STATEMENT ON MILO MARATHON: Milo Philippines Facebook page

Uncategorized

To share the other side of the Milo Marathon story, I am posting below the statement posted on Milo Philippines Facebook page:

STATEMENT ON MILO MARATHON

We are deeply saddened by the passing away of Mr. Remus Fuentes, a participant of the July 4, 2010 MILO Marathon held in Luneta, Manila.
We reached out to Remus’ family as soon as we were informed. Our deepest sympathy is with his family during this most difficult time.
We assure participants that all the internationally recognized precautions had been taken by the organizer for the Manila leg of the MILO Marathon, specifically:

  • On hydration stations, according to the International Association of Athletics Federation (lAAF), the rule is, for a race longer than 10 km, refreshment stations shall be provided at approximately every 5 km along the race route. For mass races in a tropical country like the Philippines, the same IAAF rule recommends to have water stations every 2.5 km, The Manila leg of the MILO Marathon had water stations installed every 2 km along the race path, and in between each water station, there were Gatorade stations to ensure every runner had the opportunity to hydrate as necessary. On average, there was a hydration station around every 1 km of the 21K race path. In total, there were 13 water stations, 10 Gatorade stations, 2 sponging stations, and 1 banana station strategically Iocated throughout the 13.5 km race loop.
  • On first aid, all MILO Marathons are fully equipped with first aid teams to attend to runners needing assistance. In the Manila race, for instance, there were 7 roving ambulances plying the 13.5 km race loop, 15 medical stations, 5 teams of first aiders on bicycles, and nearly 500 marshals – policemen, traffic aids, and radio communicators – manning various points of the race path. These marshals were equipped to immediately contact first aid stations and ambulances with trained crew and rescue facilities.

Like any vigorous sport, the marathon involves a certain amount of risk, especially for those who participate in longer distance events such as the 21K and the 42k. We would like to remind all runners who plan to participate in the forthcoming MILO Marathons to adequately prepare before the race, ensuring that they are properly conditioned mentally and physically. This includes undergoing the necessary training. getting enough rest, properly hydrating, and eating the right food.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Remus Fuentes at this very difficult time.

Credits to Pinoyfitness and to the Milo Philippines Facebook page

This Milo Marathon incident was also picked up by Philippine Daily Inquirer/ inquirer.net.

The concerns raised by Mr. Rudy Fuentes on his open letter were not addressed point per point. I am not a PR person but I guess this is a difficult time for both the Fuentes family and the Milo Marathon PR Team. If you are interested to know more details, kindly visit the Milo Philippines Facebook page link above (and read the diverse views of the people in Facebook on this incident).

Comments are closed.