LAPU-LAPU City—The cream of the crop slug it out in a furious battle for triathlon supremacy in the Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships which fires off today (Sunday) at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa here with Aussie Tim Reed gunning for his third regional crown and compatriot Melissa Hauschildth seeking back-to-back titles.
Reed, the 70.3 AsPac champ in 2015 and 2016, goes for No. 3 against a powerhouse cast of men’s pros headed by reigning Ironman AspPac king Braden Currie of New Zealand, three-time full distance IM winner Tim Van Berkel, recent Davao Ironman 70.3 champ Mauricio Mendez of Mexico, 2017 IM AsPac boss Josh Amberger of Australia, and five-time world titlist Craig Alexander, also of Australia.
“My training hasn’t been quite what I have wanted but I’ll come out there to fight for whatever finish, you know. If it’s 10th place, third or first, I’m just happy to race and really looking forward (to compete against a world-class field),’ said Reed on the eve of the Sunrise Events, Inc.-organized race dubbed “The Crown Jewel of Asia” and awarding pearl-studded “Perlas ng Silanganan” medals created by renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue.
Reed, the 70.3 AsPac champ in 2015 and 2016, goes for No. 3 against a powerhouse cast of men’s pros headed by reigning Ironman AspPac king Braden Currie of New Zealand, three-time full distance IM winner Tim Van Berkel, recent Davao Ironman 70.3 champ Mauricio Mendez of Mexico, 2017 IM AsPac boss Josh Amberger of Australia, and five-time world titlist Craig Alexander, also of Australia.
“My training hasn’t been quite what I have wanted but I’ll come out there to fight for whatever finish, you know. If it’s 10th place, third or first, I’m just happy to race and really looking forward (to compete against a world-class field),’ said Reed on the eve of the Sunrise Events, Inc.-organized race dubbed “The Crown Jewel of Asia” and awarding pearl-studded “Perlas ng Silanganan” medals created by renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue.
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| The elite pros get together one last time before clashing for the coveted Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific plums. |
A total of 19 elite tri warriors dispute the men’s crown in the most star-studded race in the $75,000 event put up by title sponsor Aguila Energy Drink and Regent Food Corp., to ever participate in an Ironman 70.3 event in the country.
“You always have your work cut out in races of this caliber because you have to beat the best athletes, but I feel okay,” said the legendary Alexander, also eyeing a strong finish in the event backed by venue hosts Province of Cebu, City of Lapu Lapu, Mandaue City and Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa.
Hauschildt, meanwhile, looks to keep her women’s tiara versus 14 equally talented challengers, including Davao IM 70.3 queen Radka Kahlefeldt of the Czech Republic, four-time IM 70.3 Phl conqueror Caroline Steffen of Switzerland, Dimity Lee Duke and Beth McKenzie along with Anna Eberhardt, Lauren Goss, Bruna Mahn, Sabrina Stadelmann, Lisa Tyack, Lauren Brandon, Grace Thek, Simone Maier, Holly Khan and Manami Iijima.
“I’ve had a great season so far (and I want to sustain it),” said Hauschildt, the two-time half-distance IM world champ who is fresh from her triumph in the 70.3 European and North American championships.
The competitors start in the beach front of Shangri-La, doing a point to point swim over 1.9K, then tackle a new course for the 90K bike, traversing two cities and tackling the head and cross winds of Talisay City, before running a 21K two-loop course of generally flat terrain of mixed asphalt and concrete roads of Punta Engano with energetic townsfolk lined up to cheer them on.
Other backers of the event are bike course partners City of Cebu, Mandaue and Talisay, official logistics and courier partner 2GO Express, official hydration partners Gatorade, official energy gel Gu, official swim cap TYR, official footwear and apparel Asics and official registration partner Active Network and official hotels BE Resorts Mactan, Crimson, Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino Mactan and Mont and Michel and Metropolitan Cebu Water District.
Other supporters are David’s Salon, Intercare, Prudential Guarantee, The Mactan Newtown and SunLife Financial, Air Asia, AlcoPlus, Cetaphil, CrampFix, DeVant, Fern-C, Mactan Cebu, Mont St. Michel Purified Drinking Water, Omega Pain Killer, Prozza, Sanicare, Smart, Ssangyong and Timex with Hyper HD on Cignal, The Philippine Star, Trilife, AsiaTri.com and Finisher Pix as media partners.
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