Dueñas catching up
Cebu’s No. 1 bet John Philip Dueñas says he is a bit behind training, have to work on swim
WITH a few days to go before the much-awaited Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines, Cebu’s triathletes are now on the final phase of their preparation for the race on Aug. 2 at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa.
Cebu’s top bet and last year’s second placer in the men’s Filipino elite division John Philip Dueñas said he is behind in his training.
The 28-year-old runner turned triathlete is the coach of Mary Joy Tabal, the country’s top female marathoner and the 28th Southeast Asian (Sea) Games marathon event silver medalist.
Dueñas said he focused on Tabal’s training for Sea Games, which was held last month in Singapore, taking some of his time to train for the Ironman 70.3 Philippines.
“Right now, I’m okay with my bike and run, but I am not confident with my swim,” Dueñas said. “When we were in Singapore, I biked and ran to keep up with my training, but I was not able to practice my swim.”
Taper
Dueñas, who had an impressive win in the half-marathon race of the 5th St. Ignatius run last Sunday, said he is set to taper next week.
“Whatever happens in the race and the result, I will be contented with it because I was behind with my training,” said Dueñas, who was also the men’s Filipino elite third placer in the 2013 edition.
Lim’s training
Cebuano Kristiane Lim, who placed third in the men’s Filipino elite last year, is nearing the peak of his training. He earlier said that a little more on the training program and he is good to go.
“I don’t really target podium spots, I just like to perform my best. Last year, I got third place, but I felt I did not race well and just got lucky because Jonard Saim had a mechanical failure on the bike segment and Banjo Norte got disqualified,” Lim said.
Lim, a registered nurse who hails from Alcantara, Cebu joined the Alaska Tri-Aspire professional team early this year and is now based in Laguna, training under Canadian coach Mathieu O’Halloran.
Last year’s champion Augusto Benedicto will be back to defend his crown, completing the 2014 podium finishers that will be on the field this year.
The Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines is a half-Ironman distance which covers a 1.9-kilometer swim, 90K bike and 21K run. The race is held in Cebu’s four key cities—LapuLapu, Mandaue, Cebu and Talisay.