The 26th Vienna City Marathon was held on Sunday, April 19, 2009, joined by more or less 30,000 participants. Among them were 19 Filipinos.
The Filipino participants ran under the umbrella of Gawad Kalinga. The group’s overall coordinator, Jorge Villanueva, dubbed the event as Gawad Kalingan European Heroes Run.
“Gawad Kalinga Europe Heroes run is about making a sacrifice for the country. It is about going out of the way to help the country move forward most especially in the poverty alleviation aspect. We run because we want to show to the world that we are doing something for the country,” Villanueva told ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
Albert Manuel, together with four other Pinoys traveled all the way from Ireland to join the marathon.
The Filipinos all came to Vienna to run for Gawad Kalinga in the Vienna City Marathon. They were very happy to be a part of the prestigious marathon. Through their participation, they planned to give something to the Philippines.
A nmber of other Filipinos, likewise, joined the fans who were in strategic points to give full suppoet to the Filipino runners.
During the kick-off program and presentation of the participants, Philippine Embassy Consul General Maria Teresa Almojuela also expressed her interest in joining next year’s relay-marathon.
Meanwhile, Villanueva asked for support and prayers when the Gawad Kalinga Europe Heroes Run moves to Barcelona on May 17. They are commited to support the Gawad Kalinga in the Philippines in their fight against poverty.
With reports from ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
as of 04/22/2009 12:10 PM
