RP Ironman triathlon lures big field in Matabungkay

With just over a week to go, the Ironman fever is rising and rising.

Close to 50 participants, including three female entries are expected to be at the starting line of the first Philippine Ironman Triathlon, the country’s toughest and longest endurance event set on Nov. 30 at the Matabungkay Beach Resort in Batangas.

Presented by First Wave Events and sponsored by David’s Salon, Northwest Airlines, and Smart Simply Amazing, the event features a 3.8k open water swim, followed by a gruelling 180K bike leg that will take the competitors around Calatagan, Balayan, and Lian, and capped by a lung-busting 42K full marathon, and for the last few months, the competitors have been training hard in their bid to finish their first Ironman, at least for most of them.

"We were really surprised at the number of entries who signed up, almost double than what we expected and we are leaving no stone unturned to make this first ever event here a memorable one for all of them," said race director Raul Cuevas, who himself has completed already four full Ironman distance triathlons.