SOCORRO, June 21 -- The coastal town of Socorro turned its famed spirit of hinabangay -- the local term for bayanihan (cooperation) -- into the driving force behind the Bucas Grande International Marathon-Uphill Challenge (Leg 2) on Sunday.

Some 1,240 runners from across the country raced through the rugged island terrain in four categories -- 5, 10, 15 and 25 kilometers.

From community volunteers to people's organizations (POs), residents joined hands with the local government to stage the event, blending athletic endurance with shared purpose.

The marathon's second leg showed how effective collective effort was, as village officials and POs actively set up stations along the marathon's paths offering the runners water, hard boiled e...