FROM the looks of it, Cebu’s top marathoner Mary Joy Tabal is already reaping the fruits of her hard labor abroad.
Currently training in Japan, Tabal shattered the eight-year-old Philippine record for a 21-kilometer half marathon when she topped the Adachi Goshikizakura Half Marathon last Sunday.
Tabal, whose previous personal-best was one hour 19 minutes and 32 seconds, clocked in 1:18.44 to win the race and in the process broke the 2008 Philippine record of Mercidita Fetalyero .
Tabal, who has been training for almost a month now in Japan, is preparing for the Boston Marathon on April 18 where she will try not just to win the 42k women’s title but also to qualify for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil this August.
“I hope I’m ready and I will make sure I will finish the program that coach Usami gave me for this training camp and maybe after that, I can say that I am ready for Boston. With regards to my performance in the half marathon that I’ve joined, it may be a big achievement for me but it’s still a half
marathon. I will be competing in a 42k marathon in Boston so there’s a big difference,” Tabal told Cebu Daily News.
Tabal said she herself was surprised that not only did she break his personal-best but also Fetalyero’s record.
“The result of the race reflect the kind of training that I am doing here,” Tabal added.
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