The Course: A Night Loop Through Five Bulacan Towns
The marathon is one big loop that starts and finishes at SM Center Pulilan, like the three shorter races [1][2]. On the official route map it heads north out of Pulilan along Gen. A. Santos Road, through Bustos at about 7 to 9 km and Baliwag at about 11 to 13 km, then up through San Rafael to a turn near Maguinao Road at 21 km [2]. It comes back south on the Bypass Road, past Tanawan at about 29 to 31 km, down the Plaridel Bypass Road and through Plaridel to the finish [2]. The provincial tourism office and the local governments of Bustos, Plaridel, Pulilan, Baliwag and San Rafael all put their seals on the race poster [3].
With a 1am start [1], the first several hours are run in the dark. One marathoner described the 2026 race as puddles underfoot and riverside alleys that were unlit and uneven under a pitch-dark sky [4]; on the map, the opening kilometres run beside a river out of Pulilan [2]. Carry a light and expect patchy surfaces off the main roads.
The Weather: Rain All Morning and a Thunderstorm Before Dawn
There is no airport weather station near Pulilan. The nearest record is Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, about 45 km to the south, so read it as the weather across the region rather than at the course. It recorded light rain, 25°C, a dew point of 25°C and 100% humidity at 1am, when the marathon started [5]. Heavy rain followed at 2.20am, and a heavy thunderstorm with rain at 4.24am and 4.37am, just after the 21K had set off [5]. By the 9am marathon cut-off it was 28°C and 89% humidity, still in light rain [5].
The Daily Tribune reported a heavy downpour at the race itself [6], and the marathoner who described the dark alleys ran through what they called relentless rain [4]. The rain kept the air from heating up, but at 100% humidity sweat barely evaporates, and 42 km in soaked shoes invites blisters. Wear shoes and socks you have tested in the wet.
Start Times, Cut-offs and Aid
The 42K started at 1am with an eight-hour limit, so it closed at 9am. The 21K started at 4am with four and a half hours, the 10K at 4.30am with two hours, and the 5K at 5am with an hour and a half [1]. Runners were told to be at the assembly area an hour before their gun: midnight for the marathon [1]. No bib, no run [1].
The route map marks an aid station every 1.5 to 2 km and several medic points along the loop [2]. What was served at them was not published.
The limits look generous in practice. The results list 18 marathoners who crossed after eight hours on the gun clock, the slowest in 8:10:50, and 181 of the 1,187 10K finishers over the two-hour limit [7], which points to the limits not being applied strictly at the finish. Do not plan on it.
How Fast the Field Is
Welfred Esporma won the marathon in 2:49:02, from Aldrin Serrano in 2:58:33 and April John Lugan in 3:02:24. Shanaia Leah Deifel won the women's race in 3:33:01, ahead of Jamcie Cinena in 3:41:36 and Roane Dela Cruz in 3:55:15 [7].
It is a mass-participation field. Tenth place was 3:27:24 for men and 4:18:45 for women [7]. Of 1,712 marathon finishers, 1,428 men and 284 women, only five broke three hours on chip time and 94 broke four; the median was 5:44:40 [7]. Only 15 broke 3:30 [7].
The 21K had 1,683 finishers and was won in 1:16:48 by Sherwin Cuenza and in 1:44:59 by Rowie Marquez; tenth place was 1:35:32 and 2:01:48, and the median 2:57:27 [7]. The 10K was won in 34:41 by James Aeron Santos and 50:03 by Michaela Rubi Garillo, and the 5K in 16:50 by James Aerol Santos and 28:37 by Angelyn Balanquit [7].
The Daily Tribune put the turnout at about 5,500 runners from across the province [6]; the results list 4,973 finishers across the four distances [7].
Race Weekend Logistics
Team Malofit and Pairfect Fit organise the race, with SM Center Pulilan as the venue [6]. The organisers present it as a step up from their Bulacan Half Marathon [8].
Entry cost P2,299 for the 42K, P1,799 for the 21K, P1,399 for the 10K and P899 for the 5K, plus a P60 web admin fee [9]. Every entry includes a singlet and a bib with a timing chip, and every finisher gets a medal: 6.5 inches for the marathon, 5.5 inches for the 21K and 4 inches for the 10K and 5K. The 42K, 21K and 10K include a finisher shirt, all four a string bag, and the first 1,000 marathon and 1,500 half-marathon registrants got socks [9][3].
Race kits could be picked up from Pairfect Fit or delivered by courier from 15 June for a P120 shipping fee [9]. Walk-in registration was at Pairfect Fit Banga 1st in Plaridel, in front of Waltermart [3].
Should You Enter the Next Bulacan Marathon?
Yes, if you are a slower marathoner or a first-timer who wants eight hours, frequent aid and a big field around you, and a finisher shirt for P2,299 [9]. With tenth place at 3:27:24 for men and 4:18:45 for women [7], a good club runner has a real chance of a top-ten place.
Think twice if you want a fast time or daylight: the 1am start, an August night of rain and unlit stretches make it a race to finish rather than to chase a personal best.
The date of the next race had not been announced when this was written. Watch the organiser's Facebook page for the route maps and the kit-claiming schedule, which were published there in 2026 [9][2].
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race information, schedule and route map, the full results, airport weather records, a Philippine news report and one runner's published column.