3 races kick off Vaseline Xterra weekend

LILOAN, Cebu, Philippines  – The Vaseline Men Xterra Weekend fires off today with a multi-category trail run staged as a prelude to the much-anticipated, star-studded triathlon event set in this scenic coastal town.

Hundreds of amateur and pro runners are competing in the event divided into the 21km, 10km and 5km categories being held after the Vaseline Men Xterra Pang rave Run 2012 at the Timberland Heights ascent in San Mateo, Rizal last Feb. 26.

Tomorrow’s triathlon event, part of The Vaseline Men Xterra Off-Road Triathlon Series sponsored by Alaska Milk, 2XU, LBC, The Philippine STAR, Timex, Gatorade, Prudential Guarantee, Air Phil Express, MultiSport, Studio 23 and David’s Salon, has drawn the participation of some of the world’s top triathetes.

They include 2011 European Tour champ Olivier Marceau, 2011 Xterra Brazil winner Ben Allen, four-time Xterra European Tour winner and six-time Xterra Saipan titlist Renata Bucher, 2011 Xterra South Africa Champion and 2011 Xterra Brazil winner Carina Wasle and 2009-2011 Xterra Japan titlist Meiko Carey.

They’ll be slugging it out not just for the cash pot worth $15,000 but also for berths – a total of 37 among the top finishers in the 13 age groups for male and female, in the Xterra World Championship set Oct. 28 in Maui, Hawaii.

Alaska Milk Corp. CEO Wilfred Uytengsu, through Sunrise Events, Inc., organizer of the annual IronMan set in nearby Lapu, Lapu City this August, said the objective is having more international races in the country.

“More than just a race to be won, Xterra is an event to be experienced, it is an occasion that promotes sports tourism in the Philippines because global audience, through the participants and the media coverage, will actually see the breathtaking natural beauty of the Phl through the course of the race,” said Uytengsu.

The main event will have 1.5km of swimming highlighted by the spectacular view of the 100-year-old Liloan Lighthouse, whose light according to local folklore has guided seafarers here, a 35km bicycle course traversing a road with a backdrop of the Camotes Sea in the east and a 10km trail run that finishes at the San Fernando Rey Parish Church.

The race is full of challenges – the bike course’s roads are littered with dirt, gravel, dried up bushes and jagged rocks and some half-meter wide walkway that is mired with protruding bamboo sticks in the running part.