World slots up in Ironman 70.3

Age groupers gear up for a spirited battle not only for top honors in their respective divisions but also for world championship berths when the Ironman 70.3 Philippines AsiaPacific is fired off Sunday at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu Lapu City in Cebu.

The organizing Sunrise Events, Inc. said 50 qualifying age-group slots for the 2019 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in France will be up for grabs in the upcoming event which features more than 12 age categories in the men’s and women’s sides, guaranteeing a fierce duel for spots in the first-ever Ironman 70.3 world tilt to be held in the unofficial capital of Cote d’Azur and the fifth largest in France.

Among the age-group categories tipped to be hotly disputed are the 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44 classes in both divisions with the bulk of a record field of 2,700 from over 51 countries all primed up for the big event put up by title sponsor Aguila Energy Drink and Regent Food Corp.

They will race side by side with the event’s elite bidders in the 1.9km swim-90km bike-21.2km run event, headlined by fourpeat seeking Tim Reed, former three-time world champion Craig Alexander, former Xterra world champion and recent winner of the first Ironman 70.3 Davao Mauricio Mendez, and former Ironman As-Pac winners Tim Van Berkel, Josh Amberger and Braden Currie along with former Ironman South American winner Brent McMahon.

The battle for the women’s tiara is also expected to be fast and furious with three-time world champ and three-time Asia-Pacific and European titlist Melissa Hauschildt bannering the stellar field that includes Czech Radka Kahlefeldt, Caroline Steffen, Dimity Lee Duke and Beth McKenzie along with Anna Eberhardt, Lauren Goss, Bruna Mahn, Sabrina Stadelmann, Lisa Tyack, Lauren Brandon, Grace Thek, Mel Hauschildt, Simone Maier, Holly Khan and Manami Iijima.