Davide pleased with ‘most spectator-friendly’ tag given to Ironman Cebu

DAVIDE

CEBU PROVINCE Governor Hilario Davide III was delighted with the news that Cebu was voted by the Ironman community all over the world as the most spectator-friendly race among other Ironman races worldwide.

According to Cebu Capitol Protocol and Events Officer Mary Grace Paulino, the governor congratulated Sunrise Events, Inc. (SEI) general manager Princess Galura for the achievement yesterday when her team paid the governor a visit at his office.

SEI invited Davide to fire the gun for the start of the Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship at the Shangri-La’s Resort and Spa Cebu in Lapu-Lapu City on August 5, to which the governor gave his nod.

“He was very pleased and congratulated Princess,” said Paulino.

As part of its 40th anniversary, Ironman conducted a poll on its Facebook page wherein it asked members of the Ironman community which among the Ironman races around the world has the friendliest spectators.

“In our latest 40th anniversary Facebook poll, we asked YOU, the IRONMAN community, for your favorite spectator-friendly race from a list of options. Even with races like the highly popular IRONMAN European Championship, Frankfurt and IRONMAN Austria, as well as Canada’s late-summer IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant, it was a little race in Cebu, Philippines that topped the results,” a statement at m.asia.ironman.com read.

The news was a big boost to the race, which hit a snag late last month when it had issues with the route for the 90-kilometer bike phase of the race. The issue was settled recently as SEI found a new route within the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.

“Organizing the Ironman event in Cebu is like participating in the Ironman itself. With so many LGUs and stakeholders involved, it takes months of preparations to ensure success and, even then, new and unexpected challenges almost turn up year in and year out. To receive this recognition validates all the planning, coordination, hard work and sacrifice put into its success, and is a true testament to the Filipino “bayanihan” spirit and the heights Cebu can achieve working together,” said Atty. Mark Tolentino, the Cebu provincial administrator, who has been tasked by Gov. Davide to personally oversee the Ironman races.

Galura said that SEI was only informed that Ironman was conducting such poll two weeks ago.

“I think we were able to already imbibe in the community that rather than seeing it as an inconvenience, welcoming it is a much better frame of mind,” said Galura.

Cebu has been hosting the Ironman 70.3 since 2012 and in 2016, when it first hosted the Asia Pacific Championship, it earned the title “Crown jewel of Asia,” a title that Cebu continues to hold until now.