Cebu a beautiful haven for Ironman racers

The Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu may be considered as a “little race” only, yet it has been named by the Ironman triathlon community as the most favorite spectator-friendly race.

Known to be the Crown Jewel of Asia owing to its warm hospitality wherein the triathletes are treated as rock stars, the spectacular welcome, and the overwhelming support from the crowd out of the 1.9-kilometer swim, 90km bike, and 21km run, the IM-Philippines has beaten bigger events like the IM European Championships, Frankfurt IM, Ironman Austria, and Canada's latesummer Ironman Mont-Tremblant as well.

Last year’s edition saw a total of 2,500 triathletes gather from over 45 countries, including former world champions and rising stars of the sport. Local celebrities, actors and actresses, and local politicians are also avid supporters of the race, making it the biggest and brightest IM in Asia.

Ironman CEO for the Asia-Pacific Geoff Meyer has described the Ironman Philippines as Kona-like, the mecca of triathlon for its “heat, wind and the athmosphere of the crowd”.

Pro triathlete Sam Betten, one of the “regulars” of the Cebu action, describes racing in the country as like family that separates it from the rest.

Cebu has been the home of the Ironman 70.3 Philippines since 2012 after Camarines Sur’s three-year hosting.

Last year, it involved the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu, and Talisay with strong support from the Cebu Province.

This year, it’s going to be a bigger race with the Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships drawing over 2,500 entries from 51 countries across the globe.

This time though, only Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and the provincial government of Cebu are involved in the grueling battle set for August 5. This as the Cebu South Coastal Road could not be used for the bike portion of the race due to traffic concerns.

Sunrise Events Inc., however, quickly came up with a change of route for the bike stage that covers only Mandaue and LapuLapu.—