Subic to host full Ironman
The Ironman Asia and the Sunrise Events Inc. (SEI) surprised the country’s triathlon community after announcing that a full distance Ironman will finally hit Subic Bay on June 3 next year to mark the 10th anniversary of the first Ironman 70.3 in the Philippines.
The staging of the full distance Ironman, a 3.8-kilometer swim, 180K bike and 42K run, was announced yesterday. It will be the fourth Ironman race in Asia.
Triathlete and coach John Philip Dueñas said that this will be a chance for Filipino triathletes to reach another level. He said, though, it will take a lot of dedication and training to be able to finish this grueling race.
“It’s now in the Philippines and there are a lot of flights going to Subic. The Filipino triathletes don’t need to go to a foreign country anymore for a full Ironman,” he said.
Dueñas, a coach of Olympian marathoner Mary Joy Tabal, said that it would take a lot of time to prepare for a full Ironman and it’s that’s probably no less than six hours a day for about five months.
For age-grouper Tonyson Luther Lee, he is excited that the full distance Ironman will be in the Philippines but hopes the registration fee will go down a bit.
“It’s a great impact to the triathlon community and we are very proud that there’s a full Ironman in our country. Just hoping they will make it more affordable,” said Lee, the team manager of Rider Omega Tri Team.
The registration fee is at $702, which is about P35,400, for those who sign up on Aug. 1 to 30 this year. The regular registration fee is at $756 from September 2017 to February 2018, while the late registration is at $854. /