Anne Curtis has successfully completed the 2023 Tokyo Marathon. Here’s how she prepared for it

Anne Curtis successfully completed the 2023 Tokyo Marathon—one of the most prestigious marathons in the world—on Sunday, March 5, earning a new personal record (PR) of four hours and 50 minutes from her last best time in New York at 4:55.

Aside from celebrating her daughter’s third birthday, the actress flew to Japan to run for a cause in partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Philippines, aimed at “helping abused Filipino children get the support and services they need to heal and recover.” 

In an Instagram post, the mom of one said that "every single kilometer was worth it" because she knew she was "running to help Filipino children heal and recover through the funds we raised together."

"Being a mother, now as well, I couldn’t help but get emotional when I crossed that finish line. It just hit a little differently this time around. Running with a purpose bigger than just receiving a medal kept me fueled, which probably, unintentionally, led me to PR. Kilig," she said, expressing her gratitude to everyone who supported her in this endeavor—including her husband, entrepreneur Erwan Heussaff and their child Dahlia.

"Another marathon done and dedicated to the Filipino youth. Thank you, Lord, for giving me this opportunity. Congratulations to all the runners!" she continued.

How did Anne prepare for this feat? Her trainer Gabb Rosario—a strength and conditioning coach, sports scientist, and triathlete—shared that they ran for 3-4 times a week over the course of two months, accompanied by other activities like cycling and strength work “to keep the body injury-free and with better running efficiency.”

“We prepared for the marathon for only two months. She had zero running since the pandemic. It was an almost impossible task but we managed to pull through with her hard work and dedication,” he told PhilSTAR L!fe. 

She had to religiously follow a program he specifically designed for her, taking into consideration her fitness level, daily schedule, among other factors. “The program consisted of a lot of easy runs and some basic speed play. It was a base-building program for marathon runners specifically,” he explained, adding that he “didn’t pressure her on any diet at all.”

Gabb revealed that training scientifically was new to Anne. “Using heart rate zones, having a lot of easy runs were new to Anne so at first, it was a bit of a challenge for her to adapt, but after a few runs, it turned out to be a solid progress,” he said.