Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympian Mary Joy Tabal-Jimenez will hit the road again as she leads some 300 Filipinos who will compete in the 2025 EVA Air Marathon on Oct. 26 in Taipei, Taiwan.
EVA Air Marathon press launch
The Cebu-based runner is regarded as the country’s top long-distance athlete. They are a gold medalist from the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, a six-time champion in the Milo Marathon, and successfully completed the 2023 Tokyo Marathon.
“I’m excited to be finally back on the road. This is not a simple marathon, because it’s about finding the joy in running again after spending time with my family as full-time mother and wife,” says Tabal at the event’s recent press launch organized by Cebu-based travel agent Travel Care.
Mandaue City’s sports development head has been appointed as Team Philippines’ official ambassador. Joining this initiative are Ceasar Miguel Fuentes, an athlete scholar from Sto. Niño Mactan College, and Precious Mae Villaver, a celebrated deaf runner.
The 35-year-old record holder is determined to break her personal best of 2 hours and 43 minutes, achieved during the 2016 Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. This time remains Canada’s national record, and she aims to surpass it.
National and student athletes, endorsed by the Department of Education and the Philippine Sports Commission, will join the contingent. Their participation is sponsored by Travel Care, the Marathon’s official travel agent and local presenter.
Inaugurated in 2018 by Taiwan-based carrier EVA Air, this year’s running event aims to attract 24,000 runners from around the globe, showcasing Taiwan as a premier sports tourism hub in Asia.
The race features an IAAF – AIMS Certified Course, including half marathon, 10K, and 3K categories. The route is designed to showcase Taipei’s tourist attractions, such as the Presidential Office Plaza, Taipei 101, Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center, and Chengmei Riverside Park.
Handsome cash prizes of NT$ 110,000, NT$ 50,000, NT$ 8,000 await the top winners of the 42K, 21K and 10K divisions, respectively.
EVA Airways general manager Rick Hsieh expressed optimism for a successful turnout of participants from the Philippines and other countries, particularly those where the airline flies.
“For the past decades, we have been connecting the world through our seamless flights, and now, through world-class sporting events such as the EVA Air Marathon,” he enthuses.
A member of the prestigious Star Alliance, the carrier was ranked 8th among the World’s Top 10 Airlines by Skytrax, and also won in various categories in its 2024 World Airline Awards.
It flies to 67 destinations from four continents, including Philippine gateways such as Manila, Clark, and Cebu.
In photo at the launch are EVA Airways Corp. assistant manager for passenger Ming Kuo, EVA Airways Corp. manager for Manila Nancie Ng, Lt. Dan Jimenez, Mary Joy Tabal-Jimenez, EVA Airways Philippine Branch general manager Rick Hseih, and Travel Care proprietors Sunshine and Charles Lim.
EVA Air Marathon is co-presented by the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu Inc., the Department of Education – Central Visayas Region, Sto. Niño Mactan College, Uratex Foam, Inner Wheel Club of Cebu Lapu-Lapu, and Inner Wheel Club of Cebu Lapu-Lapu Shining Stars, with The Philippine Star and The Freeman as media partners.
For details and online registration, visit www.evaairrun.com or follow Travel Care on Facebook for tour packages for runners.
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