Multi-awarded actor Piolo Pascual is just one of several celebrities who return to Cebu each year for the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines.
With huge and well-attended triathlon races spread throughout the year, 2015 can be rightfully considered a bumper crop year for the sport.
And at the center of this busy calendar is the Queen City of the South, which has hosted some of the biggest triathlon events in 2015.
For one, Cebu played host to the very prestigious Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines the last four years. And after last August’s staging, Cebu got another shining feather on its cap, when it was awarded the hosting job of the Asia Pacific Championships on August 7, 2016 at the plush Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort and Spa.
Impressed by Cebu’s fiesta-like hosting of the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines, Sunrise Events Inc., the main organizer of the event, picked the province to host next year’s event. And after official registration opened last October 1 through online and onsite registration at the Cebu Provincial Capitol, next year’s race will see a record 3,000 participants breaking last August’s 2,614 racers from 50 countries.
A fiesta-like atmosphere coupled with a world class venue and warm hospitality make Cebu’s hosting of the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines something to look forward to every year.
The initial 2,900 slots for August 7 was gobbled up within an hour of registration with SEI adding 300 more for those on the waiting list.
Like the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines, next year’s Asia Pacific Championships will also be co-hosted by Cebu City, Mandaue City, Talisay City with Lapu-lapu City as main host.
The race will also feature 1.9-kilometer swim, 90k bike and 21k run.
WORLD CLASS COMPETITORS
The race last August 2 was like a mini-world championships with world class triathletes including Craig Alexander, Brent Mcmahon, Pete Jacobs, Luke Mckenzie and Caroline Steffen.
Tim Reed of Australia won the male pro division title while compatriot Steffen ruled the women’s race. Monica Torres and August Benedicto topped the Filipino elite division.
LOCAL RACES
Aside from the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines, local races also registered huge turn-outs such as the Hunat Sugbu Triathlon, the inaugural Cebu City Triathlon, the Tabuelan 111 Triathlon and the 80/80 Triathlon.
The Hunat Sugbu Triathlon in Argao town, south Cebu last September drew 400 participants and most importantly drew attention to the town’s rich heritage and tourist spots. It featured 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 5k run and is organized by the Cebu Parklane International Hotel.
It is considered the best post-Ironman 70.3 race.
The Tabuelan 111 Triathlon is touted as the best tune-up race for the Cobra event being held a month before it. It draws around 500 to 600 racers including a good number of foreigners. It is organized by the local government unit of Tabuelan.
It has a 1k swim, 88k bike and 21k run.
The 80/80 Triathlon meanwhile, is considered one of the toughest races in Cebu because of its lung-busting route. Organized by the Cornerstone Group, it has 1.8k swim, 65k bike and 14k run.
RISING CEBUANO TRIATHLETES
Young guns Aaliyah Ricci Mataragnon and Yuan Chiongbian hogged the spotlight in some of Cebu’s major triathlon events while John Philip Dueñas finished a very close second to Benedicto in last August’s Cobra triathlon.
Aaliyah Mataragnon and Yuan Chiongbian are just two of Cebu’s rising junior triathletes.
Mataragnon, 15, a high school student of Sacred Heart School-Hijas de Jesus opened 2015 by winning the women’s elite title of the inaugural Cebu City Triathlon last January. She also won the 13-15 gold of the Dipolog Triathlon last May and bagged a bronze medal in the Singapore International Triathlon last July.
The talented triathlete also topped the sprint distance of the Hunat Sugbu Triathlon in Argao followed by another win in the Youth female 2000 category in the 2015 Hong Kong ASTC Sprint Triathlon Asian Cup last October. Mantaragnon also bagged two cycling golds in the Batang Pinoy National Finals last month.
Chiongbian meanwhile, won the Alaska Iron Kids last August 1 in his final year in the 15-under division. A week before that, he grabbed the gold medal in the Singapore International Triathlon and kicked off 2015 with the men’s elite crown in the Cebu City Triathlon.
Dueñas for his part, can be remembered for his epic duel with arch rival Benedicto in the Filipino elite division of the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines where both racers fainted after crossing the finish line in the 21k run.
Benedicto won in 4:28:36 with Duenas just six seconds behind. Norte finished third in 4:29:05.