Subic Bay hosts PH duathlon on Dec. 1

PHILIPPINE Team berths are at stake in the Philippine National Duathlon Championships 2013, firing off at 6 a.m. on Dec. 1 at the Subic Bay Freeport.

Philippine Olympic Committee chair Tom Carrasco, the president of the organizing Triathlon Association of the Philippines said, “We will send a strong team to 2014 Asian Duathlon Championship in Sri Lanka that is capable of bringing back the crown to the country after 10 years.”

Ryan Mendoza of the Philippine Air Force clinched the men’s title when the country hosted the continental championship at the Clark Special Economic Zone in 2004. Mendoza followed up his feat with another gold-medal showing at the duathlon’s debut in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Pattaya, Thailand.

World Duathlon Championship 2013 veteran Mirasol Abad and the Philippines’ top duathlete Robeno Javier banner the tough field of the race sponsored by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Tourism Department, Standard Insurance, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines, Inc., Gatorade, David’s Salon, Fitness First, Lifestyle Subic Bay and Green Triathlon.

Expected to crowd out Javier are the other PH team members who are also seasoned internationalists, namely Carlo Pedregosa, Jimmuel Patilan and Bigboy Robinson Javier.

In the distaff side, Mary Pauline Fornea is expected to hound Abad throughout the standard 10-kilometer run/40-km bike/5-km run grind.

Also expected to dish out fine performances are triathletes John Chicano, Nikko Huelgas and Justine Chiongbian so with budding duathletes Joey Delos Reyes, Jeric Buhian and Baltazar Valencia.

Last year’s Asian Duathlon Championship’s challenging technical course with Remy Field as the transition area will test the mettle of the elite competitors and age-groupers. Post-race activities will be held at the nearby Subic gymnasium.

The Junior participants (16-19 years-old) and age-groupers aged 16 and above will take a stab at the sprint distance course of 5-km run/20-km bike/2.5-km run.

A 2.5-km run/12-km bike/2.5-km run course for the Youth Mini-Sprint category is also on tap.

Currently, entry fees for standard distance is P2,000 and for Sprint and Mini-Sprint P1,500. Effective November 1, rates will appreciate to P2,500 (Standard) and P2,000 (Sprint/Mini).

TRAP-registered athletes can avail themselves of 10% discount while students and senior citizens are entitled to 20% discount.

Entry forms may be downloaded at www.triathlon.org.ph. The TRAP office at the Philsports Complex, Pasig City, at BIKE KING store c/o Raul Cuevas at Bonifacio High Street and SPEEDO Concept Stores (Alabang Town Center, SM Megamall, The Podium, Glorietta 4 and Bonifacio High Street) are the registration centers. (MST Sports, Manila Standard Today)

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