GIRL POWER. More than 500 girls leave the starting line during the inaugural staging of IronGirls, a side event of tomorrow’s Cobra IronMan 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON).
THE festive mood, the contagious smiles of the locals, the postcard-perfect scenery and the solid preparations all come together to make the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships stand out among other major triathlons in the world.
Sunrise Events Inc. (SEI) big boss Wilfred Steven Uytengsu who brought the half Ironman race to the country seven years ago, said these overwhelming testimonials come from discriminating foreign and local triathletes.
Sunday’s race will start and finish at the plush Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa.
Cebu has been hosting the Ironman 70.3 for the past five years with its success growing by leaps and bounds each year.
“We won’t be able to make this race successful without the help of the cities that are covered by the race. The LGUs’ tremendous support helped us make this event memorable to each and every participant,” said Uytengsu.
Philippines made history as it is the first country in Asia to host the Asia-Pacific Championships outside Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s a very proud moment and a big honor for us,” said Uytengsu. “We are also making history with a record number of 2,978 triathletes competing and registration was sold out in 28 minutes with 400 more on the waiting list.”
Next year Auckland, New Zealand will host the Asia-Pacific Championships.
Men’s Pro Elite defending champion Tim Reed of Australia and 2014 champion Brent McMahon of Canada said that the people lining up and cheering on the streets inspired them to go on.
“The race is very tough and you’re on the verge of quitting but you see those smiles and cheers, you just have to keep pushing on. There’s no place on earth where you can see so many people cheering for you,” said Reed.
Indeed, triathlon is more fun in the Philippines.