Cebuana runner Mary Joy Tabal finishes fourth in Great Eastern Women’s Run
Cebu’s Mary Joy Tabal proved she is the best runner in the country as she finished fourth in the half-marathon race of the prestigious Great Eastern Women’s Run 2015 yesterday in Singapore.
Although the petite 26-year-old runner from barangay Guba, Cebu City settled for fourth place, she was satisfied with the outcome of the race, especially since she beat the two Filipino bets chosen to represent the country.
Tabal had to bank on the help of a sponsor to join the race since Mary Grace delos Santos and Cristabel Martes were the ones chosen to represent the Philippines.
Cebuana Mary Joy Tabal shows off her medal after finishing fourth in the Great Eastern Women’s Run in Singapore.
Tabal said organizers of the Great Eastern Women’s Run usually invite countries to send their two best female long distance runners and their airfare and accommodations in Singapore are free. Tabal, however, was not included in the list of the Philippine delegation to the race.
With the help of her sponsor MotorAce, Tabal and was able to make it to the race and in the process, beat delos Santos and Martes, who settled for the sixth and eighth places, respectively.
Tabal finished fourth overall among 17 elite female runners from different Asian countries with a time of one hour, 19 minutes and 32 seconds.
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“It’s a great privilege to join this race and this won’t be possible without the help of sir Jonel Borromeo of MotorAce,” Tabal said. “I owe him a lot for this one because I had a wonderful experience. He really helped me get here because he really wanted me to experience this race since this is considered as one of the best races in Asia.”
Making the feat more special was the fact that Tabal broke her 21-kilometer personal record (PR) in the Singapore race. Her time was five seconds better than the 1:19.37 she recorded during the 2014 Seoul Race Half Marathon, which she won.
According to Tabal, who was accompanied by her coach John Philip Dueñas, she could have had a better time if she didn’t encounter problems along the route. She recounted getting lost because of the confusing markings the organizers put along the route.
It can be recalled that Tabal also had problems with the route when she raced in the Southeast Asian Games also held in Singapore, where she managed to bag a silver medal in women’s marathon.
Names of the winners weren’t available as of press time but Tabal said North Koreans placed first and third while Japanese runners placed second and fifth.
Tabal is in the middle of preparations for the National Milo Marathon, where she is reigning back-to-back champion.
The national running event that features the country’s toughest runners will be held Dec. 6 in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Tabal topped the General Santos Leg of the 39th National Milo Marathon to qualify for the finals.
Champions in the national finals will get a chance to compete in the prestigious Boston Marathon.