‘BEST RACE SO FAR’
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza apologizes to commuters who were stuck because of a miscommunication on road access during emergencies But it’s the only setback for the 10th Ironman event in Cebu, with organizers and participants finding the new bike cour
Despite the drama in the buildup of the 2018 Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship, everything turned out better than expected.
“Overall, it was a resounding success and perhaps our best race yet,” said Sunrise Events Inc. (SEI) owner Fred Uytengsu.
Less than six weeks before the international race, SEI had to change its usual course for the bike leg, which included the South Road Properties (SRP), after Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña barred them from using it to avoid adding to the heavy traffic caused by the construction of an underpass on N. Bacalso Ave.
It, however, was a blessing in disguise as SEI got rave reviews for the new course.
“You know, sometimes you get lucky and you find a new course, and so we might stay with the course that we have. I don’t know if we need them,” said Uytengsu, on the possibility of working with Cebu City in bringing back the old course.
“There are many good things in the course and a couple of things that we will change. I think we need to do our homework and find out what we can do with the course we have now to make it even better. But the feedback I get is very positive.”
SEI General Manager Princess Galura shared the same and said that everything went well, including the cool weather conditions.
“We are very happy because we were very scared about how the participants would view the bike course. So it’s a big relief that they found it very good. A lot of people were saying that the course was fast and that they liked it. Although a little bit hard, because it was more technical than the previous course, at least with the age groupers. We have found an alternative course,” she said.
“A lot of people say this is the best race, this is the best medal, these are the best conditions. After all the Cebu drama, we end up with a happy ending.”
Men’s pro champion Mauricio Mendez and women’s pro champion Radka Kahlefeldt were both pleased with how the race went, from its organization down to the spectators.
“This is a world-class event. Every single event that Sunrise makes they make us feel like we’re part of it, like we are family,” said Mendez. “We had a lot of support from all the marshals and everybody out there.”
“Exactly, a world-class event,” said Kahlefeldt. “I’m so excited to come back.”
Tabuelan Mayor Rex Gerona, who competed in the 45-49 age group, was all praises for how the event proceeded.
“I like the bike ride in this race. Even though we had to come back a couple of times, I like it because it’s flat. It was easier and there were a lot of people on the side of the road,” he said. “It was a well-organized event. I can’t say anything bad about it. It was great and the weather was very good.”
The oldest athlete in the race, 82-year-old Garth Barfoot of New Zealand, was all smiles even though he failed to finish the race.
Personal experience
“The water is very clear, I was quite surprised. And the road is very smooth but the run was too hard for me,” said Barfoot, who has been competing in triathlons for the past 24 years. “You can tell they have been organizing events for 10 years because it runs very smoothly, very experienced.”
Barfoot completed the 1.8-kilometer swim and the 90-kilometer bike ride before calling it quits halfway into the 21-kilometer run.
“I’m really exhausted. I had a very good swim, a fairly good bike but on the run, I ran out of energy and had to give up halfway,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza apologized to commuters who were affected by the road closure.
“I want to ask for the people’s apology. It was a misunderstanding; it’s a total road closure but there is a part that opens and closes just for emergency purposes,” said Radaza.
Aside from some disgruntled commuters, the 10th Ironman race in Cebu was close to perfect, according to organizers and most participants.
Impunity defined
From July 2 to Aug. 2, 2018, at least 28 people were shot and killed in Cebu.
Now that the unsolved killings have put the country in a bad light, Palma challenged the national government to restore the rule of law.
“The killings are only creating a bad picture of the country and will only bring sadness and tears to the families left behind,” the archbishop said.
One United Nations definition of impunity is that of “the impossibility of bringing the perpetrators of human rights violations to account, whether in criminal, civil, administrative or disciplinary proceedings, since they are not subject to any inquiry that might lead to them being accused, arrested, tried, and if found guilty, sentenced to appropriate penalties, and to making reparations to their victims.”
Archbishop Palma led a concelebrated mass organized by the Commission on the Laity that aimed to honor priests for their efforts in bringing faith to their communities.
Thanking priests and lay workers
The mass, held in the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, was one of the main activities of the “Salamat Padre” event organized by the commission.
The diocese-wide celebration took place a day after the feast day of St. John Vianney, who is regarded as the patron saint of priests.
In his message, Archbishop Palma reminded the faithful of the importance of priests in the community and of their role as shepherds.
He thanked the lay people for cherishing and supporting their priests. He also thanked the families of priests who nurtured the gift of faith in their sons.
Concerning attacks on the clergy, Archbishop Palma said criticisms against priests will always be there.
“We all know that in the time of Christ, that even those who did good were attacked. In every age and every place, there will always be attacks on the clergy,” Palma said. He reminded lay workers that while priests are not perfect, they can focus on the good things being done, not just on the faults.