Celebs spend extreme weekend in Cebu

MANILA, Philippines - Celebrities spent an exciting weekend of extreme off-road action as they competed in the Vaseline Men XTERRA Weekend held at the resort town of Liloan, Cebu. The event is the second leg of the Vaseline Men XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon Series, a world-class triathlon event that tests the skill, strength and resolve of each competitor.

They competed in either the XTERRA Full or the XTERRA Lite Triathlon. The XTERRA Full Triathlon included a 1.5- kilometer open-water swim, a grueling 30-kilometer off-road bike and a demanding 10-kilometer trail run. The XTERRA Lite Triathlon, on the other hand, included a 500-meter open-water swim, 30-kilometer off-road bike and a five-kilometer trail run. Both race categories featured a solo and relay division.

Vaseline Men endorser Jericho Rosales led the parade of stars who took part in the much-anticipated event. He was joined by MYX VJ Mike Advincula, Drew Arellano, Rovilson Fernandez, Tricia Chiongbian, Paolo Abrera, Matteo Guidicelli and Richard Gutierrez. Other personalities who saw action included celebrity coach Rio de la Cruz and Sen. Pia Cayetano.

Jericho joined forces with champion swimmer Mike and Cebu-based professional cyclist Orville Tecson to compete as Team Vaseline Men in the all-male category of XTERRA Triathlon Lite Relay, where they won first place. Their success led them to consider the possibility of competing again in succeeding races. “It was an awesome experience and I definitely had the best teammates. It also was an honor to be amongst the world’s most respected triathletes,” says Jericho.

Not to be outdone were Tricia, Rovilson and Rio who formed Team TRR to compete in the mixed category of XTERRA Triathlon Full Relay, where they finished fourth. Likewise, Richard showed he’s not just good on-cam but off-road as well by competing in the XTERRA Triathlon Full-Individual. Paolo, Drew and hometown favorite Matteo also finished their respective XTERRA races. 

Taking time off from public service, Sen. Cayetano participated in the XTERRA Triathlon Full and finished the swim-bike-run series. The senator finished second in her age group category.

After Cebu, the Vaseline Men XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon Series then moves to Clark, Pampanga for the Putik Pare event on Nov. 18, a duathlon relay involving a trail run and mountain bike.

The Vaseline Men XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon Series is presented by Alaska, Timex, Gatorade, Summit Water, David’s Salon, LBC, AirPhil Express, Prudential Guarantee, 2XU, Dusit Thani Manila, the Department of Tourism, The Philippine Star, Multisport, SBR and Studio 23. Host venues for this year are Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal, and Amara, Porter Marina and Papa Kit’s in Liloan, Cebu.