DAVAO – With over a thousand participants from 46 countries and 55 World Championship slots at stake, a world-class course and an emphasis on diversity and inclusion, the Alveo IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines’ return to Davao City will be a race like no other when it fires off Sunday at Azuela Cove.
With the pros headlining the huge mix of runners of varying strengths but with the same mission in different age-group divisions, it will indeed be a unique race in terms of participation and collaboration, this being the only race that features professionals in a slew of races slated under The IRONMAN/Sunrise Events, Inc. banner this year.
A total cash prize of $30,000 awaits the winners in the highlight pro division with Portugal’s Filipe Azevedo, Tuan Chun Chang of Taiwan and Aussies Matthew Tonge and Nick Carling bannering the men’s cast and the seasoned Dimity-Lee Duke and fellow Aussie Sarah Crowley and United Arab Emirates’ Lottie Lucas of United Arab Emirates tipped to dispute the women’s tiara in the 1.9k swim-90k bike-21k run distance event powered by Petron.
“After the resounding success of the IRONMAN 70.3 series in Subic, Cebu and Palawan last year, we have pulled out all the stops to ensure that the IRONMAN’s return to Davao will not only be smooth and trouble-free but also a race to remember,” said Princess Galura, president/general manager of Sunrise Events, Inc.
The event also serves as a qualifying race to the World Championship on Aug. 26-27 in Lahti Finland with 30 age-group berths and 25 extra slots for women up for grabs.
“We have maintained a fast but challenging swim, a single loop flat bike layout and a hot and punishing run course,” said race director Neville Manaois.
IRONMAN managing director Asia Jeff Edwards said the racecourse is like no other in the world.
Aside from the individual, relay all-male, relay all-female and relay mixed events, it also features a 12-man team competition (Tribu Maisugon) held in honor of the 11 tribes of the host city with the winning squad pocketing P550,000, including P500,000 from Davao City and P50,000 from Aboitiz.
The special category features age-groupers, regardless of age, gender, race, nationality or color. The team with the fastest total time will win the coveted Tribu Maisugon award, including a perpetual trophy handcrafted by noted homegrown artist and medal designer Kublai Millan.
The host city has also guaranteed the smooth staging of the event.
“We are excited to witness the third conduct of this international sporting event here. The committee has assured that all necessary preparations are being taken care for the safety of everyone and for the smooth undertaking of the event,” said Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte.
Davao City was awarded the best host city in Asia in 2018, an honor given by the triathletes who took part in the IRONMAN 70.3 leg series. The event was also cited as the best IM 70.3 race in the region.
The race, backed by Alveo, Petron, Lungsod ng Dabaw, Azuela Cove, Aboitiz, Aboitiz Power, Apo Agua, Davao Light, Lightwater, Prudential Guarantee, One Sport, Cignal and Philstar, will fire off and end at Azuela Cove, a posh Ayala Land, Inc. estate in Davao, the way it was in the first two IM Davao races in 2018-19.
For details, log on to ironman.com/im703-davao-philippines-athletes.
The event’s global premier partners are Active, Gatorade, HOKA, ROKA and Vinfast and technical partners Athletic Brewing Co., Biostarks, Breitling, Fulgaz, Hyperice, Qatar Airways, Santini and Wahoo while Always Advancing, EKOI and Compressport are the Asia supply partners and Outside and Sportograf.com are media partners.