City-backed runner makes Naga proud

TWENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD Bonifacio M. Monjas brought home the proverbial bacon after he finished third out of 380 trail runners in the male elite 21K category of the April 27, 2013 Merrell Adventure Run 2013 at Mt. Sinai, Pintong Bucawe, San Mateo, Rizal. Monjas of South Poblacion, City of Naga, Cebu, endured the challenging hills and river crossings as he clocked 1:39:34, just a four-minute shy from Kenyan Willy Rotich, who finished first at 1:35:30. Manila-based trail runner Rafael Poliquit came second with 1:36:18. The roads and trails of this years 21K run is considered the toughest due to treacherous terrains, rough dirt roads and rocky boulders that runners must pass through before getting to an uphill finish line. Monjas admitted that it was not just an ordinary trail run because they had to wade knee-deep muddy rice fields, jumped and crawled bamboo obstacles and crossed rocky rivers and attacked nine-kilometer slopes. With

Monjas admitted that he almost giveDespite being a first timer with no orientation of tricky trails, Monjas managed to break away the packed Indomitable

Kenyan Francis Kakui ruled the male elite 16K open in 2:19.38 but local runners contested his win, saying that the foreign runner took a shortcut to get to the finish line. However, after deliberation from the organizers, who interviewed runners and asked for specific points of the trails for verification, they still gave the win to the Kenyan runner. Parehas tanan nawala. We considered if niagi ba sila sa pinakalayo na loop and then back, said technical director Larry Honoridez. Bonifacio Monjas came in second in 2:27.27 followed by Elvin Roy Flores in 2:40.20. Paul Morris and Hannah Go bested other runners in the executive 7K category. Morris clocked 33:49 to win the mens executive category, defeating Michael Largo (34:10) and Kenyan Abraham Missos (36:06).

LOCAL runners took advantage of the lapses from the Kenyans after the foreign runners arrived late in the starting point of the Quota Trail Run challenge yesterday at Pristina North, Talamban. Kenyans Douglas Mwiti and Abraham Missos arrived 20 minutes delayed as they thought that the run would start at 6:30 a.m. Despite that, Mwiti still landed in eighth place. This resulted to an All-Filipino top three with Bonifacio Monjas ruling the mens 16K open in 1:01:37. Robert Daang came in at second place in 1:03:41 and was followed by Albert Busa (1:06:32). In the womens side, Christy Tutor is still unbeaten as she conquered the womens 16K open in 1:30:58, just a second ahead of second placer Madelyn Carter. Odysa Abellana got third place in 1:51.45. In the 5K open, Jieter Bada and Mary Joy Lobirones took the title. Bada secured the first place in 21:42 to win the 5K over Francis Dejanyo (28:16) and Bikbik Baldo (28:39). Nine-year-old Lobirones awed the crowd when she became the best finisher in the womens 5K in 27:48. Bea Ouano came in at second place in 35:15, while Lalain Madanlo settled for third place in 37:45.

In other divisions, Kenneth James Capul and Nyza Archival won the 800-meter run, Bernard Miguel Sy and Kate Barcenas topped the 400-meter run, and Cole Vinson and Mikele Jopson ruled the 200-meter run. Im happy with the outcome kasi masaya naman lahat and the runners were able to experience something different and connect it for good cause, said technical director Noy Jopson. Quota International Club was able to raise P120,000 for the hearing-impaired of Lipata High School in Minglanilla. Meanwhile, Francis Kakui and Lovely Fe Andrin bagged the 8K title in the Run for Gifted Children in Talamban yesterday.