While spotlight is primarily on the world-class pros, competitors in the Filipino Elite, CEO, age-group, and relay divisions look to make their own marks in the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship presented by Ford on Sunday in Cebu.
Tim Reed and Caroline Steffen defend their respective titles against a stellar roster of pros, including world champs, to highlight action in the As-Pac tilt that’s held for the first time in Asia, outside Australia and New Zealand.
As determined to race for top honors as the 33 pros are 27 Filipino elite aces, 15 CEO tri racers and close to 3,000 age-groupers and mixed, all-male, and all-female relay participants.
Forty countries are represented in 1.9K swim, 90K bike, 21K run race backed by Cobra Energy Drink as title sponsor with Ford as presenting sponsor and Globe Telecom as official wireless and broadband services partner and produced and organized by Sunrise Events, Inc.
The Ironman 70.3 As-Pac is the biggest triathlon event to be held in the Philippines. Correspondingly, it offers the largest purse at $75,000 plus 50 slots to next year’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The race takes competitors on a swim at the beach front of Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, a bike ride traversing the cities of Talisay, Mandaue, Cebu, and Lapu-Lapu, and a two-loop run on Lapu-Lapu’s generally flat roads that finishes at Shangri-La.