Ramos, Ecalla dominate IronKids in Palawan

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines — Euan Ramos and Elizza Ecalla unleashed convincing runs to repel their rivals and rule their respective sides in the IRONKIDS Philippines at the Ramon Mitra Sports Complex here yesterday.

Ramos emerged third in the opening swim leg of the aquathlon but flashed superb running skills, posting a 07:14 clocking to clinch top honors in the 250m swim and 2km run competition of the 13-15 age category which served as prelude to the centerpiece IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Princesa firing off today.

He timed 03:56 in swim for a total clocking of 11:10.

Lance Romero placed second in 12:46 with clockings of 03:27 (swim) and 0:9:19 (run) while Kian Manabat timed 3:51 in swim and 09:01 in run for third with a total clocking of 12:52.

Ecalla also yielded the lead in the early going (swim) to Christy Ann Perez but charged back in the run stage to snare the girls’ trophy in 13:20 with clockings of 04:36 (swim) and 08:44 (run).

Perez posted a 04:15 time in swim but failed to match Ecalla’s big strides and finished with 0:922 in run for a 13:37 clocking.

Celinda Raagas timed 14:33 for third with times of 4:34 in swim and 09:59 in run.

A total of 125 kids took part in the competitive but fun event that also featured youngsters aged 6-8 years, who fought it out over the 100m-swim and 1km-run distance, the 9-10 bidders who clashed over 150m swim and 1.5km run, and the 11-12 hopefuls, who vied over 200m swim and 1.5km run.

The IRONKIDS has been contributing to the growth of triathlon through the years as it provides the steady flow of talents while helping the kids develop values like discipline, sportsmanship and respect for others. It also encourages the youngsters to live an active, healthy lifestyle.