Tough Cebu layout awaits top triathletes

More than 120 triathletes are expected to encounter a tough course in the National Triathlon Trials set on Jan. 18, next year in Mactan island, Cebu.

A group of veteran triathlon and marathon organizers–Dong Sarmiento, George Garcia and Cebu City Sports Commission’s Joe Deresas–and former national triathlon champion Nonoy Jopson has laid out a challenging 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-k bike and 10-k run course featuring a lot of curves and turns.

The most difficult part of the course comes in the bike and run legs.

The event will end and start at the Tambuli Resort in Mactan island. Aside from serving as the national triathlon tryouts, TRAP (Triathlon Association of the Philippines) president Tom Carrasco says the affair will also feature the fourth National Inter-Club Championships as the fourth and final leg of the National Age Group Triathlon series, which was originally slated this month in Ayala Alabang.

All the country’s top triathletes, led by Mark Candelaria, George Vilog, RP Ironman female and national titlist Ani de Leon, Popo Nagtalon and former national junior king Kay Lopez will compete in the event organized by the Cebu City Sports Commission headed by sportsman-businessman Jonathan Guardo, sanctioned by TRAP and backed by Guardo Sports, Osaka Iridology, Speedo and the Lapu-Lapu City government.

Visayas and Mindanao triathletes will challenge Candelaria and company.

In the interclub, Laguna-based San Pedro United Triathlon Club bannered by national coach Abet Alon-Alon faces stiff competition from AFP teams and Cebu, one of the major triathlon centers here. The winning team will represent the Philippines in the Macau International championship late next year.

Laguna’s Johnny Yanong, Davao’s Noel Graciano and Manila’s Sean Lim lead the age group series, while Cebu’s Ripples Rafanan has virtually bagged the female crown, pulling away from Louie Villacin and Carla Pangilinan, both also of Cebu.

Registration forms are available at all Speedo Concept Stores in Alabang Town center, Glorietta and Mega Mall for Luzon-based triathletes but they have to submit these forms at the TRAP office, Philsports Complex in Pasig. Contact persons are George Garcia, cellphone. no. 0917-9116842; Fabie David, 0917-4217913; and Carlo Carrasco in Cebu, 0916-4494789.