Race for Oneness:Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao set for big return today
DAVAO CITY - After being cancelled three years ago because of the global pandemic, the highly anticipated return of Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao presented by Petron gets underway early morning today at the Azuela Cove here with triathletes around the world out to “race for oneness”.
The organizers of this prestigious three-in-one race have emphasized that with “oneness”, the world managed to overcome the dreaded disease.
Moving forward, sporting events including triathlon are back in full blast after all those virtual events with over 1,800 athletes, includin 20 pros, from close to 50 countries showing up to support the event’s big comeback in Davao.
“With the return to normal, so are we in terms of supporting the triathlon community and the sport itself,” said Alveo Land’s Aries Cajucom, whose company shares the same vision with the triathletes, that is, to go beyond limits of strength through determination, passion, and dedication.
Aside from Alveo, Davao has also shown to the rest its “oneness” from the different tribes to the local government units and the private sector.
And to give more emphasis to the spirit of oneness through triathlon, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has added a challenge to the participating teams as aside from the traditional individual and relay categories, the event also features a team competition dubbed “Tribu Maisugon”.
Each team will be composed of 11 triathletes, which also symbolized the 11 tribes of the host city.
Over half a million pesos will be up for grabs for the winning squad, with the City government committing P550,000 plus P50,000 from the Aboitiz group.
“It’s been a long wait, but the break only gave us the time to prepare not just for a grand comeback but also for the pros’ return to one of the highlight events of each triathlon season,” said Mayor Baste Duterte.
Apart from the cash prize, the
top squad will also get a specially-handcrafted trophy from the wellrespected homegrown artist and medal designer Kublai Millan.
Millan incorporated this year’s theme “Race for Oneness” with that of Davao’s first hosting of the IM 70.3, the Race for Culture and the * Race for Peace in 2019, for its medal
and trophy design.
On the other hand, a total prize purse of $30,000 is at stake for the pros who are mostly competing in Davao and in the Philippines for the first time.
Also, a total of 55 slots for the Ironman World Championships in Finland are up for grabs today.
“After the resounding success of the Ironman 70.3 series in Subic Bay, Cebu, and Puerto Princesa in 2022, we are excited to finally return to Davao. We look forward to seeing once again the tremendous spirit of the community that supports the event,” said Ironman Asia Managing Director Jeff Edwards.