Huge foreign cast joins Ironman Cebu

TOP age-group triathletes from around the world will test their mettle against the local aces in a race against time in the Ironman 70.3 Philippines which reels off August 7 in an exciting but exacting new course in Mactan, Cebu.

Singapore and Malaysia have 68 and 66 entries, respectively, the US is fielding 58 bets while Hongkong has 44 and Japan 42 bidders in the challenging 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run event starting and ending at the Mactan Newtown in Lapu-lapu City.

This marks the premier endurance race’s return to Cebu in the new normal with 1,896 entries from at least 42 nations confirmed to participate three weeks into the event serving as the second of a number of tri-sport races lined up for the year by the organizing Ironman Group/ Sunrise Events Inc.

Australia and the United Kingdom, two world triathlon hotbeds, will be represented by 26 triathletes each while Korea and China have 22 entries and France, another triathlon powerhouse, has 18 competitors in various agegroup categories.

Lanao del Norte’s Satar Salem, who topped the Sun Life 5150 triathlon in Bohol two weeks ago, headlines the local cast’s drive for the overall championship in the event sponsored by Megaworld and The Mactan Newtown and presented by AIA Vitality.

Aside from the overall individual crown, 12 other titles will be up for grabs from the youngest category of 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74 and 75-and-above. Also on tap in the event, backed by Active, Breitling 1884, Gatorade, Hoka and

ROKA is the CEO division.

Other countries represented are Norway, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Brazil, South Africa, Macau, South Africa, Thailand, Montenegro, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Bermuda, Belgium, Vietnam, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Guam, Canada, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Kenya, Ireland, Sweden, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Poland.

Also to be disputed are trophies and medals in relay (male and female) and relay mixed.

Registration is ongoing and will last up to the race week.

For details, visit www.ironman. com/philippines70.3 with official hashtags: #Im703philippines and #Imasia, social media (Facebook) Megaworld IM703 AIA Vitality and im703ph (Instagram).