PH to host full Ironman triathlon in 2018
Posted 6 years ago
Photo Credit: www.pinoyfitness.com
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) — The Philippines will host its first full Ironman triathlon in 2018, it was announced Wednesday.
Filipino triathletes can aim to become Ironman finishers in the country on June 3, 2018, in Subic Bay, Zambales as they try to conquer the most difficult single-day sport in the world, said, organizers.
“The Century Tuna Ironman Philippines will be the first full-distance Ironman race staged in the Philippines,” Ironman, a Wanda Sports Holding company, said in a statement.
An Ironman triathlon consists of a 3.8-kilometer swim, 180-kilometer bike, followed by a full marathon or a 42-km run.
“The enthusiasm around Ironman races in the Philippines is tremendous, from both spectators and participants,” said Ironman Asia Pacific managing director Geoff Meyer.
The “special edition” Ironman in the Philippines comes 10 years after the country’s first Ironman-branded race — the Ironman 70.3, which is half the distance of the full Ironman — was held in August 2009 in Camarines Sur.
Video credit: ap.ironman.com
The 2018 race is expected to draw huge interest from Filipinos and international participants since winners in each age-group category will be given the chance to compete in the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii held each year in October.
“Thirty Kona slots up for grabs,” said Sunrise Events CEO Fred Uytengsu in an Instagram post. Sunrise Events is the organizer of Ironman-branded races in the Philippines.
The Ironman in the Philippines is the only other sanctioned Ironman event in the Southeast Asia region apart from Langkawi, Malaysia.
Ironman has its origins in Hawaii in 1978 and was started by U.S. Naval officer John Collins as a bet to determine which athletes were considered the fittest — swimmers, cyclists, or runners.
The appeal of triathlon has grown worldwide despite the mental and physical demands of this endurance sport.
Registration for Ironman Subic Bay opens on August 1, 2017. All athletes must be 18 or older on race day.
source: cnnphilippines.com
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