World's top triathletes due for RP Ironman

MANILA, Philippines - A banner field of 250 triathletes, headed by 2007 world champion Chris McCormack of the US and a slew of international winners, clash for fame and fortune in the first Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines slated Aug. 23 at the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) in Camarines Sur.

McCormack, fresh from an Ironman 70.3 win in China last weekend, and Tim Marr, also of the US, New Zealand’s eight-time Ironman titlist Kiwi Cameron Brown, Canadian Lisa Bentley, who owns 11 Ironman titles, and Australian Charlotte Paul, the Ironman China winner, are the early favorites to slug it out for the top $25,000 purse in the event featuring swimming, biking and running.

“We had three goals in holding this event,” said Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, president of the organizing Sunrise Events, Inc., in yesterday’s event launch at the Renaissance Hotel in Makati City. “While the sport is still relatively small here, there has been significant growth in the past couple of years and we want to develop the sport in the Philippines with long distance races like the Ironman 70.3.

“As more and more people seek a healthier lifestyle, triathlon is well positioned to attract many new participants,” said Uytengsu, a veteran Ironman and triathlon campaigner himself.

Major partners Camarines Sur Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte and Hubert Tan, vice president for marketing for the Asia Brewery-owned Cobra Energy Drink, also graced the launching of the event which also features the top local triathletes.

Participants from Great Britain, Hong Kong, Singapore and Slovakia have likewise confirmed participation in the race covering a grueling 70.3 miles of 1.9 kilometers of swimming, 90km of biking and 21.1km of running.

Heading the local challenge are George Vilog, US-based Arlan Macasieb and Nonoy Jopson, who will battle it out for the P50,000, P30,000 and P20,000 prizes in the local side of the event. – Joey Villar