April 1-6, 2014: Cebuanos Here & Abroad

Related Events: Halad Kang Leon Kilat
Color Manila Run – Cebu
2014 TRAP National Age Group Triathlon (NAGT Danao, Cebu)
Related Stories: I got my target time in 42k
Color Running ORCS!

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The first week of April for 2014 have been very good to the Cebuanos and the visiting athletes seeing action here.

April’s action started with the second staging of the Halad Kang Leon Kilat, a 42-kilometer run from Parian here in Cebu City to Leon Kilat’s Monument located at the Carcar City plaza.Leon Kilat or Pantaleón Villegas y Soldi led the revolutionaries in Cebu during the rebellion against Spain.

As for the night-time marathon, Joey Oacan crossed the finish line first after running for four hours, four minutes and 17 seconds.

Photo from Reynan Opada

Feljoy Canada wound up second with 4:05:17 while Carlomanne M. Abapo wound up third with 4:07:18 clocking. (Read 2nd overall placer Canada’s story here >>.)

In the distaff side, it was the multi-titled Jade Abellana who reigned supreme.She finished in 4:26:03 which is good for ninth overall.

Edna Gerali was a distance second with 5:13:13 while Rosalie L. Ardiente landed third in 5:17:07.

Top performers and the rest of the finishers in the event received one of the most beautiful souvenirs so far in local running, a replica of sort of the revolutionary hero, Leon Kilat’s monument.

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Two days after the Halad Kang Leon Kilat, Cebuano cyclist Nino Surban made history in Singapore as the first men’s elite champion of the Tampines Mountainbike Cross-country Race 1 at the Tampines trails.

Contributed Photo

Surban who is under Team Roentgen/SpecializedPh dealt with close to 50 other mountainbikers of different nationalities.

The elite category had a total of six laps with 4.2-kilometers per lap with Surban winning the gold over German Lars Droste of Team Cannondale-Asia as Singapore’s Omar Khaniz came out third.

A week before that historical win, Surban also won a road racer event also in Singapore through the 2014 OCBC Cycle Singapore’s super challenge.

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On April 6, Cebuana Mary Joy Tabal and Eduardo Buenavista conquered their first Marathon de Paris under a very cold weather condition.

Contributed Photo

Tabal and Buenavista got to represent the country in the said event as part of their incentives for winning last year’s National Milo Marathon finals in Manila.

Tabal ended the action in Paris at 17th placer overall despite cramps in the final ten kilometers while the multi-titled Buenavista wound up 45th overall out of the close to 40 thousand runners total who joined.

Tabal finished in two hours, 57 minutes and 28 seconds while Buenavista crossed the finish line at 2:33:20 which is good for 45nd overall as posted in the event’s official website.

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While Tabal and Buenavista was in Paris, the rest of the Cebuano community also had a great day at the South Road Properties for the first Color Run here. (Check photos here >>.)

It was purely a fun run with no winners declared at the end, yet, everybody still had so much and wanted to have for more of color-powered throwing on their clothing and celebrate life as it is with loved ones and friends.

(Short video clip by by @kurtficktures and @karldickon. edited by @jameslgo)

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Last April 6 was also the third leg of the 2014 National Age-group Triathlon Series hosted by Danao City.

The overall title went to the gutsy Kristiane Lim on the men’s side and Omega Pro’s Lorhiz Echavez-Lopez.

Photo from Gregg Victor Gabison

Lim came out the fastest among all male participants after finishing the swim-bike-run event in 1:08:08 followed by Parklane’s Allan Ting with 1:17:09 while Leonardo Angeles Jr.placed third in 1:19:04.

In the distaff side, Lorhiz Echavez-Lopez made former PBB housemate and Omega Pro’s backer, Paul Jake Castillo after winning the overall women’s crown in 1:22:00 against Danao City Mayor Ramon Nito” Durano’s daughter, Nia Durano-Aldeguer who had 1:34:21 as Rochell Cabrera settled third.in 1:39:31.

In the age-categories, winners were Michelle Go( 25-34), Vangie Janen(35-above), Cesar Telan(50-over), Expedito Dublin(35-39), Alec Noval(18-19 ), Stefan Cagulga(20-24) , Alvirg Busa (25-29) , Lecerio Pormento (30-34) and Gandhi Traya(40-44) and Henry Benlot in the 45-49 division.

Team Durano composed of brothers representative Ace, vice-mayor Red and councilor Mix Durano also put their acts together to win the relay event over Team Pagay and Team Stevens.

A supertrikids was also held to spice up the event.

Ralph Edward So proved that his victory over Yuan Chiongbian last year in another event was no fluke after outsmarting him in the boys’13-15 division.

Yuan’s sibling though managed to reverse Yuan’s sitation by winning the 16-17 while Savannah ruled the 7-8 division

Aaliyah Mataragnon also grabbed part of the limelight by winning against archrival Shaia Ruth Uy in the girls’13-15 while Aaliyah’s bestfriend Issa Priagula came out third.

Shaia’s sister Shayra avenged the former’s loss by defeating Aaliyah’s sister Althea in the 9-10 division while Bernard Sy won the boys’ 11-12 over Ralph So’s brother Russell while Ella Stevens dominated the girls’ 11-12 while William Han topped the boys’9-10.

A duathlon was also added to add up spice in the NAGT action which saw Chyrel Gomez on top of the run-bike-run action. (Read contributed stories of Chyrel here >>.)

Photo by Joseph Canares

Watch out for the next weekly recap. Hopefully, this will be a regular feature we can all look forward to.

* Featured Photo by Lostbleed Bungot Corcuera from 2nd Halad ni Leon Kilat

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