Biggest obstacle race successfully held in Subic Freeport

The Subic Bay Freeport scored another first when around 3,300 participants from all over the globe participated in what is touted as the biggest obstacle course race (OCR) in the country, the Spartan Southeast Asia (SEA) Series Finale Trifecta that was held here over the weekend.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma welcomed the athletes who came from countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, during the opening of the race.

Eisma herself joined the phalanx of Spartans and ran the Sprint event that included a six-kilometer course with more than 20 obstacles that runners had to go through. The SBMA chief is considered the first top official in the Subic Bay Freeport to finish a Spartan Race.

Meanwhile, Ian Deeth from the United Kingdom dominated the men’s Beast Elite division while Colleen Agustin from Malaysia destroyed the competition in the women’s Beast Elite division.

Other participants who made the top five places in the men’s division are: Callum Meehan of New Zealand, Christoph Lex of Germany, George Crewe of United Kingdom, and Leoniel DG of Malaysia.

Agustin led the women’s division along with Magdalena Cvetkovic of Hong Kong, Joelle Fiore of Singapore, Melba Vergara of the Philippines, and Lucy Matthews of United Kingdom. Vergara was the only Filipina who ranked in the top five of the Beast Elite category.

Spartan Race Director Michael Reyes said that although Typhoon Mangkhut ravaged the Ilanin Forest where the course would take place on the first of the two-day event, all of the participants were eager to duke it out on the second day.

Reyes added that all three races were held on Sunday, showing that nothing could stop participants from achieving their goals of becoming a part of the so-called Trifecta Tribe.

The Spartan Race Trifecta Weekend is part of the South East Asia (SEA) Series Finale that held three races in one Sunday: Spartan Sprint, a six-kilometer-long, 20-obstacle course; Spartan Super, a 13-kilometer-long, 25-obstacle course; and the Spartan Beast, a 21-kilometer-long, 30-obstacle course.

Ocean Adventure Founder Scott Sharpe said that the event has certainly boosted the number of guests at their marine theme park and the Camayan Beach Resort. He assured everybody that the Ilanin Forest is kept clean despite having so many participants traversing the area.

He added that their Camayan Beach Resort will create a small obstacle course to give tourists who frequent their theme park and resort a taste of Spartan Race, and also create a fitness community based on the OCR. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] Spartans begin the race deep in the Ilanin Forest of the Subic Bay Freeport

[2] Participants hurdle obstacles during the Spartan Race Trifecta Weekend in the Subic Bay Freeport

[3] SBMA Chairman Amy Eisma (second from right) beams with pride as SBMA employees show off their medals after finishing the Spartan Race in the Subic Bay Freeport

(Photos by MPD-SBMA)

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Subic to host first Spartan Trifecta Race in Southeast Asia

Another historic first will happen here next month when Subic hosts the country’s first Trifecta Weekend for Spartan Race, the most popular obstacle course race (OCR) in the world today, at the Camayan Beach Resort on September 15-16.

Race Director Michael Reyes said in a press conference here on Wednesday that this will be the first Trifecta event in the whole of Southeast Asia where all three medals can be earned in one weekend.

“This particular Trifecta Weekend will serve as the grand finale for the Southeast Asian Championship Series and will be offering the only Spartan Beast race in the SEA Series,” Reyes said.

“We are expecting around 5,000 athletes to participate in the event since the reception we got in the last three events was phenomenal. We estimate around 7,000 finishers in the Philippines with 99.99 percent finish rate,” he added.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Wilma T. Eisma said in the same briefing that the Spartan Race would add to the already large number of prestigious sporting events being held in Subic, including the first full Ironman that was held here in July.

“Subic has been hailed last year as the best sports tourism destination in Asia, and now with the Spartan Race we’re cementing this free port’s reputation as the endurance sports capital, too,” she added.

The Spartan Race Trifecta Weekend is part of the South East Asia (SEA) Series Finale that will take place on September 15 and 16, holding three races in one epic weekend. The race will be held at the West Ilanin Forest area of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Reyes said the Subic Trifecta Weekend will comprise all three Spartan Races: Spartan Sprint, which is a six-kilometer long, 20-obstacle course; Spartan Super, a 13-km, 25-obstacle course; and the Spartan Beast, a 21-km, 30-obstacle course.

The Spartan Beast will be held on September 15, a Saturday, while the Spartan Sprint and Super categories will be held on September 16, a Sunday.

Reyes said Spartan racers from all over Southeast Asia will be coming to Subic Bay Freeport to gain a spot in the 2018 World Championship in Lake Tahoe.

He said the top ten male and female finishers from the elite category, the top five male and female racers in the 14-17, 18-24, and 50+ age groups, and the top ten male and female entrants in the 25-29, 30-39, and 40-49 age groups will earn their spots in the 2018 Asia Pacific Championships in Johor, Malaysia on December 2018.

Meanwhile, the top three finishers in both the elite and age group categories will qualify in the Regional Championship, as well as the World Championships in Lake Tahoe at the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Ocean Adventure founder Scott Sharpe said the company plans to create a small obstacle course inside the Camayan Beach Resort here to give tourists a taste of the Spartan Race course.

The firm will also plan to create a fitness facility here based on the OCR model, he added. (JRR/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma welcomes the holding of the Spartan Trifecta Race in the Subic Bay Freeport following the announcement of the event by Race Director Michael Reyes (middle) and SBMEI founder Scott Sharpe. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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