Ironman 70.3 rescheduled again due to COVID concerns
Triathletes dive into the water for the swim leg of the Ironman triathlon event in Cebu in this August 2019 photo. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines—- The participants of the Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Philippines, which is supposed to happen on August 1, 2021, will need to wait a bit longer after the organizers of the grand international triathlon event announced today, June 3, 2021 that they will reschedule the race for the second time due to the safety and health concerns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a Facebook post, Sunrise Events general manager Princess Galura officially announced that they would reschedule the international triathlon event for the second time.
The race date was originally scheduled on August 9, 2020, but a month prior to the event, Sunrise Events, the organizing team of the race announced that they were moving it to August 1, 2021.
Despite the rolling vaccination program around the country, the organizers do not feel complacent of the current COVID-19 pandemic situation.
With that in mind, they will reschedule the event on August 7, 2022. It will have its official start and finish line at the plush Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa.
“After a challenging 2020 which saw numerous sporting events cancelled around the world, our teams have been hard at work to prepare safe and enjoyable in-person events for our athletes in 2021, including the IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines, Cebu triathlon on August 1,” Galura said in the post.
“Unfortunately, in consultation with City of Lapu Lapu and based upon the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and resulting guidelines and precautions, we regret to inform you that the event cannot take place in 2021 and will now return on August 7, 2022,” she further said in the post.
Also included in the post is their announcement that each of the registered triathletes will receive an email with further information and are advised to keep in touch with the team if they have questions in mind.
“Our team will continue to develop and refine operational plans with local authorities and agencies in a manner that is consistent with local community objectives and follow guidelines and recommendations set by public health entities as it relates to COVID-19,” Galura said in the post.
“While we are prevented from holding the race in 2021, we thank our athletes for their patience as we work towards welcoming them back in the second half of 2022 with an exceptional race experience,” she said.
Every year, in the first week of August, the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, and Mandaue are turned into a virtual battleground of the world’s best long distance triathletes who are vying for supremacy in the Ironman 70.3 Philippines.
Cebu has been the home of this international triathlon race which featured more than a thousand athletes from a hundred countries since 2012.
Cebu also witnessed two editions of the Asia Pacific Championships of the Ironman 70.3.
The triathlon event features a 1.9-kilometer swim, 90k bike, and 21k run.
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