Certified ‘Milo Marathon Baby’

CEBU, Philippines — His parents exposed him to the sport of running even if he can barely walk yet.

But running - literally and figuratively - runs in their blood.

At two years old, he received the ‘Youngest Runner’ award in the Cebu elimination race of the annual National Milo Marathon way back in 1997 for finishing the three-kilometer distance on his own.

He’s got an old newspaper clipping to back it up.

Twenty-two years later, Prince Joey Lee assumed a new, lofty role as Cebu’s king of the road after he ruled the Cebu leg of the 43rd National Milo Marathon last week at the Cebu City Sports Center.

As an infant, the newly-crowned ‘Prince’ would be seen being carried by either his mom Maria Anna or dad Joey Sr. while his sister Joeyry, still a toddler like him at that time, is also running.

Their parents often get criticized rather than appreciated for plunging their kids into road racing at such a tender age but Prince came to their defense.

The 24-year-old Lee said his parents, especially his dad, are just so passionate about the sport.

“At first, my mom won’t let us join in running events but because of my dad, who is a very sport-minded person, she relented and eventually supported us,” said Lee in vernacular.

Interestingly, the Nestle Philippines-sponsored marathon is a culmination of their sporting activities as a family.

Lee actually tried boxing but after missing a chance to compete in PalarongPambansa, he decided to focus solely in running.

“I was able to represent my hometown Toledo City in boxing event of the CVIRAA Meet but I did not make it to the Palaro,” recounted Lee. “After that, I decided to focus on running where I know it is where I would excel.”

When he was already eligible to see action in the longer distance, Lee worked extra harder until he snatched his first 21km title via the Iloilo leg of the Milo Marathon last year with a personal best of one hour, nine minutes and 58 seconds.

Lee proved that his break-through triumph in Iloilo was no fluke by dominating the men’s 21km race in this year’s Cebu leg against a tough field of opposition.

Though he failed to break his personal record, Lee’s 1:11:59 clocking was still a good result as he posted a better time than the men’s qualifying time of 1:15:00 that earned him an all-expense paid trip to the National Finals on January 19 in Tarlac.

A certified Milo ‘baby’, Lee admitted that he is still a work in progress.

He doesn’t mind how long will it take for him to claim the national crown and establish a record that all elite runners are aiming for.

But he is bent on pursuing it for the love of his family, of which running evolves.

“Hopefully, I would be able to break a national record and become a national champion at the same time. It’s still a long way to go but I’m not in a hurry. I will just wait for the perfect time to come,” said Lee, a computer engineering graduate through the athletic scholarship he enjoyed from the University of Cebu (UC).

No matter how long the road to success is, one thing Lee is sure of, he will never be alone in his journey. His parents are with him every step of the way.

“I love what I’m doing. I love that my parents support me all the way. The memories I have as a young child keep on coming back. It’s a constant flashback. As soon as I open my eyes each time I cross the finish line and there goes my parents, I feel that all my efforts and sacrifices are rewarded,” Lee ended.