MARY Joy Tabal, the country’s touted Marathon Queen, has started her long and grueling training for the critical races she’ll be joining this year.
The Cebuana running phenom, is now a regular fixture at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) oval doing long distance runs and speed intervals under the watchful eye of her partner and coach John Philip Dueñas.
The Milo Marathon women’s grandslam champion will first hit the road on January 25 for the Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon where she’ll be joining the 21k half marathon in which she placed second last year.
“We’ve just started training. Maybe next week we will intensify the training but for now I’m just shaping up and doing my usual routines,” said Tabal.
Tabal opened 2016 with an easy win in the 5k division of the Sinulog Fun Run last January 3.
Tabal, who is being sponsored by Motor Ace Racing Team, plans to train abroad to prepare for the Boston Marathon on April 18. She booked a ticket to the prestigious Boston Marathon last
December when she scored a grandslam in the 39th National Milo Marathon Finals in Angeles City, Pampanga.
The Boston Marathon is also a qualifying race for the Rio Olympics slated later this year. Tabal hopes to beat the qualifying time of two hours and 43 minutes in the Boston race to qualify for the Rio Games.
Last year, Tabal fetched a silver medal in women’s marathon of the Singapore Southeast Asian Games.
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