Who will be this year's Adidas King and Queen of the Road?

Last year, Olympian Eduardo Buenavista and Cebu-based Mary Ann delos Santos not only won the Philippine qualifying leg of the five-nation Adidas King of the Road (KOTR), they went on to bag the Southeast Asian championship titles of the annual running event held in Singapore.

This year, Adidas revealed that the Philippine leg of the five-nation swing will be happening again at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City on July 7, with additional categories.

The KOTR will have the 16.8K as its main category, which will then be divided in two sub-categories, the Closed Category for Filipinos and the Open category for all nationalities.

The top male and female runners in the Closed category will claim the Philippine King and Queen of the Road titles and move on to represent the country in the Adidas KOTR Southeast Asia Championship, to be held this year in Malaysia in October.

In the 10k event, there will be a regular 10K race and a students' relay category, which will be exclusively for college and university students 25-years-old and below. In order to participate in the relay category, students must form a male and female team with each finishing a 5k leg.

The regular 10k category is open to all runners.

“The brand’s battle cry is All In, as Adidas continues to support and encourage people to be the best they can be in whatever interests they have — be it sports, fashion, or music,” said Jason Gervasio, Adidas Brand Communications and Sports Marketing Manager, in a statement released to media outlets on Friday.

“In the case of KOTR, adidas is showcasing its commitment to sports by bringing together and empowering runners from all over the Philippines and Southeast Asia, giving them a chance to engage in their passion for running.”

Adidas will also be having its regional contests in Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, in addition to the Philippines. The winners in the Closed category of those races will then converge in Malaysia for the championship race.

Registration is now open and will end on June 23, 2013. - AMD, GMA News