Ironman isn’t going anywhere
So the Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships is finally a go next month. But it will instead be sidelined to the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue where some of their barangays will be used for the event’s biking leg.
The biking competition has traditionally been held in Cebu City, particularly the Cebu South Coastal Road at the South Road Properties. But Mayor Tomas Osmeña turned down the request of the organizer to again use the CSCR this year owing to the partial closure of the Mambaling area due to the ongoing construction of an underpass.
Desperately scouring for an option, the organizer trained its sights on the northern areas of the province as it raced against time. But the Liloan municipal government balked at the proposal to shut down the town’s two main roads for at least eight hours during the competition.
Determined to push through with the event, the organizer finally trimmed down its option to only the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu. At least 11 barangays of both cities will complete the 90-kilometer biking race
It’s good the Ironman will push through as expected. Lack of venues and other setbacks proved to be not a hindrance to the effort to continue the tradition of staging in Cebu one of the world’s toughest triathlon competitions.
Ironman’s contribution to the local economy is undeniable. This year, the event is estimated to pour in close to P500 million with thousands of participants and visitors coming over. In fact, Ironman has already contributed more than P2.5 billion to Cebu’s economy since it started staging here seven years ago.
It’s hard to question Ironman’s impact on Cebu. Aside from putting Cebu on the world map as an ultimate destination for this kind of multi-stage competition, it also helps promote the local tourism industry.
The bottomline is that, Ironman is not going anywhere this year. Despite some adjustments, the organizer’s decision to stay is a big win for Cebuanos considering the huge economic benefits it brings to the province.