IRONMAN stakes world tourney slots Close to 2,000 triathletes from 46 countries are all geared up for the battle.

The IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines in Cebu will not only mark the return of the premier endurance race to the mainstream af ter a two-year hiatus but will also serve as qualifier for the next year’s World Championship in Lahti, Finland.

The 7 August event at The Mactan Newtown will offer 30 slots to the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Finland, giving the qualifiers a one-of-a-kind experience to race under the Nordic midnight sun in Lahti, the gateway to the Finnish Lake District, less than an hour from the capital city of Helsinki.

Close to 2,000 triathletes from 46 countries are all geared up for the battle, including the overall championship, two weeks into the 1.9 km swim, 90km bike and 21k run event put up by Megaworld and presented by AIA Vitality with 12 titles up for grabs in various age group categories on a new world class course designed to test the field’s speed, strength and staying power.

A total of 1,113 entries are vying in the individual competition to be spiced up by the chase for the CEO trophy with the rest clashing for top honors in team events, including the relay all male and all female and the relay mixed.

The US and Singapore lead the foreign pack with 68 and 66 entries, respectively, while Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan are fielding in 58, 43 and 41 participants, respectively.

Recent Sun Life 5150 Bohol champion SatarSalemfromLanaodelNorte,meanwhile, banners the big 1,361 local contingent in the event backed by Athletic Brewing Co., Hyperice, Santini, Wahoo, Fulgaz, City of Lapu-Lapu, CCLEX, Municipality of Cordova (Cebu) and City of Cebu.

Australia, home to world triathlon champions, has 27 entries, while 24 bets anchor the United Kingdom’s campaign in the blue-ribbon event organized by The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events Inc.

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

Meanwhile, a challenging race awaits the World Championship bidders given the new race central and swim course at The Mactan Newtown, the fast, energy-sapping race route from Lapu-Lapu City to the municipality of Cordova to the newly-openedCCLEX bridge to Cebu.