Milo's Help Give Shoes Advocacy

The National MILO® Marathon is the biggest running event in the country, with an immense popularity that has attracted runners from all age groups to participate, including kids. Speaking of kids, a lot of driven young runners do not have shoes. Imagine seeing a little boy run kilometer after kilometer on rough cement barefoot. This moving scene inspired MILO® to make every year’s run more meaningful, by giving out running shoes to deserving public school children. 

The root of this advocacy lies in MILO®’s belief that they are not only providing children with running shoes, but also giving them something that they can wear to school, for sports, and other activities. It is definitely a step to help them reach their true potential and be the best that they can be. In 2010, the National MILO® Marathon provided 4,200 running shoes to public school children nationwide with the “Help Give Shoes” advocacy. Since its inception, MILO has donated a total of 34,200 pairs of shoes across the country.

The running event continues the advocacy with an aim to donate 160 pairs of running shoes to 100 students in 100 schools in select Typhoon Yolanda-hit cities —amounting to 16,000 more pairs of shoes and dreams fulfilled. In the same way that Nestle has been a part of Filipinos lives throughout generations, the National MILO Marathon invites Filipinos to be part of the cause to help make the shoe-less child today a champion tomorrow.

PhP10 from every registration fee will be allotted to the advocacy. MILO will then match the proceeds and work with the Department of Education to select 16,000 public school student beneficiaries in Tacloban, Ormoc, and Eastern Samar cities. MILO aims to reach its 50,000 advocacy mark by the end of the 38th marathon season.

Takbo na!  

38th National Milo Marathon - Manila Elims

The MILO® Marathon is the longest-running and most-attended marathon in the Philippines. Since its inception in 1974, more and more people have joined, making it MILO®'s biggest and grandest sports event. Every year, more and more participants run different distances, supporting MILO®'s mission to build a nation of champions!

Manila Race Date and Venue

July 27, 2014  SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City

Registration Fee
42 km - PhP 750.00
21 km - PhP 630.00
10 km - PhP 530.00
5 km - PhP 110.00
3 km - PhP 80.00
Note: Plus one (1) MILO 300g empty pack

Registration Sites
Toby's MOA
Toby's Shangrila
Toby's SM North Edsa
RUNNR BHS
MOVE (BHS, near track 30th)

Assembly Time and Gun Start
42 km - 3:00 AM
21 km - 4:30 AM
10 km - 5:00 AM
3 km - 5:30 AM
5 km - 5:35 AM

Cut-off Time per Race Category
42 km : 6 hrs after the official start of the race
21 km : 2.5 hrs after the official start of the race
10 km : 1.5 hrs after the official start of the race
5 km   : 1 hr after the official start of the race
3 km   : 1 hr after the official start of the race

Marathon Qualifying Time per Age Bracket
18-34 : 3 hrs 55 mins (men); 4 hrs 30 mins (women)
35-39 : 4 hrs 00 mins (men); 4 hrs 35 mins (women)
40-44 : 4 hrs 05 mins (men); 4 hrs 40 mins (women)
45-49 : 4 hrs 10 mins (men); 4 hrs 45 mins (women)
50-54 : 4 hrs 15 mins (men); 4 hrs 50 mins (women)
55-59 : 4 hrs 20 mins (men); 4 hrs 55 mins (women)
60-64 : 4 hrs 25 mins (men); 5 hrs 00 mins (women)
65-69 : 4 hrs 30 mins (men); 5 hrs 05 mins (women)
70-up : 5 hrs 40 mins (men); 5 hrs 50 mins (women)

For more details, please follow this link to the Milo Marathon's official website - http://www.milo.com.ph

From Barefoot Runner to Marathon Master

Great Things Start from Small Beginnings

Unbeknownst to many, Coach Rio’s childhood was mired by hardship. His family struggled with poverty for many years while he was growing up, making it difficult for him to get an education and pursue his training in running. He has gone through it all: from selling “ice-tubig” as an 8-year old, walking several kilometers to and from school, to winning championships and organizing the biggest marathons in the country today. His life so far has truly been a journey.

Coach Rio recalls how he was once one of those barefoot runners, as a fifth grader competing in a track meet without shoes, and winning the 50-m sprint, 100-m sprint, long jump, and high jump events nevertheless. When he reached sixth grade, Coach Rio was able to join his first competitive distance race at the National MILO Marathon, in which he ran barefoot in the 5K category and won first place —an event that was very memorable to him and continues to be very close to his heart. “When I see these kids who run barefoot, I am reminded of how I used to be one of them. I never gave up on my dreams and I trained as hard as I could,” Rio shares. “I want kids to realize that despite their difficulties in life, they can still achieve their dreams and be the best if they work hard and persevere.”

Speaking from Experience

After winning races in the UAAP and countless marathons, Coach Rio also competed in several international running events such as the Paris Marathon and Boston Marathon. Apart from his extensive experience in the sport, it is also by his hard-earned diploma in Physical Education at the UP College of Human Kinetics that Coach Rio earned his salt as a bona fide running coach. Most of his clientele include top-ranking business executives, celebrities and elite runners, but it is his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for running prompted Coach Rio to take it a step further and become a race organizer. Today, he has positioned himself as one of the country’s most trusted names in organizing marathon events. 

Despite the challenges of balancing running training, academics and working odd jobs to earn money for food and basic necessities, Coach Rio believes that his college degree is his biggest achievement. He urges students to value their education, and to continue their schooling despite obstacles they may face. “I felt that running could be a stepping stone for me, so I pursued it. Finishing college was my dream so I trained hard and was able to get a scholarship. Education, especially a college degree, is important because if you do not succeed as an athlete, if you get injured, or when you retire from sports, you have something to fall back on,” says Coach Rio. “There will be many times when you have to sacrifice other things in order to focus on your studies. As much as you want to excel in your sport, you must not forget that finishing your education is still one of the biggest triumphs in life.”

Coach Rio also highlights the importance of the values he learned from running and applying them to his life. “Aside from hard work and determination, running taught me how to be responsible, overcome obstacles and stay committed to my goals. These values are learned not only in running, but in all other sports,” Rio explains. “But the most important thing I’ve learned is how to cultivate my passion in order to achieve my dreams. I believe that if I put my heart and mind into something, I will surely achieve it.” He makes sure to impart these lessons to people as he continues to inspire Filipinos to persevere in running for their dreams, especially the underprivileged youth. “We always hear about how poverty is not a hindrance to success, and I can say that my achievements are testament to that,” he proudly shares. “If I can do it, anybody can. No matter how hard life pushes you back, pick yourself up and keep on pursuing your dreams.”

The Race Goes On

Coach Rio will continue to organize the National MILO Marathon. This sporting event, with its rich history, expanding scope and growing attraction from hundreds of thousands of participants, is testament to MILO’s longstanding commitment to develop the Philippine athletic community and inspiring athletic excellence among Filipino runners especially the youth.

“Now that I will soon be a father, I will surely impart the values I learned from running to my child. Maybe, someday, we can run the National MILO Marathon together and if we do, I am fortunate enough to say that my kid will never have to run shoeless like i did. But if there’s one legacy I would like to give him, it would be to inspire him to reach for his dreams and become a champion in life, no matter how difficult it may seem.”

*photo grabbed from OneSport Magazine

*article from Milo

MILO Advisory: 38th Milo Marathon

After a successful series of thrilling sporting events in 2013, MILO will once again bring another year of high-level competitions to athletes and sports enthusiasts across the country. 

Heads up!  Sharing with you the schedule of the 38th Milo Marathon. 

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I've been joining Milo races since 2009, not just for the love of running, but mainly because I believe in the Milo Marathon vision.  

Here are two of my favorite videos, produced by Nestle/Milo (also shown in their official website Milo Marathon and YouTube Channel).