Sam Verzosa, Tim Yap, and Javi Martinez have all finished the 2023 London Marathon strong all while raising funds for the world’s largest cleft charity for children with cleft
Celebrity couple Tim Yap and Javi Martinez, as well as Sam Verzosa were among the thousands of runners that finished the London Marathon on April 23, 2023. The three ran as part of the “Yaparazzi Smiles” team, which raised funds for Smile Train to provide comprehensive cleft care to children with clefts.
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Smile Train is an international children’s cleft charity aiming to empower local communities to provide free cleft treatment to those with cleft lip and palate. Yaparazzi Smiles has raised thousands of dollars as of writing to treat children with this condition, who have difficulty eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking.
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Regarding the three’s marathon performance, according to the official website, businessman Sam Verzosa finished the 42-kilometer race at just under six hours and 30 minutes. Meanwhile, host and eventologist Tim Yap finished the race at seven hours and one minute, and he only had “one month or so” to train, according to his Instagram story.
On the other hand, Javi Martinez—Tim’s partner and Managing Director for YAPARAZZI Events + PR—finished the London Marathon at an impressive speed of three hours and 42 minutes. All three were trained under coach Gabb Rosario, who also helped Pia Wurtzbach complete the 2022 NYC Marathon, and Anne Curtis the 2023 Tokyo Marathon.
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Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach also showed her support for the three-person team, saying that although she’s not running in the London Marathon this year, she’s still supporting Smile Train and their fundraiser for children’s cleft palate surgery.
Featured Image from TIM YAP (via Instagram)
