailment.

(I am dedicating this to my dad who just got out of the hospital.)

Sorongon clocked three hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds (3:29:30) for her first-ever Cebu Marathon 42K title. Nipping at her heels was Evamie Villarin, who was merely a few seconds behind as she clocked 3:30:13.

According to Sorongon, Villarin was leading the race but at the 17th kilometer, she pulled ahead and did not relinquish the lead all the way to the finish line.

Rounding up the top 3 was Sandra Soliano who breasted the tape at 3:52:25.

These are the top 5 winners in the 42K male category in the 12th Cebu Marathon held in Cebu City on January 13.

The 42K male title was clinched by Kenyan Joseph Mururi who described his local opponents as very strong. 

It was indeed a close fight in the top 3 with Mururi finishing just a few seconds ahead of second place finisher Bryan Quiamco and third placer Noel Tillor.

Mururi clocked 2:39:44, Quiamco had a time of 2:40:06 while Tillor finished with a time of 2:40:07.

In the 21K, Joseph Arnel Emia of Omega Pro and Melody Perez, a member of the University of San Carlo

s (USC) athletics and Spectrum Runners Club, also bagged their first title in the said Cebu Marathon distance.

After finishing fourth last year, Emia finally took the first place with a time of 1:14:51 while Perez bagged the title in her first attempt with her time of 1:35:36.

Trailing at second and third place in the male division were Agustin Ychon (1:18:09) and Keenan Caburnay (1:18:18).

In the distaff side, placing second to Perez was Marie Stephan Jayson who breasted the tape at 1:40:51 while rounding up the third place was Cherry Andrin who clocked 1:43:20.

The 5K male title was copped by Alfrinz Braza with his time of 18:14.5. At far second was Earl Peonile who clocked 18:47.0 and at third place was Ren Del Corro who had a time of 18:52.7.

Leading the 5K female was Karen Manayon of Omega Pro, followed at second place by Go for Gold’s Moira Frances Erediano and Joan Alinsunod at third place.

Manayon clocked 22:49.0, Erediano had a time of 23:23.4 and Alinsunod finished with a time of 23:48.1./dbs