Carolino, Gilbuena edge rivals in Angeles 21K run

Angeles City , Philippines   – Jobert Carolino and Mischelle Gilbuena took advantage of the good weather and set a swift pace in the 21K Milo run Sunday here.

Out of the 10,312 runners who joined this leg, Carolino, Gilbuena and 50 others booked their place for the National Finals on Dec. 7 for a chance to win the national marathon title and fly to Japan on an all-expense paid trip to the 2015 Tokyo Marathon.

It was a tight race as Jobert Carolino went head-to-head with Crescenciano Sabal and Sherwin Patron. Carolino was behind Sabal, a former champion, for most of the race. As they neared the finish line, Carolino picked up pace and raced to the end, finishing with a time of 01:15:20, relegating Sabal to second place (01:15:35) and Patron to third (01:22:34)*.

“Sabal was my toughest rival, I was behind him in the last few kilometers. In the last 500 meters, I gave it my all to beat him. He’s a very smart runner,” said Carolino, a bronze medalist at the Philippine Olympic Festival. “To be honest, I was not really prepared for this race, I only started training last week when I joined two other races. With my slot in the finals secured, I will focus more on my training, especially enhancing my endurance.”

On the distaff side, Gilbuena of Air Force clinched the win with a time of 01:33:58. The 26-year-old Cebuana struggled throughout the race because of the unfamiliar route. Persevering under pressure, she bested challengers Chloe Jane Ong (01:52:00) and Denise Hernandez (01:54:15).

“I was supposed to join the Tarlac leg last week but I felt that my training was inadequate. I had slight difficulties in running the route,” said Gilbuena.