Rio Dela Cruz. Handout photo
MANILA — The Sante Barley Trilogy Run Asia 2025 is raising the bar with the staging of a five-leg calendar covering key cities across the country.
It begins with the kickoff leg, presented by Hoka dn Gomo, in Cagayan de Oro on March 2 followed by stops in Iloilo on March 9, Manila on March 16, Davao on March 23, and Cebu on March 30.
With more stops lined up this year, the event that was first held in 2010 will culminate with the National Finals in November, according to its founder, Rio dela Cruz.
And for the first time, the National Finals is sanctioned by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and is part of the World Athletics calendar.
“This means runners competing here can earn the ranking points needed for them to join international races like the Boston Marathon or those in New York, Chicago, Tokyo, London, and Sydney,” Dela Cruz told the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum (PSA) on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
“It’s a new platform for those wishing to be part of the national team competing in the SEA Games and Asian Games. The objective is to find runners who can represent our country,” added Dela Cruz.
For the coming legs, there will be categories in 5K, 10K, 16K, 21K, and 32K. The National Finals will feature the 42K run.
Dela Cruz said slots to next month’s races are nearly sold out, and organizers have decided to offer additional slots.