Second-time participants ruled the DZMM Takbo Para sa Karunungan fun run yesterday (Mar 11) at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, where over 5,000 runners turned up to run for the benefit of 75 young Filipino scholars.

Twenty nine-year old speedster Jho-an Banayag, who dominated the female 25 km race category in last year’s fun run, came out ahead of the females and crossed this year’s finish line with a time of one hour, 26 minutes, and 29 minutes (1:26:29), while Eduardo Buenavista, 33, was hailed the champion in the 21k male race with a time of 1:09:05.

Jujet De Asis (32:51) controlled the 10km men’s race, with Justin Tabunda (33:04) and Alquin Bolivar (33:07) coming in second and third, respectively. For the 10km women’s category, Mirasol Abad (39:57) secured the top spot in the 10km female race, while Christobel Martes (41:06) and Luisa Raterta (46:41) completed the top three.

Special awards were also given to foreign runners, including Kenyan Irine Kipchumba, who clinched the top spot in the 10km foreign female sprint with a time of 39:36. She also finished first in the women’s 10 km race last year.

This is the 13th year of the annual fun run of DZMM, which launched the “DZMM Takbo Para sa Kalikasan” in 1999 that supported several campaigns for the environment. ABS-CBN Chairman and CEO Eugenio Lopez III, ABS-CBN Manila Radio Division Head Peter Musngi, actor Matteo Guidicelli, and DZMM anchors Karen Davila, Ariel Ureta, Cory Quirino, Freddie Webb, and Gerry Baja were among the celebrities who took part in this year’s fun run. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim also came to show his support and fired the gun to signal the start of the 21km race.

The other top finishers were Michael Bacong (16:59) and Flordeliza Donos (18:51) for the 5 km race. Young runners also had a crack at the 3km sprint. The top male and female finishers in the 6-9 years old age group were Louie Breis and Cherie Ann Nelmida, while the fastest female runner in the 10-12 age category was Leonalyn Raterta. The oldest runner this year was 86-year old Felix Belarmino, who also won the same honor in last year’s fun run.

For the special awards, the Biggest Government Contingent award was given to PhilHealth, which brought 303 runners while the Biggest NGO contingent was CFC ANCOP Tekton Foundation, Inc.

With the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the ABS-CBN Integrated Public Service, DZMM will select the 25 student-beneficiaries from Cagayan de Oro and and 25 more from Iligan who were robbed of their chance to study when Sendong devastated their cities. The funds amassed will also aid the continued scholarship of the 25 Ondoy victims who were chosen as beneficiaries of last year’s run.

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