SUBIC – Local triathlon levels up with two key races blasting off today (Sunday) in Subic Bay with the Century Tuna full IRONMAN Philippines and the Subic Bay 70.3 Triathlon staking a combined record 105 slots to three World Championships in France, Hawaii and Finland.
Three hundred and 40 bidders slug it out in the exacting 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42km run (full IRONMAN) battle and 568 more from 33 countries in the 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run (70.3) event In a pair of races where one cannot predict the outcome with any degree of certainty.
That guarantees a frenetic chase not only for the overall championships and world tilt berths but also for the $1,000 prize added for each of the top finishers in the men’s and women’s divisions in both the full distance and 70.3 races organized by The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc.
Bidders in various age categories in the IRONMAN 70.3 kick off the action at 6:20 a.m. with each participant given 8 hours and 30 minutes to finish the entire course from thlast rolling start release at the Subic Bay Boardwalk. Those vying in the Century Tuna full IRONMAN launch their respective bids at 6:40 a.m. with each entry given 17 hours to finish the race on a friendly course.
“A lot is at stake, a lot of opportunities, a lot of dreams to come through and anything is possible,” said Uytengsu, referring to the 50 men’s slots for the IM world meet in Nice, France on Sept. 10 and another 25 seats for women in the Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on Oct. 14 in full IRONMAN.
Thirty spots are also up for grabs in the Lahti, Finland 70.3 World Championship on Aug. 26-27.
Greg Banzon, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of the sponsoring Century Pacific Food, Inc. through its flagship brand Century Tuna, announced the prize money incentives during the media briefing at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center Friday.
“To achieve something extraordinary, you need to have an extraordinary dream, a challenge so big, a journey so demanding. You need to have the character and the grit to make it happen,” said Banzon, who in 2012 linked it up with SEI founder and IRONMAN Philippines ambassador Fred Uytengsu and The IRONMAN Group/SEI president and general manager Princess Galura to help give the sport a mainstream appeal.
It was a step that gave triathlon big strides a decade later with Subic Bay likewise coming to the fore to emerge the country’s premier triathlon destination.
“When we saw that we were able to make an impact on the community, on the tri-community in growing the sport, Fred and I had a handshake in Cebu and we said, ‘let’s gun for having staging a full Ironman here in the Philippines’,” said Banzon.
“This is actually the 10th year of starting any IRONMAN branded triathlon in Subic Bay. Century Tuna has actually sponsored our races in CamSur before we held three years of 5150 and another three years of 70.3 and the full IRONMAN in 2018, all in Subic,” said Galura. “After the pandemic, we were back here last year, also the first race in Asia to open up triathlon.”
In total, Galura said Century Tuna has already sponsored endurance racing 10 times, practically fighting for triathlon in the country, especially for the full distance, thus fulfilling a lot of dreams – from the IronKids, 5150 sprint races, 70.3 and three full IRONMAN.
“One of our claims to fame of Subic is being the triathlon capital not just of the Philippines, but of Asia. And we take pride on being a witness to the accomplishments of the Filipino IRONMAN. We are inspired by the athletes and organizers with this passion to bring out the best in themselves and in the events as we continue to improve Subic as a nirvana for sports tourism,” said SBMA director Chito Lahom, quoting SBMA chairman and administrator Jonathan Tan.
