IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu Cebu: Safe, successful amid extreme heat

Participants swimming their way through the 1.9-kilometer swim course. | CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Despite the scorching heat IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu Cebu only tallied one case of dehydration among the 1,385 triathletes from 54 countries who joined the race on Sunday, April 21, at the Mactan Newtown.

This was according to the chief organizer Princess Galura of the IRONMAN Group and Sunrise Events Inc.

Galura, in the post-race interview, said that their intensive preparation to keep the participants hydrated and cool in the race resulted in only one dehydration casualty.

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“Dun nyo makikita talaga na sandamukal yung ice sa entire run course. Pero kami we taught them how to do it to mitigate the heat. We have fire trucks, tankers, and misting areas. Meron pa rin tayong na dehydrate, but it was almost close to zero percent,” said Galura.

“Isa lang ngayon yung dehydration case and we already took care of the participant.”

21-kilometer race course

Galura in the pre-race presser revealed that they will deploy assets such as fire trucks, water tankers, blocks of ice, electrolytes, and water stations along the 21-kilometer race course which for them was the most crucial part of the race.

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Ironically, many participants, roughly around 140 of them, weren’t able to finish the 1.9-kilometer swim because of the strong current along Hilutungan Channel, while 30 didn’t start the race.

“You have to prepare for this mentally and physically. It’s not just pay for the registration. You have to pay respect to the distance of the race,” added Galura.

Prepared beyond the normal

Galura said that they’ve been in close coordination with the Lapu-Lapu City government, volunteers, and other stakeholders to ensure the safety and well-being of the participants due to the concern about the extreme heat being experienced throughout the country.

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Thus, they prepared beyond the normal to provide support to the participants.

“From the very beginning, we already told them na mainit. We already communicated with them na mainit talaga yung panahon. So, hopefully may ginawa yung mga participants, but on our side, kailangan talaga namin mag support sa course,” said Galura.

“Sa swim, wala  na kaming magawa. Meron daw konting current, pero karamihan naman nakatapos sa swim. Yung bike, very happy sila kasi scenic eh, taman ahon lang. Tapos yung run, dun nagkakatalo.  It takes a lot, it cannot just be LGU, it’s basically the private sectors, including us and the government. The government wants it and we always taught them how to do, so are we we taught them. It’s a tripartite agreement, pang apat ang participants,” she added.