Subic Freeport ranked #6 among world’s top triathlons | SubicNewsLink

21 April 2016

Subic Freeport ranked #6 among world’s top triathlons

The Subic Bay Freeport, which regularly hosts various international sports competitions, has again received high ratings as a venue for some of the top triathlon events in the world.

According to Princess Galura, general manager of Sunrise Events, Inc., an affiliate of the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), Subic Bay earned the superior ranking of 85.80% in the 2015 Ironman 70.3 APAC Overall Satisfaction Scores.

Triathletes at the starting line during the Century Tuna Ironman 70.3 held recently in Subic Bay 

Subic served as the venue for the Century Tuna Ironman 70.3 race organized by Sunrise Events last year.

“Survey results for the 2015 event showed that our race ranked 85.80%, which is just below global standards by .09%,” Galura said in a letter to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia.

“We are also above Asia-Pacific standards, as they only ranked 83.95%,” Galura added, further thanking Garcia for the SBMA support during the event.

The 2015 Ironman 70.3 APAC Overall Satisfaction Scores placed Subic at number six among the best triathlon sites in the Asia Pacific Championship series.

Topping the list is Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia with a satisfaction rating of 90.20%, followed by Western Sydney and Korea tying for the second place at 89%; Mandurah in Western Australia, third at 88.30%; Auckland, New Zealand, fourth at 88%; and Busselton, Western Australia, fifth at 85.99%.

Subic Bay and Cairns in Queensland, Australia tied for sixth place with a rating of 85.80%—less than a point short of the global average of 85.89%.

Chairman Garcia said that the ranking “clearly shows that Subic is among the world’s best in terms of facilities and natural environment that is ideal to triathlon competition.”

“We have been aggressively promoting Subic as a sports hub and we’re surely gaining ground. These events organized by Sunrise significantly help in putting Subic on the sports map,” Garcia added.

Sunrise Events, which began organizing races after being awarded a contract by the WTC in 2008, runs two major races in the Philippines — the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon and the 5i50 Triathlon. The firm has also initiated the Alaska Ironkids Aquathlon with Subic as one of the venues.
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Galura likewise said that they will launch the short-distance race series Sunrise Sprint at Subic Bay Freeport on June 5, to coincide with the opening of the Regent 5i50 Triathlon.

The Sunrise Sprint will feature a 750-meter swim event and a 20-kilometer bike race to be topped by a
five-kilometer run. “The distance is targeted for beginners, come-backing athletes, and those who lack training,” Galura added.

Garcia said the incoming events “will further cement Subic’s reputation as the country’s triathlon capital,” recalling that Subic has been cited as an outstanding triathlon venue by the internationally-circulated sports magazine TriMag Asia, after covering two big triathlon events here in 2012.

Garcia said the magazine particularly noted Subic’s “interesting course and friendly atmosphere,” and added that the Freeport “is increasingly getting a reputation for top-notch races.”

The SBMA official also said that the international sports events here have been drawing thousands of foreign and local racers and their teams, thus helping boost the tourism industry in Subic Bay. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

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