Cebuano junior triathletes man the local front against visiting rivals as the second leg of the Captivating Camotes-National Age Group Triathlon, blasts off today at the Santiago Bay in San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
It will be a grueling race.
That’s how top contender Karen Andrea Manayon described today’s National Age Group Triathlon (NAGT) Cebu Leg which also serves as the official qualifying race for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The race will start and finish this morning at the pristine beach of Santiago Bay, Camotes Island.
The 14-year-old Manayon, who recently topped her age group in the Alaska Ironkids in Subic Bay Olongapo, will be competing side by side with equally talented rivals Lauren Plaza and Pia Francesca Suarez who are also casting a moist eye on one of the slots for next year’s YOG.
“It will be a close race. I’m a swimmer while Lauren (Plaza) is a runner. In the bike, we usually take turns on the lead,” said Manayon who was recently added to the national pool for junior triathlon.
Iñaki Emil Orbes, Renz Corbin, Eduard Moritz Leuenberger, Juan Francisco Baniqued, Russell Villarasa and Joshua Ramos complete the list of competitors in the YOG qualifying race.
In the male category of the NAGT Sprint distance, Cebuano Andrew Kim Remolino is also gearing up for a high finish although he is ranged against older and more experienced triathletes.
“We biked out this morning to familiarize the route. The run course I think will be really challenging since it is mostly uphill,” Remolino said.
The YOG Qualifying race and the NAGT Mini Sprint will have a 400m swim, 10k bike and 10k run while the NAGR Sprint distance has an 800m swim, 20k bike and 6k run.
Around a hundred triathletes will be competing in their respective age groups in the race organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) headed by vice president Oscar Boying Rodriguez Jr., and national team head coach Rick Reyes.
The race is also supported by the Cebu Provincial Sports Commission (CPSC).