Gilbert Muge and Edna Magtubo emerged as the brightest stars in the Manila leg of the HOKA Midnight Run Asia 2026, topping the 21K race early Sunday at SM Mall of Asia Complex.

The two spearheaded the 15,000-strong midnight runners in this immersive night run as they traversed neon-lit routes beneath the city skyline in this race which has HOKA as title sponsor and GOMO as presenter.

Muge pulled away from the men's field, timing in at one hour, 10 minutes and 15 seconds, with fellow Kenyan Evans Bomer in close pursuit at 1:12:58, and Jake Samuel Barraclough completing the podium at 1:14:35.

Meanwhile, Magtubo once again proved why she remains one of the country's top long-distance runners, clocking in at 1:21:09, ahead of Pamela Chepkoech Bundotich (1:24:15) and Eloisa Cusi (1:29:53).

"As always, the HOKA Midnight Run Asia has been one of our most exciting races of the year and it's nice to see the runners take this different challenge," RUNRIO president and CEO Rio de la Cruz said.

"We're excited to see more runners in our next legs."

Alfrence Braza claimed the men's 10K title in 33:40, narrowly edging Vincent Avestruz (33:42) and Justwin Guerrero (34:28), while Nicole Diloy topped the women's division in 39:55, followed by Asia Paraase (40:05) and Shiekhy Heart Supremo (40:22).

Noli Torre also ruled the men's 5K race with a winning time of 16:35, with Ronald Marilla (16:57) and Mark Anthony Oximar (17:13) making the top three, while Angel Lumacang emerged as the fastest woman in 20:41, with Lezamy Sanita (22:21) and Jo Punay (22:32) rounding out the podium.

This indeed was a tight celebration not only of speed and endurance but also the vibrant running community that gathered to conquer the city's streets after sunset, making another successful edition of the nighttime spectacle.