Kenyans rule Rexona Run

MANILA—Kenyans dominated the men’s race but two veteran local runners finished 1-2 in the distaff side in the 2011 Rexona Adventure Run held Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay.

Benjamin Kipkasi topped the men’s 21K division in one hour, 10 minutes and 55 seconds, a mere second clear of James Tallam. Douglas Muiti was third in 1:13:14.

Kipkasi and Tallam also placed 1-2 in the Globe Run for Home race last March.

In the ladies race, Nhea Ann Barcena (1:32:05) and Luisa Raterta (1:33:52) relegated Kenyan Peris Poywo (1:34:08) to third.

“I’m happy to win another race in the Philippines,” said Kipkasi. “Running is very rewarding because it also gives me a chance to see the world and experience different cultures.”

The first three in the 21K won prizes worth P10,000, P7,000 and P5,000, respectively.

Kenyans likewise dominated the 10K men’s division, with Eliud Kering winning in 32:45 and Stanley Ting placing third in 33:31. Filipino Alquin Bolivar was runner-up in 33:30.

Proceeds of the race will go to the Field of Dreams in Smokey Mountain, a project of the Junior Chamber International Manila, and Gawad Kalinga. Eight schools and more than 5,000 families in the Smokey Mountain community will benefit from the race proceeds.

The fourth leg in the RunRio Series, the Rexona Run drew about 10,000 participants.
The race also allowed runners and non-runners to experience the Rexona Adventure Hub, which offered free access to challenging activities such as zorb maze, free fall, wall climbing, zip line and reverse bungee.