Sam Betten braces for what could be his toughest test in the local version of the world’s largest Olympic distance triathlon series – the Regent 5150 Triathlon on June 4 in Subic Bay.
The 6-foot-4 Aussie is raring to re-stamp his class anew but his three-peat bid will be tested by fellow Aussies and veterans Ben Allen, the 2016 Australian ITU Cross Triathlon champion and a former XTERRA As-Pac titlist, Mitch Robins and Dan Brown.
American Iain Alexandridis, a consistent top 10 Ironman 70.3 finisher, is joining the title hunt in the 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run event put up by the country’s leading snack manufacturing company.
But Betten’s impressive 2:06.55 clocking last year should fire up the third placer in last year’s Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship all the more as he tries to become the first triathlete to score a three-peat in the annual event organized and conducted by Sunrise Events, Inc.
The chase for the women’s tiara is also expected to be fierce with veteran campaigner and be-medalled triathlete Dimity-Lee Duke, also of Australia, Hungarian Anna Eberhardt, and Kerry Mulholland and Annelies Jeffries, also both from Down Under, slugging it out for the crown won by absentee Amelia Watkinson of New Zealand last year.
To spice up the event, SEI is again putting up a short distance race series, featuring a 750m swim, a 20k bike and a 5k run, that proved to be a big hit last year.
Dubbed the Sunrise Sprint, the event is designed for beginners wanting to immerse themselves into triathlon racing, a tri warrior who has been off the circuit and out to make a comeback or simply a triathlon enthusiast.