Challenge accepted

The success of the recent Challenge Philippines triathlon marks a new renaissance for the sport in the Philippines. The course in Subic is one of only three approved venues in Asia, outside of Japan and Thailand. With a successful dry run last year, the organizers were able to iron out all the minor kinks associated with new large-scale events. The result is a bandwagon effect that drew crowds to the races for an entire weekend, not just a day of prepping and racing.

The buzz was so strong that heavy hitters came from all over the world. Name runners from Australia, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Slovenia, the UK, France, Czech Republic, Serbia, Thailand, Singapore and the US were among early registrants. Two-time Ironman World Champion Chris “Macca” McCormack was one of the first to jump onboard and endorse the event. McCormack is the only winner of both the Ironman and Olympic Course, and has 12 Ironman victories, more than any other male triathlete. He has also been named International Triathlete of the Year five times. His excitement for the event also lent great credibility which the organizers appreciated.

“After the dry run at the Subic Invitational Triathlon last November, we knew we had something,” says organizer Raymund Magdaluyo, the restaurateur who got enamored with triathlon to keep his weight down in 2012. “It also helped us see ways to improve the event, which is a never-ending process.”

One of the big improvements Magdaluyo introduced was moving the traditional triathlon race day from a Sunday to a Saturday. One of the main reasons why triathlons in the Philippines have been held on Sundays is that they are generally held in urban areas to have bigger crowds and better media coverage. City streets are much easier to close down for a few hours on Sunday mornings. But in a contained environment like Subic Bay and a somewhat isolated venue like Ocean Adventure and Camayan Beach, there is less of a challenge. Less traffic meant being able to do the ambitious event on a Saturday and make everything more relaxed.

“When you do a race on Sundays, everyone’s rushing to go back home since we’re out of town,” explains Magdaluyo, who owns the well-known Seafood Island chain of restaurants, among others. “This way, they can stay another day, unwind, and explore. We’re helping tourism in Subic.”

Apparently, the formula works. Of the 581 individual entries (there were also team events), about half were from other countries. A few intrepid individuals even registered for one of the three legs and offered their services to teams that needed one more member. Camayan Beach was buzzing with activity well before sunrise, as last-minute preparations and numbering kept participants busy. The roster of participants was somewhat intimidating, but at the same time afforded local triathletes a rare chance to test themselves against the world’s best in the sport.

The Challenge Philippines comes on the heels of the National Age Group Triathlon first leg, which was televised as the pilot episode of XPS TV, a new television program devoted entirely to triathlon in conjunction with the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP), the governing body for the amateur side of the sport. This is just a sign that triathlon has also benefitted from the running boom which began a few years ago. as more and more runners are able to conquer the regular distances offered, they look for greater challenges. Many of them find themselves attracted to triathlon, athletes who are also strong swimmers and cyclists also end up diversifying to triathlon’s benefit.

As for Magdaluyo, the next project is an off-road triathlon in Bataan in May, where terrain will provide an added difficulty for those who dare take on this new adventure.

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Congratulations to Genesis “Azukal” Servania for a successful first title defense of the WBO International Super Bantamweight by knocking out former two-time WBA world champion Alexander Muñoz. Servania floored the 35-year old veteran with body shots in the second and ninth rounds before finishing him off with a right-handed assault to the head in the final minute of the bout.

An interesting scenario now emerges for Servania, who was ranked third in the world by the WBO in his weight class going into Saturday’s fight. Former champion Nonito Donaire Jr. (ranked second above Servania) will be moving up in weight for his fight in May. Current champion Guillermo Rigondeaux is inclined to likewise vacate his title to chase Donaire. If that happens, chances are high that Servania’s next fight may be a title eliminator against number one contender Chris Avalos of the US, accelerating his track to a world championship.