Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sprint triathlon, aquathlon in 02 long distance Subic triathlon
It will not just be a race for long distance triathletes when the 2nd Asian 02 Long Distance Triathlon unfolds this week-end, August 4 in Subic Bay Freeport.
"Our objective in holding regular events is to promote this fast growing sport of triathlon and encourage everyone to get into it. This week-end, we have added a sprint triathlon distance race and the second leg of the SPEEDO Aquathlon series aside from the regular long distance race. This will give opportunities to even beginners to enjoy the beautiful race course that Subic offers," said Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) president Tom Carrasco Jr.
The Asian 02 race features a 3K open water swim followed by an 80K bike over a long, winding, rolling but beautiful roads, and topped by a 20K run, while for the sprint race, the distance will be a 1K swim,24K bike, and 5K run, both for juniors and adults, and the SPEEDO Aquathlon will be a 1K swim-5K run combination.
Defending champion and last year's ITU world ranked number 1 long distance triathlete Petr Vabrousek from the Czech Republic will be returning to add another title to his collection and will be the hands-down favorite to win. Other foreign entries flying in so far are Bevan Leach of Australia, and Hong Kong's Hsieh Chun Shing, Alex Liuaw, and Andrew Patrick.
The local side will be bannered by the likes of former national triathlon champion and now national duathlon head coach Mark Candelaria, Alaska team owner Fred Uytengsu , ADB's Rune Stroem,up and coming Omar Paredes and Japanese expat Hiroshi Takei.
Three intrepid females, Ayala executive Nona Torres, Christine Navarro and Chari May Onyangco have also signed up to challenge defending champion Popo Nagtalon-Remigio for the grueling 02 race, sponsored by Sunkist, SPEEDO, Gatorade, David's Salon, Herbalife, Asian Center for Insulation, Legenda as official hotel, SBMA as host venue, Adworks, and media partners Solar TV, MTV Phils., Philippine Star, 99.5 Hit FM, Magic 89.9, Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, and Max 103.5.
Close to 150 participants have already registered for the event, 65 of them in the 02 distance race while the others, including Sen. Pia Cayetano, SEA Games-bound Sandra Araullo, national triathlon head coach Peter Gonzales, television newscaster Tricia Chiongbian, and national junior triathletes, Joash Serrano, a recent winner in Malaysia, Andrew Gatmaitan, and Kim Mangrobang are entered in the sprint and the relay events.
The race will start at 6:00 AM at the Boardwalk area and all finishers of the 02 distance race will receive individual medals and specially -designed finishers' t-shirts while the overall and age group winners in the men's and women's divisions will also receive Speedo and David's Salon gift certificates. Post event brunch will be served at the El Centro.
The top 5 men's and women's overall finishers in the 02 race will also get cash prizes of P10,000, P6,000, P3,000, P2500, and P1500 respectively on top of the other prizes in kind.