Lorenzo’s hard work pays off

Cinderella Lorenzo prayed for a rain-free Sunday and a finish good enough to take her to Cebu in December for the 41st Milo Marathon National Finals.

Lorenzo got what she prayed for. And more.

The 28-year-old mother of three, a many-time winner of various local races, topped the women’s 42.195-kilometer qualifying race at Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay with a time of three hours, 16 minutes and 15 seconds.

The victory was worth P50,000 and a slot in the Cebu finals where bigger prizes await her: P300,000 and an all-expense paid trip to a major world marathon.

Organizers have initially planned to bring the winners to the 2018 Tokyo Marathon.

Lorenzo and men’s division winner Rafael Pescos (2:38:27) will compete in the finals against previous qualifiers from the Urdaneta (56) and Laoag (37) legs.

“My six-month training paid off,” said Lorenzo, referring to her regular Taguig-Bicutan run. “Even before race day when it was always raining, I didn’t stop training.”

In her quest to win a first Milo title, Lorenzo, who placed third in last year’s Metro Manila qualifier with a slower 3:20.03, plans to join 10K events only to avoid injuries.

Lany Cardona placed second to Lorenzo in 3:23:38, followed by Lizane Abella (3:29:48).

Abella and Cardona were the third and fourth placers, respectively, in the 2016 finals.

Pescos stepped on the gas in the 10K mark and led all the way to beat Eric Panique (2:43:10) and Noel Tillor (2:47:31) in the event that lured 32,245 runners.