Foiled twice over, Mitch Robins aims to strike gold this time, armed with a confidence and a training he hopes will help fuel his drive for the elusive crown in the Black Arrow Express 5150 on Sunday in Subic.
He came in five minutes behind Sam Betten in his second straight bridesmaid finish to his fellow Australian campaigner last year but the Port Macquarie native, who has posted multiple Ironman 70.3 victories, feels he’s ready to take on the best and this time emerge better.
The 30-year-old champion of last year’s Bali, Indonesia triathlon and former winner of Ironman 70.3 Japan and Port Macquarie, will also be trying to duplicate his victory in Subic in 2013, when as a first-time Philippine visitor, he beat a stellar field.
But Betten is also keen on extending his reign in the country’s triathlon capital after completing a three-peat last year with Jakub Langhammer of the Czech Republic, American Tim Linn and Dan Brown, also of Australia, firming up the cast in the men’s Elite pro side of the event set over the Olympic distance of 1.5k swim, 40K bike and 10K run.
Like Robins, Langhammer, Linn and Brown are all coming into the event all-geared up and all focused on stopping Betten, guaranteeing a spirited battle for top honors in Black Arrow Express’ first foray in triathlon which also caps Sunrise Events Inc.’s milestone 10th year staging of the tri-sport races in the country.
The same tight finish is expected in the women’s pro category of the event where Dimity Lee Duke, also from Down Under, will be facing Guam’s Manami Iijima and Leanne Szeto of Hong Kong with an eye on winning a second straight crown.
The event, backed by venue hosts Subic Bay and ACEA Subic Bay and major sponsors David’s Salon, Pioneer Insurance and Wicked Active Gear, has also drawn participants from Great Britain, Japan, France, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Guatemala, India, Italy, New Zealand, Malaysia, Norway, Russia, Portugal and Vietnam.
It also features the Asian Elite and various age categories and the relay events for male, female and mixed put up to encourage more athletes to take up the tri-sport. For details, visit www.blackarrowexpress.5150philippines.com.
The Sunrise Sprint will again serve as a fitting side event to the 5150 race with 265 participants clashing for top honors in a shorter distance series featuring a 750m swim, 20k bike, and 5k run.
