Cherry Andrin (on top of the podium, second from left) finally wins the 21K race and receives her prize during the awarding ceremony of the SM2SM Run 2023 at the SM Seaside City Cebu. | Glendale Rosal
CEBU CITY, Philippines — It took 11 years for Cherry Andrin to become the queen of the 21-kilometer half marathon of the SM2SM Run on Sunday, March 5, 2023, at the SM Seaside City Cebu.
Andrin, who will be turning 21 this March 31, ruled the 21k female open category for the first time in 11 years of joining the annual SM2SM Run. The running event was held again after a two-year hiatus due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
She finished the race in one hour, 26 minutes, and 28 seconds, beating the veteran Lizane Abella who settled at second place in 1:26.48, while Artjoy Torregosa rounded off the top three finishers in 1:27.22.
“Overwhelmed kaayo ko kay wala ko nagexpect makadaog. Daghan tagaManila nga kusgan. Wala ko nagexpect ba nga ako ang modaog mochampion. Sa mga races nga diri lang sa Cebu, mathird ra ko, samot na karon naa ang mga tagaManila, so napressure sad ko gamay,” said Andrin who represented Easy Runners Club.
(I am overwhelmed because I was not expecting to win. There were many strong runners from Manila. I did not expect that I will win and become the champion. In the races here in Cebu, I always finished third, especially now where there were runners from Manila, so I was a litte pressured.)
Cherry is known as the middle child among the three Andrin sisters in Cebu’s local footraces. Her two sisters, Lovely Fe, the youngest, and Jhean, the eldest, are known for winning consistently in the running events that they joined in the early 2010s.
However, today, Cherry took the helm as the most competitive among her sisters.
In her first SM2SM Run in 2012, she finished third in the 6k distance with a time of 25 minutes and 40 seconds.
Today, Cherry is the new SM2SM Run’s 21k female division queen.
She walked away with a whopping P50,000, while her fellow podium finishers all the way to the top 10 also received cash prizes.
“Nindot kaayo sa feeling nga pagbalik sa SM2SM Run, ako jud ang nakatitle ani, so thankful kaayo ko. Pero ako sad jud ni gipreparahan nga race. Pero naa jud koy kulba gamay,” said Andrin who is also a varsity trackster of the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters.
(I feel great that in the return of the SM2SM Run, I am the one who took the title, I am so thankful. But I also prepared for the race, and I felt a little nervous.)
“Para nako, gift ni sa Ginoo nga machampion ko kay March 31 is my 21st birthday. Mao jud ni akong giampo pud, pero wala ta kahibawo sa plano sa Ginoo. Ako jud ni gihaguan nga race,” she said.
(For me, this is a gift from God that I will become a champion because on March 31 is my 21st birthday. This is also what I have been praying, but we don’t know about God’s plan. I really worked hard for this race.)
She is also gearing up for the Sundown Marathon Singapore slated on May 21.
In the male 21k race, Jason Padayao emerged the fastest with a time of 01:10.08, while Prince Joey Lee settled for second in 01:10.33, and Jerald Zabalda placed third in 01:11.49.
On the other hand, the 12k champions were Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) women’s triathlon bronze medalist Raven Faith Alcoseba in the female category and Rico Jay Patano in the male category.
The 4k top placers were Mark Mahinay and Maria Eulalia Pineda in the male and female categories, respectively.
Meanwhile, James Orduna and Emmalyn Taypin topped the 8k race.
For her part, SM Prime Holdings VisMin Vice President Marissa Fernan said they were happy about the turnout of their annual race.
She said during the awarding ceremony that 2024’s 12th SM2SM Run had been slated for March anew.
“Nalipay mi nga niapil mo. Mao nang naningkamot mi nga ang premyo nga makuha sa raffle are prizes you have never seen before in Cebu, and, maybe, in Visayas and Mindanao,” said Fernan during her speech in the awarding ceremony.
(We are happy that you joined. That is why we worked hard that the prizes you will get in the raffle are the prizes you have never seen before in Cebu, and, maybe, in Visayas and Mindanao.)
“Let’s also give warm and resounding applause to the SM Seaside City Cebu team for all their efforts in making this run,” she said.
Over P650,000 worth of cash prizes were given away in the raffle, including a brand-new car that highlights the return of one of Cebu’s biggest running events, which drew over 9,500 runners from around the country.
“Magpasalamat ko ninyong tanan sa inyong suporta (We are grateful to you all for your support). We missed two years; this is the 11th year of the run; our last run was in February 2020. We look forward to beating the summer next year with another run, our 12th edition on March 2024. See you all, and we will have bigger and better prizes,” Fernan said.
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