IRONMAN 70.3 Davao girds for hot, exacting race

MANILA, Philippines — A intrepid field of endurance athletes, including 18 pros and a slew of age-group bidders from record 46 countries, braces for a fast, grueling race when the Alveo IRONMAN 70.3 Davao Philippines is fired off Sunday, March 26, at Azuela Cove.

Organizers of the event powered by Petron have guaranteed the best racing experience for the huge field all geared up for a test of power, speed and stamina in the highly popular race to be disputed over the 1.9k swim-90k bike-21k run distance.

Following Davao’s successful staging of the IRONMAN 70.3 in 2018 and 2019 ruled by Mexico’s Mauricio Mendez and Germany’s Markus Rolli, respectively, the racecourse has been spruced up to championship condition one week before the blue-ribbon event is held.

“We have set a fantastic race at the same racecourse they have enjoyed while making improvements along the way. We have maintained a fast but challenging swim, a single loop flat bike layout, and a hot and punishing run course,” said race director Neville Manaois.

That should put emphasis on sound preparations and proper conditioning with the organizing The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc., the sponsoring Alveo Land Corp. and host Davao City ensuring everything is in place for the duration of the keenly awaited event to be spiced by the Girls Fun Run on March 24 and the IronKids on March 25.

“We are excited to witness the third conduct of this international sporting event here. The committee has assured that all necessary preparations are being taken care for the safety of everyone and for the smooth undertaking of the event,” said Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

He also cited the all-out support of the neighboring cities, the private sector and respective volunteers who have contributed to the overall success of the first and second IRONMAN 70.3.

“It’s been too long since we last raced here in Davao. Now that we are back, we are very excited to welcome all the participants,” added Manaois. “We have enhanced our operations and support to give the participants the best race experience as possible.”

For its part, Alveo Land Corp. said it has extended full support to one of the most sought-after and renowned sporting events in the world and that it is proud to continuously help promote the city of Davao and the country to both local and foreign enthusiasts alike.

“Alveo Land has championed overall wellness and dynamic urban living. These remain at the core of our developments across the country. It is always a privilege to work closely with the local government as we join the local sports community in championing world-class Filipino athletes,” said Alveo Land Corp. president Joseph Jugo.

Heading the cast in the centerpiece division, the only pro race slated this year, are Portugal’s Filipe Azevedo, Tuan Chun Chang of Taiwan and Aussies Matthew Tonge and Nick Carling, while the seasoned Dimity-Lee Duke and fellow Aussie Sarah Crowley and United Arab Emirates’ Lottie Lucas of United Arab Emirates are tipped to dispute the women’s crown.

Other age-group titles to be disputed in the event, backed by event partners Alveo, Petron, Lungsod ng Dabaw, Azuela Cove, Davao Light, Lightwater, Prudential Guarantee, One Sport and Cignal, are 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64 and 65-69.

For details, log on to ironman.com/im703-davao-philippines-athletes.

The event’s global premier partners are Active, Gatorade, HOKA, ROKA and Vinfast and technical partners Athletic Brewing Co., Biostarks, Breitling, Fulgaz, Hyperice, Qatar Airways, Santini and Wahoo while Always Advancing, EKOI and Compressport are the Asia supply partners and Outside and Sportograf.com are media partners.