Cebuano running patron gets ticket to Boston Marathon with impressive run in England
Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon after clocking 3 hours, 23 minutes and 59 seconds in last weekend’s Brighton Marathon held in Brighton, a town on the south coast of England.
After putting in a lot of hard work in 10 years of running that saw him finish in 42 local and international marathons, Larrazabal finally earned his ticket to the most sought-after running event in the world.
In order to qualify for the race known as the mecca of running, one must join a qualifying race in selected countries worldwide and finish the 42-kilometer race within the 3:25 limit depending on the age group.
SHOCKED
Larrazabal, who is also an organizer of some of Cebu’s very popular running events like the Kawasan Falls Marathon, University Run and other charity-related running events, trained since December to prepare for Brighton Marathon, an official qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.
“At first I was shocked because I did not expect that I finally got the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon because it rarely happens for a local runner or even a Cebuano runner to qualify for that race,” Larrazabal said. “Especially for me who is also a professional who spends most of the time at work.”
He said he was very exhausted after the race as he had to sprint in the last stretch of the race in order to make sure he met the qualifying time.
Larrazabal said he made a lot of sacrifices for this race. But he said it was all worth it.
“I first talked to my family, to my wife, and make them understand that joining Boston Marathon is one of my lifelong dreams.”
According to him, a friend of his from Germany was the one who encouraged him to train for the England race. “He even helped me join this race,” Larrazabal said.
He added that he dedicates this feat to all Cebuano runners who also dream to succeed. He said there’s nothing impossible with hard work and determination.
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