Magtubo reigns supreme in 2026 Trilogy Run Manila
MANILA, Philippines — Filipina standout Edna Magtubo needed less than an hour to defend home turf as she ruled the opening leg of the Santé Barley Trilogy Run Asia 2026 on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Grounds.
The Iloilo native clocked 58 minutes and four seconds to capture the title in the women’s division of the 16-kilometer race, edging Pamela Bundotich of Africa in a tight finish.
Bundotich and her compatriot Jackline Musyawa Nzivo settled for silver and bronze with 58:56 and 1:01:15, respectively.
The 22-year-old runner is no stranger to winning as she is the reigning UAAP Women’s Athletics MVP after collecting two golds and silver while leading the Far Eastern University to its league-best 26th title last year.
She also made headlines after breaking a 23-year-old record set by national track legend Mercedita Manipol in the women’s 5,000 meters, trimming nine milliseconds off the mark with a time of 17:59.13.
Just last month, Magtubo was also the fastest woman in the 10K category of the Great UP Run, another event organized by RunRio.
The Manila leg served as the opening race of the Santé Barley Trilogy Run Asia series, which drew more than 9,000 runners, with around 5,000 competing in the 16K distance.
Leg 1 will continue in Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro this March, while Legs 2 and 3 will take place in the third quarter of the year. The next races will feature longer distances of 21K and 32K before culminating in the National Finals on November 8 with a full marathon.
Santé president Joey Marcelo believes the competition will become even tougher in the upcoming legs as more foreign runners are expected to participate.
“Definitely it will be a challenge for Filipinos because they wouldn’t come here if they weren’t fast runners,” Marcelo said, while praising the determination of local athletes, including Magtubo.
“But it's nice to see how competitive our athletes are. I'm sure next time they will prepare even more,” he added. (Contributed story/AJ Bolando)
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