FOR as long as there are races, six-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Kim Mangrobang believes the growth of running in the country will keep going.
Ang going.
The 32-year-old star triathlete ruled the women's 10K category of the HOKA Trilogy Run Asia Leg 2 in a time of 40 minutes and 44 seconds on Sunday at the Mall of Asia complex.
Every race is an event for Kim
While the event is unlike any of the major international races she won while flying the flag, Mangrobang said every single race is important for her.
"I always enjoy whenever I run. It's always fun meeting new friends, runners around Metro Manila. 'Yung ganitong races, training lang for me, hindi namin siya priority pero tinetake pa rin namin siya as a race pa rin," she said after the race organized by RUNRIO as a sequel to the first leg of the Manila run last April 2024.
Noticing the big leap in the number of participants, Mangrobang said the availability of events like such is the biggest factor in the growing interest among runners.
"[Comparing] sa nung nag-start ako nung bata ako, mas marami na talaga ngayon. Ang daming running groups, and community kasi may mga gantong events," she said. "Nakakatuwa talaga kasi after pandemic, nag-boom, pati 'yung nag-oorganize ng community runs."
She continued: "Sa running kasi, it's more of community talaga, kumbaga, may kasama ka to run, to share the misery."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
