BOHOL – From the youngest female participant in the 15-19 category to the oldest male bidder in the men’s 65-69 class, over 700 entries from various age divisions in individual, relay and Sunrise Sprint races set out for a test of power, speed and endurance in the Sun Life 5150 Triathlon today (Sunday) here.
The gloomy weather notwithstanding, the merry mix of bidders remained in high spirits on the eve of the event, some tracking down the well paved Panglao-Dauis road on foot and on bike, all gearing up for the 1.5 km-swim, 40 km-bike and 10 km run event under the Olympic-style setup.
It is also held as part of Sun Life’s commitment to promote a healthy lifestyle among Filipinos with the organizing IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events. Inc. enforcing minimum health measures to ensure the smooth and safe conduct of the event.
“Our IRONMAN team stands ready to help you achieve your goals and cross the finish line. Take a moment (on race day) to reflect on what will be a fantastic experience and life-long memory racing in Bohol,” said Jeff Edwards, managing director of IRONMAN Asia, in his message to all the participants, including 30 foreign bets and close to a hundred women bidders, led by celebrity Bubbles Paraiso.
The Sun Life 5150 and Go for Gold Sunrise Sprint transition will open at 4:30 a.m. at the Bellevue Resort’s beachfront with the centerpiece event rolling start set at 6:30 a.m. to be followed by the Sunrise Sprint’s wave start for all male category at 8 a.m. and the all female five minutes later.
The awards presentation will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Garden.
The 40-km rolling bike leg, which unwraps at the Doljo beach, features two loops and three turnarounds at the Dauis-Panglao road, making its first turn at KM 11, then at KM 20 and back at KM 29 all the way to the finish line back at Doljo.
The closing 10-KM flat run course, on the other hand, is a single loop challenge, also from the Doljo beach and back with run aids at KMs 1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6, and KM 5 for the turnaround.
The Sunrise Sprint, featuring 750m open-water swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run, also promises to be a top draw with over a hundred participants from at least 23 triathlon teams clashing for top honors in different age categories.
A number of triathletes are also using the event, backed by the Province of Bohol, the Municipality of Panglao, Finis, the official swim cap partner, Rudy Project, Sante, Active, the official registration partner, as part of their buildup for the IRONMAN 70.3 in Cebu next month.
The event, supported by media partners Manila Bulletin, Crosstrain.PH, MBody.PH and Tempo with Amorita and Bluewater as the other official hotels, also serves as a venue for people, including families, to gather and bond over similar interests.
For details, visit www.ironman.com/5150-bohol with social media accounts at Sun Life 5150 Bohol (facebook) and 5150bohol (Instagram). For the Sunrise Sprint, log on to http://www.goforgold.sunrisesprint.com.
Meanwhile, the cutoff time for Sun Life 5150 is 5 hours and 30 minutes, including an hour in the swim leg and 3 hours and 30 minutes in the bike part while the cutoff in the Sunrise Sprint is 30 minutes in the swim event, two hours in bike and three hours in the closing run leg.
