Regent Aguila, Ironman 70.3 ink 5-year pact

MANILA, Philippines — Regent Aguila and Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship, through its producer and organizer Sunrise Events, Inc., have forged a long-time partnership, ensuring an uninterrupted staging of the premier endurance race that features the world’s leading and rising triathletes the next five years in the sport’s home in Cebu.

With its first sponsorship of Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship already surpassing the event’s past hosting in terms of participation and depth of the field, the two sides have agreed to stage the event until 2022, boosting Phl triathlon in general and the Filipino triathletes in particular.

The first Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship unwraps Sunday at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu Lapu City with a record cast of 2,700 from over 51 countries all set to dispute top honors in various divisions in the challenging 1.9km swim-90km bike-21.2km run event offering a total prize fund of $75,000.

“This is the Crown Jewel of Asia – so expect a gold level and race organization,” said SEI general manager Princess Galura. “Cebu has also won the most spectator friendly race in the world this year so it will be an experience, not only for this inaugural Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 but all the way to 2022.”

To ensure a star-studded cast, SEI has assembled a slew of reigning and former world champions plus a horde of upcoming stars ready to topple the current best in the fold. They include three-time champion Tim Reed, former three-time world champion Craig Alexander, former Xterra world champion and first Ironman 70.3 Davao titlist Mauricio Mendez, and former Ironman As-Pac winners Tim Van Berkel, Josh Amberger and Braden Currie along with former Ironman South American winner Brent McMahon.

Toughening up the men’s pro field are Mike Phillips, Casey Munro, Michael Raelert, Jakub Langhammer, David Mainwaring and Tyler Butterfield – all ready to upstage the big guns in the event supported by venue hosts Province of Cebu, City of Lapu Lapu, Mandaue and Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa.

Focus will also be on the stellar women’s pro side with three-time world champ and three-time Asia-Pacific and European titlist Melissa Hauschildt leading the field that includes back-to-back Ironman 70.3 Phl champion (Subic and Davao) Czech Radka Kahlefeldt and veteran campaigners Caroline Steffen, Dimity Lee Duke and Beth McKenzie along with Anna Eberhardt, Lauren Goss, Bruna Mahn, Sabrina Stadelmann, Lisa Tyack, Lauren Brandon, Grace Thek, Mel Hauschildt, Simone Maier, Holly Khan and Manami Iijima.

The event will also stake 50 berths in various age categories in the 2019 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in France.

Meanwhile, the Alaska Run Out gets going at 6 a.m. today at Shangri-La Mactan Lobby to Mactan Shrine with the meet-the-pros press conference to be held in the afternoon, including a Q&A with triathlon Canada hall-of-famer and Lifesport coach Lance Watson. The Herbalife Iron Girl is set at 5 p.m.