Triathlon has new venue in Cebu

The 2003 National Triathlon Trial scheduled to be held at Mactan’s Tambuli Resort in Cebu will be held instead at the sprawling South Reclamation Project (SRP) near Talisay, the organizing Cebu City Sports Commission announced yesterday.

The CCSC, headed by its chairman Jonathan Guardo, and the Triathlon Association of the Philippines, led by Tom Carrasco, said problems regarding traffic and crowd control in Mactan led to the selection of a new venue.

The new venue will be at the P7 billion, 200-hectare SRP near Talisay. It is the latest site development and economic zone project of Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña with its fast and even terrain expected to result to fast times by the national team members vying for slots for the Asian Triathlon championship later this year in India.

"I live near this area and it has been my dream to hold a big triathlon event here considering the conditions of the site. And it will be completely traffic-free for the triathletes. It is only 10 to 15 minutes away from downtown Cebu," said Guardo of the new venue with part of the Upon Channel of the Bohol Strait to be used for the swim leg of the standard distance triathlon.

Carrasco also expressed satisfaction at the new venue saying "we might even use this site when we make a bid for the 2004 Asian Triathlon Championship here. With its flat roads, this is really ideal for a triathlon and can meet international standards. We will also be starting the races at a later time than the usual as this is part of our adjustments to help our triathletes to get used to late morning starts in international competitions."

Cebu will be represented by national athlete Abet Biagan, who was the best local triathlete in the national age-group circuit two years ago, while another local triathlete, Ripples Rafanan, has practically won the women’s side of the National Age-Group Triathlon for 2002 with the final leg of the circuit to be held also on Jan. 18.

The event, which is expected to attract close to 150 individual and team entries, will opt a pontoon-type of start similar to what was used in Sydney Olympics, according to Carrasco, hoping that a local triathlete could make it to the Athens Olympics in 2004.

All members of the national team are entered in the event including the first RP Ironman women’s champion and current national triathlon champion Ani de Leon, together with Popo Nagtalon, Sandra Araullo, Bing Alto, and Kaye Lopez on the women’s side while George Vilog, Mark Candelaria, Bacolod Bet, and defending champion Noel Salvador, Nonoy Jopson, and Ironman champion Alvin Alindogan lead the men’s elite cast.

Team entries include San Pedro Laguna, Cebu, Bacolod, Manila, Quezon City, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Also supporting the event are Enervon, Guardo Sports, Osaka Iridology, Speedo, the PSC, the Cebu City Sports Commission, the Cebu City government and TRAP.