Start Times and Cut-off: A 3am Half With Four Hours to Finish
The 2025 race was held on Sunday 26 October at the Filinvest City Events Grounds in Alabang, Muntinlupa, the second Philippine edition of the Garmin Run Asia Series [1][2]. The 21 km started at 3am, with assembly from 2am; the 10 km followed at 4.30am and the 5 km at 5.30am [1].
Every distance closed at 7am [1]. That gave the half marathon four hours, the 10 km two and a half and the 5 km an hour and a half, which is a generous limit for a 21 km. Every bib carried a timing tag [1]. The results list 28 half marathoners with gun times beyond four hours, the slowest in 4:17:19 [3], so the results point to the limit being applied loosely at the finish in 2025. Do not plan on it.
The 2026 race keeps the same shape: the 21 km at 3am, the 10 km at 4.30am and the 5 km at 5am, all with a 7am cut-off [4][5].
The Weather: 28°C and a 25°C Dew Point at 3am
Ninoy Aquino International Airport, about 10 km north of Filinvest City, recorded 28°C at 3am on race morning, with a dew point of 25°C, 84% humidity and a 3-knot wind [6]. The temperature eased to 27°C between 4am and 6am, when humidity peaked at 94%, then rose back to 28°C at the 7am cut-off and 30°C at 8am [6]. No rain was reported [6].
A dew point of 25°C is oppressive for running: the air is so wet that sweat barely evaporates, so you heat up even in the dark. The median 21 km runner crossed the line at about 5.45am [3], so most of the field ran the whole way in near-saturated air with almost no wind. Start slower than your usual half-marathon pace and drink early.
How Fast the Field Is
Corsino Satinitigan won the men's 21 km in 1:10:38, ahead of David Kipkoech Kipsang in 1:12:16 and Ritchie Estampador in 1:13:39. Jessa Mae Roda won the women's race in 1:31:45, from Eloisa Cusi in 1:34:10 and Jocelyn Elijiran in 1:40:54 [2][3].
Behind the podium the field thins fast. Tenth place in the 21 km was 1:29:33 for men and 1:58:11 for women, on the gun times the organiser ranks by [3]. Only 267 of the 3,012 finishers broke two hours, two thirds finished inside three hours, and the median chip time was 2:45:09 [3]. The 10 km was won in 33:28 by Welmer Jeck Labrador and in 39:39 by Edna Magtubo, and tenth man ran 39:36 [2][3].
The race is growing. The organiser put the 2025 turnout at a record 7,700 runners, including 238 from more than 20 countries [2]; the results list 3,012 finishers in the 21 km, 2,855 in the 10 km and 983 in the 5 km [3]. The 21 km had 1,843 finishers in 2024 [7]. The results show two start waves for the 21 km and the 10 km [3].
Race Weekend: Kits, Fees and Rules
Race kits were delivered from 22 September for a fee of ₱200 within Metro Manila and ₱400 outside it, or collected in person: in the BGC area from 7 to 13 October and in Alabang from 15 to 25 October, 11am to 8pm [1].
Every entry included a race bib with a timing tag, a tote bag, a finisher's medal and hydration on the course; 21 km runners got an event singlet and a finisher's shirt, the shorter distances an event shirt [1]. Finishers inside the qualifying time also got an e-certificate [2]. After the race a Garmin Village hub had device displays, games and partner booths [2].
Entry for the 21 km cost ₱2,200 at the early-bird rate and ₱2,800 at the last-chance rate, plus a ₱50 web fee; the 10 km went from ₱1,600 early bird to ₱2,200 last chance, and the 5 km from ₱1,400 to ₱2,000 [1]. The 2026 price chart uses the same early-bird, regular and last-chance rates [8].
Entries were not refundable, and the 2025 checkout called them non-transferable [1]. If the race is postponed, the organiser reschedules and gives no refund or credit to anyone who cannot make the new date [1]. That matters in typhoon season: the first Manila race was postponed from 17 November to 1 December 2024 because of an incoming typhoon [9]. For 2026 the organiser's FAQ says entries can be transferred by email before race day, while the Kinetic sales page says they cannot [5][10]; get the answer in writing before you count on it.
Should You Enter the 2026 Race?
Yes, if you want a large, chip-timed half marathon near Manila with four hours to finish and full results for every runner [3]. The limit suits a first 21 km, and the 10 km and 5 km suit newer runners.
Think twice if you are chasing a fast time in cool air, or if you want to know the course before you enter: no route map was posted on the 2025 registration page [1].
The 2026 race is on Sunday 25 October at the SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay, a new venue [8][4]. The organiser's sales partner said starting points would be announced later [10], so the route has not been published. Read it, and the race guide the organiser emails a few days before the race [5], before you set a pace.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's registration and results pages, airport weather records and the organiser's press release.