Cebu Ironman ‘among best in the world’
Ironman 70.3 Cebu gets rating higher than global standard; Pro athlete calls it ‘one of the best’
CEBU’s hosting of the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships presented by Ford last Aug. 7 was rated 91 percent by the participants from different countries.
The rating given to the 1.9-kilometer swim, 90K bike and 21K run race in Cebu was higher than the current rolling global standard rating of half-Ironman races, which is 85 percent.
The event in Cebu was joined by about 2,900 triathletes from 43 countries. The survey was answered by some 800 participants.
“The global standard of races is the average of all halfIronman races in the world and the current standard is at 85 percent rating. The rating changes, though, every time there are races that are staged,” said Princess Galura, the general manager of Sunrise Events Inc. (SEI), the company behind the Ironman races in the country.
Among the best
There are 95.2 percent of the participants who said that they will refer the race to their friends. The rating is also higher than the global standard.
Professional triathlete Belinda Granger of Australia commented on Facebook that she is not surprised about the results of the rating.
“I have raced around the world for the past 20 years and I can say without a doubt that this race (in Cebu) is one of the very best. That is why the same pro athletes continue to return year after year,” she said.
The 2017 Ironman 70.3 Philippines is set on Aug. 7, and the registration opens on Oct. 1. Galura said that the slot will be limited to 2,600 for the 2017 edition since it’s no longer an Asia-Pacific Championships.
In Cebu, the triathletes are invited to the breakfast registration, which starts at 8 a.m. at the Cebu Provincial Capitol. The registrants that will be present in Cebu Provincial Capitol will get the limited edition of Cobra Ironman 70.3 jacket.
The registration is expected to be as swift as last year, when all slots sold in less than 30 minutes.