Arbois, De Luna reign in Galaxy Manila Marathon on EDSA
MANILA, Philippines — Allan Arbois Jr. and Jewel De Luna conquered EDSA and emerged victorious in the Galaxy Manila Marathon 2026 on Saturday.
Traversing the iconic Metro Manila thoroughfare across seven cities, the two stamped their class in the 42K race, crossing the finish line first in their respective divisions in the race that drew a total of 25,000 runners in this race which has Samsung as title sponsor, SM Supermalls as co-presenter, ASICS as official sporting goods partner, and SM Mall of Asia Complex as official venue partner.
Arbois outpaced his peers and finished the course in two hours, 31 minutes, and 16 seconds, ahead of Eduard Flores who was just 24 seconds behind at 2:31:40 in the men's side.
Edsel Moral secured third place after posting 2:34:51, while James Kevin Cruz (2:36:37) and Roy Laudit (2:49:27) completed the top five.
De Luna also showed her class by clocking in three hours, 22 minutes, and seven seconds, a full seven minutes ahead of her competitors in the women's division.
Jocelyn Elijeran was a distant second at 3:29:29, followed by May Angelie Mag-Aso (3:37:08), Cecille Vael (3:50:51), and Raven Kamyl Sarita (3:58:38).
International runners also added spice to the race, with Kenyan Elias Oloitiptip Taiswa placing first among the men in 2:34:18 and USA's Eloisa Cusi topping the women in 3:13:03.
"It's a proof of the strong, running community that we already have here in the Philippines. We've seen runners push themselves like never before and it only motivates us to continue challenging our runners," said RUNRIO president Rio de la Cruz as 6,000 runners have joined the 42K race.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority also had a big hand in making the event possible, taking the enormous logistical task in closing off sections of EDSA for the runners throughout the race.
Aside from the race, RUNRIO also donated P1 million through the Philippine Red Cross for the continuing aid to the victims of the earthquake in Mindanao.
The Galaxy Manila Marathon had Gatorade as sports drink partner, Cristalino Spring as official hydration sponsor, and has the support of Angel's Burger, GU Energy Gel, and Dentacare and media partners Philstar and Cignal.
The event also showcased the strong sports tourism push via the collaboration of the Department of Tourism, Philippine Sports Commission, Intramuros Administration, National Parks Development Committee, Philippine Reclamation Authority, and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), alongside the local governments of Manila, Pasay, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, Quezon City, and San Juan.
The event also had Lanson Place Mall of Asia and Citadines Bay City Manila as hotel partners, as well as AC Mobility (BYD), San Miguel Brewery, Hop Inn, Singlife, SM Active Hub, Quaker Oats, Mega Tuna & Jimms Coffee, Genwell, Oracle Therapy, Birch Tree, Skintec Advance, Fitbar, Rexona, Sogo, Astrotel, Metromart, Toby's Sports, Century Pacific, Universal Robina Corporation, Leslie's, Himalaya Vajomba, Shokz by Digital Walker, Unilab, Veega Meat Free, Aice Ice Cream, Salonpas, Mogu Mogu, Fruitas and Tomo Coffee as sponsors. (Contributed story)
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