THIRTY-EIGHT professional triathletes will turn Cebu into a virtual battleground on Sunday as they compete in the Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships that will start and finish at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa.
Leading the list of the pro triathletes is back-to-back defending champion Tim Reed of Australia.
Reed topped the Ironman 70.3 Philippines last year, where he bested Mauricio Mendez of Mexico.
Mendez will also be competing in the race this Sunday that will feature a half Ironman distance of 1.9-kilometer swim, 90km bike and 21km run within the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.
All in all, around 3,000 triathletes from more than 50 countries will compete in the biggest triathlon race in Asia.
Five-peat women’s pro defending champion in the Ironman 70.3 Philippines and former Asia Pacific Championships female pro champion Caroline Steffen will make a comeback on Sunday after she skipped last year’s race due to her pregnancy.
It will be a new and challenging course for the pro triathletes as the race will introduce them to a new bike course with narrower roads and additional loops.