IT IS not the first time it has happened I am sure, that is if we are to talk of a love story between two athletes, there are a lot of those stories.

But to my knowledge, it was the first time here that two sweethearts emerged champions in the same race and the same distance.

In fact as part of their prize, both of them have qualified for the next race on December, more on that later.

I went to the Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite last Sunday morning to cover the 5-distance MILO Marathon event there, nothing new about it except when I first covered a MILO race, I was only 22 years old, now my age is the favorite number of a lot of guys.

So you can imagine how many MILO events I have covered in so many places all over the country, particularly when my friend race organizer Rudy Biscocho was the Race Director and he asked me to be his news release writer for the different regional races.

This is why when the MILO Marathon was revived last year I think, I decided to cover some of its events and reminisce on my younger days covering road races of all distances.

And seeing that sea of green clad participants last Sunday milling and waiting for the starting gun in their respective events, there were 5 distances, 1K, 3K, 5K, 10K, and a 21K half marathon.

Most of them were on the young side, many accompanied by their parents, grandparents, kuyas and ates. I even saw a toddler on a baby stroller being pushed by a mom.

Well, it turned out that a great majority of the registrants were students from different schools schools in Imus and Dasmarinas, according to MILO Sports Head Carlo Sampan.

The most popular place too was there with long lines of people waiting for their turn to get a cold cup of free MILO. It sure brought back memories from my more active past in sportswriting
Anyway, back to the love story I discovered last Sunday, we were doing a pre interview shoot of the two champions in the 21K race, Eduard Flores and Gea May Ninura, both from UP-Diliman and members of the track team of the University, when I kiddingly tossed the question about a possible relationship between the two of them.

Turned out I hit the bulls eye as Gea readily admitted Eduard was her boyfriend of two years, emphasizing too that it was Eduard who fell in love first.

They also shared it was their first time to race that distance but they had different expectations, Eduard was confident of winning the race, Gea was happy for a podium finish.

Both adopted the same strategy in the sense they took the lead from the start and never looked back en route to solo victories.

With the win, they advance to the MILO National Finals in Cagayan de Oro on December, a full marathon race that again, they have different expectations.

Eduard wants to do well, hoping for a podium finish that may lead to a slot in the national team as he eyes the marathon event in the SEA Games next year while for Gea, she knows it will be uphill for her that a top 10 finish will make her happy, a top 5 even more.

After all, a cool prize awaits the two MILO national finals champion this year as Carlo made another announcement to the media people at the VIP Lounge of Vermosa.

That is, MILO will be sending the 2 champions to the 2025 Sydney Marathon as an additional incentive .

Now will that spur Eduard and Gea to prepare even more and earn that trip to Down Under?

I hope so as that would be a perfect Part 2 of their love story.

As you are reading this piece, I will be in Bacolod , actually Bago City but our hotel is in Bacolod, for the Visayas edition of the Indigenous Peoples Games, a project of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) with Chairman Dickie Bachmann gracing the occasion.

And by the way, MILO, together with Pocari, are both supporting this event as they have done in the past.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Lito Cinco