Keisha Mae Delechos leads the way in the 21-kilometer race of the Hunat Sugbo 5.
Delechos wins first 21k title
Used to winning short distance footraces, 17-year-old Keisha Mae Delechos decided to take the challenge to the next level and compete in more grueling 21-kilometer races.
Yesterday, Delechos finally proved that she can actually be successful in long distance races as she won her first 21k crown in the Hunat Sugbu V: Dagan Para Ni Maning.
Delechos, a current varsity of the University of Cebu, crossed the finish line at the Terraces of the Ayala Center Cebu in one hour, 35 minutes and 47 seconds to bag the women’s crown.
“I am thankful to my team (Team Spectrum) for challenging us to set shorter times,” Delechos said. “I did not expect to win since I was really having a hard time because of the rain.”
Her time was actually a few minutes slower than her personal best of 1:33 in the 21k, but it was enough to win her the title against some of the best female runners of Cebu.
Among those she defeated were Jonah dela Torre and veteran runner Madelyn Carter. Dela Torre settled for second place with a time of 1:38.49 while Carter rounded off the top three with a time of 1:44.04.
The men’s 21k race was dominated by Kenyan Isaac Simat, who clocked 1:13.56.
Davao City’s Jobert Carolino came in second with a time of 1:13.59 while triathlete Emmanuel Comendador of Parklane Tri Team completed the top three with a time of 1:14.50.
In the 12k race, Sultan Kudarat’s Ruffa Sorongon collected her 12th win this year after she topped the women’s race, clocking 53:27.
Michelle Beboso (53:33) settled for second place while Sarah Lee Cuizon (58:02) placed third.
Prince Joey Lee topped the men’s 12k race with a time of 43:32 while Chobie Dueñas, the younger brother of one of Cebu’s top triathlete John Philip Dueñas, is slowly making his own name after placing second with a time of 44:03. Jiboy Magbulogtong (47:01) landed at third.
In the 6k race, winners were Cherry Andrin (24:16) and Glenn Arellano (20:46).
In the 3k race, John Cliff Debolusan and junior triathlete Nicole del Rosario placed first with the times of 08:36 and 11:51, respectively.
Cebu Parklane International Hotel’s general manager Cenelyn Manguilimotan said 2,300 runners joined the race yesterday. Because of the huge turnout, not all were able to receive singlets.
“We did not expect that we were going to surpass the target number of runners,” Manguilimotan said.
Manguilimotan said those who weren’t given singlets can still claim theirs this Saturday at the Cebu Parklane International Hotel.