ISANG ATLETA PATAY SA IRONMAN 70.3 TRIATHLON SA CEBU

Isang atletang Pilipino ang binawian ng buhay matapos lumahok sa Ironman 70.3 triathlon sa Cebu.

Kinilala ni Lapu-Lapu City Police Office Director, Senior Supt. Rommel Cabagnot ang atletang si Eric Nadal Mediavillo, 47 taong gulang mula sa Lungsod ng San Pedro, Kalakhang Maynila.

Ang unang insidente ay naganap sa Ironman ng Camarines Sur noong 2009 kung saan si Miguel Vasquez ay binawian ng buhay.

Ang pangalawa ay naganap noong 2012 sa unang pagkakataon na naganap ang Ironman, namatay ang biker na si Ramon "Ramie" Igana Jr., dahil sa pulmonary embolism.

Dakong alas-9:45 kahapon ng umaga nang ideklarang dead on arrival si Mediavillo as Mactan Doctors Hospital.

Isinugod si Eric sa ospital dahil umano sa heart attack sa gitna ng 1.9 kilometer race sa swimming sa Shangri-La Resort sa Mactan Island.

Bukod sa swim course, sasabak sana si Mediavillo sa 90-kilometer bicycle course at 21-kilometer run upang ma-kumpleto ang dibdibang karera.

Hindi ito ang unang beses na may namatay sa Ironman triathlon na idinaraos taun-taon sa tulong isang kilalang energy drinks manufacturer bilang sponsor.

Death of triathlete haunts race in Mactan Island, Cebu

A triathlete died of heart attack during the Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Mactan Island, Cebu last August 6.

Eric Nadal Mediavillo, a 47 year-old triathlete married from City of San Pedro, Metro Manila died due to cardiac arrest during the swim portion of the triathlon.

According to Senior Inspector Rommel Cabagnot, chief of the Lapu-Lapu City Police office, the victim was rushed to Mactan Doctor’s Hospital but was declared dead-on-arrival at 8:45 a.m.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our athletes following the Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu...Our condolences go out to the athlete’s family and friends whom we will continue to support," reads the statement from the organizers.

Yesterday, lead organizer Fred Uytengsu asked for a moment of silence following Mediavillo’s death.

He was immediately pulled out of the water by the marshals and members of the Philippine Coast Guard who were manning the swim route, but he was already unconscious.

Paramedics of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) immediately tried to revive Mediavillo before transporting him to the Mactan Doctors' Hospital where he was declared dead at 9:47 am.

Mediavillo was a member of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) Multisports Team and was competing in the 45-49 category.

Mediavillo is the third casualty in the history of the Ironman 70.3 Philippines competition. During the first staging of the race in 2009 in Camarines Sur, Juan Miguel Vazquez also died when he suffered a stroke, also during the swim leg.

In 2012, in the first staging of the race in Cebu, Ramon Igaña Jr. also died when he suffered an acute pulmonary embolism during the 90-kilometer bike ride.

A tourist police also fainted while participating at the last race of the said sporting event.

The police was identified as Police Officer 2 Brian Guillen who was stationed in the Lapu-Lapu City Tourist Police.

PO2 Guillen was already near the finish line of the running leg of the tournament when he fainted.

PO2 Guillen was immediately brought to Chong Hua hospital.

Meanwhile, two-time Australian champion Tim Reed won the 2017 Ironman Philippines.

Triathlete namatay sa Ironman 70.3

Nakapambihirang triple na si Tim Reed ng Australia samantalang sumosyo si Amelia Watkinson ng New ­Zealand sa karangalan sa 9th Ironman 70.3 Philippines 2017 kahapon sa Shangri­La Mactan Resort and Spa sa Cebu.

Pero nabahiran ng lungkot ang dalawa nang mabatid na may namatay na triathlete na sumali sa 45-49 age group, trahedyang naganap na rin noong 2009 at 2012 dito rin.

Lumalabas nanalunod si Eric Mediavillo, 47, ng PMMA Multi Sport Team, sa 1.9K swim na pambungad na stage bago ang 90K bike, 21K run race na inorganisa ng Sunrise Events, Inc.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our athletes following the Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu. The athlete required medical attention during the swim portion of Sunday’s race and was properly transported to a nearby hospital where they were treated. Our condolences go out to the athlete’s family and friends, whom we will continue to support,” pahayag ng Ironman Philippines.

Nagsumite si Reed ng clocking na 3:54:07, binalya sa second ang iniwan niya ng higit 2 mi­nutes na si Mauricio Mendez ng Mexico (3:56:46).

Tumersera ang Australyano ring si Ryan Fisher sa 4:00:20.

Naorasan si Watkinson ng 4:29:17, 6­minutes, 36 seconds sa ­unahan ni Jacqueline Thistleton. Third si Aussie Kerry Morris (4:39:11).

Triathlete dies in Ironman's swim leg

A SERIES of “unfortunate” events that included the death of a triathlete, injuries and a power failure marked the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines yesterday.

But overall, it was still a successful event, the organizers said.

A triathlete from Luzon died after suffering from cardiac arrest during the swim leg of the race held at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City.

The Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation rushed him to the Mactan Doctors’ Hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead on arrival at 8:45 a.m. Lapu-Lapu City Police Office Director Supt. Rommel Cabagnot said the victim was identified as Eric Nadal Mediavillo, 47, from Laguna.

This is the second time that a participant of the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu died. The first one was in 2012 when Cebuano Ramon Igaña died during the bike portion of the race.

When asked for her assessment of the event, Princess Galura, the general manager of Sunrise Events Inc. (SEI), the company behind Ironman 70.3 Philippines, said “it wasn’t a good day, but overall the event was successful.”

A total of 2,762 triathletes from 52 countries competed.

“We've had some challenges in the beginning especially with the power failure minutes before the race so it was a series of unfortunate events. During the start, we lost power for a long time so we had to basically start the pros without power and we had to delay the start of the pros,” she said.

Galura also pointed out that there were some medical issues yesterday, with medics attending to 72 different cases.

“There are various reasons for that. Maybe because of the heat, maybe because people didn't train very well, we don’t know. It's a lot of things. But we had a lot of people who finished also,” she said.

“By the way, the spring tide (in the swim), that was another issue. Our forecast was it will not be that strong but it ended up to be stronger. We were able to make some adjustments; we maintained the integrity of the sport but we also took into consideration the spring tide,” she added.

To show sympathy to Mediavillo’s family and friends, the triathletes and organizers observed a moment of silence before the start of the awarding ceremony.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our athletes following the IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines in Cebu. The athlete required medical attention during the swim portion of Sunday’s race and was properly transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated. Our condolences go out to the athlete’s family and friends, whom we will continue to support,” the official statement from the organizer read.

Sunrise Events officials did not name the triathlete since the family did not give them permission to identify him. “We're working together with the family now to make sure that we are of assistance to them as much as possible,” said Galura.

Martin Ilagan, a bike-fitter who has worked with Mediavillo to prepare for this race, confirmed that it was his client, Mediavillo, who did not make it to the bike segment of the race.

“He (Mediavillo) has been doing triathlon for a long time. He’s based in Singapore and just comes here to race. He worked for the PMMA (Philippine Merchant Marine Academy) for many years,” Ilagan of Forward Motion, a Manila-based triathlon company, told reporters.

“He’s a very nice guy and was always focused on the training. I’ve been working on his bike for this race. I did not expect that this will happen to him. I was really shocked when I saw the pictures on Facebook. I was like ‘Oh my God, he’s my client’,” said Ilagan.

The Ironman 70.3 Philippines covers a 1.9-km. swim, 90-km. bike and a 21-km. run in the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu and Talisay.

The Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines first came to Cebu in 2012. This year was the sixth edition of the race.

Next year, Cebu will host the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships for the second time. At least 3,000 participants are expected to join.

“Basically we will prepare for the Oct. 1 registration opening. For sure we will have something in Cebu because it's Asia-Pacific Championships,” said Galura. (RSC)

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/157164

Reed targets 3-peat as Cobra Ironman unwraps

Tim Reed exudes confidence as he shoots for a rare feat against a crack field out to foil his three-peat bid in the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines which gets under way today at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu.

“This time of the year, I’m extremely fit and I built my season getting strong and ready to race. I saw the start list and it makes me excited. When you got good guys alongside you, they push you to a level you wouldn’t do if they weren’t there. We’ll make each other race a lot better,” said the 32-year-old Reed.

While he exudes confidence as he sets out to extend his dominance in the grueling 1.9k swim, 90k bike and 21k run event which he has ruled twice over, including the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship last year, Reed remains wary of the field, including Xterra world champion Mauricio Mendez of Mexico.

Mendez, for one, is out to re-display the form that netted him the Xterra off-road crown as well as the Ironman 70.3 Cozumel and Los Cabos titles in his home country last year.

“I’ve been doing triathlon since I was 10. I grew up doing this. There’s just excitement and motivation coming from it. It’s my true passion, what I love the most and combining those kinds of things,” said the 21-year-old Mendez. “The skills in off-roads, just the combination of endurance. It’s great. It’s going to be a good race. I’m just enjoying these stuff.”

Meanwhile, Dimity-Lee Duke hopes to score a follow-up to her Regent 5150 Triathlon win in Subic as she tries to atone for her forgettable fifth place finish last year ruled by perennial champion Caroline Steffen of Switzerland.

Steffen, however, has opted to forgo her title defense and instead join the relay category of the event which stakes $5,000 to the winners in the men’s and women’s elite pro sides and berths in next year’s World Championship in South Africa.

But the depth of the women’s field remains as talent-laden as ever with Jacqueline Thisleton, Alise Selsmark, Kirra Seidel, Monica Juhart and Kerry Mulholland, Hungarian Anna Eberhardt, New Zealand’s Amelia Watkinson and Fil-Am Kim Kilgroe all going all out to foil Duke’s bid in the event supported by Asics, Gatorade, Prudential Guarantee, Philippine Airlines, Globe, Oakley, TYR and Active Network.

“I’m feeling good. I am excited to be back here racing with amazing athletes. I am grateful to be with this kind of caliber field. I am proud to represent my heritage. It’s an exciting weekend for me and I’m looking forward to it,” said Kilgroe, seeking to improve on her 10th place effort in her rookie season last year.

Close to 3,000 triathletes from a record 52 countries are vying in the country’s premier triathlon produced and organized by Sunrise Events, Inc. and backed by title sponsor Cobra Energy Drink and presentor Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and Summit Natural Drinking Water, the official hydration partner.

From the waters of Shangri-La Mactan, the elite field will tackle the bike phase which features a climb at Marcelo Fernan Bridge heading to Cebu International Convention Center, the iconic Plaza Independencia, Cebu South Coastal Road and Talisay City before returning to Shangri-La Mactan for the closing run stage.

The run is a two-loop course along Punta Engaño towards Discovery Bay and back again to Shangri-La Mactan.

The event also features a slew of local celebrities, led by Matteo Guidicelli, Paul Jake Castillo, Ivan Carapiet, apl.de.ap, Erwan Heussaff, Adrien Semblat, Drew Arellano, Ryan Agoncillo, Bubbles Paraiso, Sam YG, Gilbert Remulla, Anthony and Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, Raffy Tima, Kim Atienza and Dyan Castillejo, who are competing in the full distance, with Enchong Dee, Gretchen Fullido and Christine Jacob-Sandejas (swim), Dingdong Dantes, Isabelle Daza, Piolo Pascual, Gerald Anderson, Jake Cuenca (bike) and Kim Chiu and Solenn Heussaff (run) doing the relay.

Other backers of the annual event are Mactan Resort & Spa, Lapu-Lapu City, Megaworld, Sun Life Financial, David’s Salon, Intercare, Alaska, GU, Timex, DeVant, Regent, Omega Pain Killer, Sanicare, AlcoPlus, Bionic Cebu, Daylong and media partners Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star, ABS-CBN Sports + Action, AsiaTRI.com and Finisher Pix.

La Salle gets the swoosh love

Despite its foreign roots, basketball will always have a special place in the hearts of the Filipino people. With courts in every single barangay and parents naming their kids after Michael Jordan and even Filipino legends like Johnny Abarientos, one can conclude that basketball has become an important part of Filipino life. Along with this, Filipinos, especially Lasallians too, fell in love with the brand most commonly associated with the game itself: Nike.

Nike may be first and foremost a brand, but its impact on the game itself has made basketball transcend borders. From Air Jordans to Nike Flywire, not only do you hear players hoping to play in the biggest of stages, but they also want to “be like Mike”.

Though they’ve always been a presence in one way or another, never has Nike been an active sponsor of DLSU until the last three years, specifically its Men’s and Women’s basketball teams. Starting in 2010, Nike began appearing on the team jerseys a year after Ateneo and FEU began sporting the brand in the 72nd season of the UAAP. The following year, Nike came out with school shirts that carried the image of the mascots of each of the schools they served as the main sponsors of. For FEU and Ateneo, their respective school shirts had images of the Tamaraw and the Eagle. For DLSU, it was the Green Archer in his shooting form, staring down at whoever was staring down at him. What made DLSU’s design unique was that it gave the shirt, and perhaps the bearer, a more intimidating aura, even if it’s the boyish Thomas Torres sporting it on the court.

This year, the Oregon-based brand came out with a green shirt with the “Rektikano” cheer emblazoned on the chest with the “R” shaped in such a way that it resembled a bow with the remaining letters serving as its arrow. A perfect complement to one of the Animo squad’s signature cheers, the battle cry itself is now immortalized in a shirt all thanks to “The Swoosh”. Recently, when Nike released Ateneo’s “One Big Fight” shirt, they also released the “Animo La Salle” shirt that came out just in time before the first La Salle – Ateneo match this UAAP season. During the game itself, the jam-packed MOA Arena was not only ringing with “Animo La Salle” and “One Big Fight”, but full of blue and green shirts with the cheers immortalized in them.

“Of course more people will buy those [shirts] from Nike kasi Nike’s an ‘established’ brand,” says Hale Berry De Vera (II – AE-BSA), a project head of one of EconOrg DLSU’s recent shirt selling activities. “Given that, less people will buy our DLSU shirts.”

One thing that Nike has also been able to provide Lasallians is a replica of the jerseys worn by the UAAP players themselves. It’s the closest to the real thing as they can get, with only the numbers, names, and the other sponsors that surround the jersey missing. Now, as the Lasallian faithful cheer on their team, the sea of green will not only be dotted with the shirts that were bought from SJ walk, but also the Nike products emblazoned with “Rektikano” and “Animo La Salle”, as well as the replica jerseys that have given fans, and the players themselves, a higher sense of school pride.

For one to taste the true feeling of wearing Nike gear back then, one had to be in the professional ranks. The NBA has players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant who have endorsement deals with Nike. In the PBA, The San Mig Coffee Mixers, who were at that time the Purefoods TJ Giants, were sponsored by Nike and at the same time, had one of the most polarizing figures in Philippine basketball: Alvin Patrimonio. Known as “The Captain”, he too was an endorser of Nike, sporting the Air Jordans whenever he would take the court. Before the emergence of Nike in the local UAAP, the US NCAA would be a popular venue for institutions to have Nike on their chests, with the likes of Kentucky and Duke not only parading talented line-ups, but world class apparel as well. Now that the likes of Ateneo, FEU and La Salle are finally donning the swoosh, truly the love between Filipinos and basketball is complete.

“I’ve never been sponsored before [even in Minnesota] and I really love Nike,” says Green Archer rookie Jason Perkins. “Their gear’s nice and I really like playing in them. It’s an honor to have Nike on my jersey.”

Reed completes 3-peat

CEBU, Philippines - Aussie Tim Reed pulled off a rare three-peat while Amelia Watkinson of New Zealand took the women’s crown as they shared top honors in the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines at the Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City yesterday.

Reed poured it all out in the bike and run legs as he rallied from a fourth-place effort in the opening swim stage to dominate the men’s field for a record third straight time.

"Every win is different. This is a really pleasing result for me because I worked really hard for this," said Reed, who clocked 3:54:07 to beat Mauricio Mendez of Mexico by more than two minutes.

"I knew I was very fit and I knew I'd have a good chance. If somebody else beat me but I put in a really good performance, I'm okay with that. Today (yesterday) was just all about focusing on myself and racing as hard as I could," he added.

Mendez rallied in the run to finish at second place in 3:56:46 while erstwhile pacesetter Ryan Fisher, also from Australia, settled for third in 4:00:20.

Meanwhile, Watkinson also up her pace in the bike and run parts to turn a slim two-second lead in the swim and dominate the women's side of the annual event produced and organized by Sunrise Events, Inc. and backed by title sponsor Cobra Energy Drink and presentor Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and Summit Natural Drinking Water, the official hydration partner.

Watkinson timed 4:29:17, six minutes and thirty-six seconds ahead of Jacqueline Thistleton in a big improvement to her sixth place finish in last year’s Asia-Pacific Championship.

Kerry Morris of Australia came in third in 4:39:11.

"I was sixth last year. You always take something from the bad races so it's not a hindrance to come back and try to be better," said Watkinson.

Fil-Am Kim Kilgroe settled for seventh in 4:58:58.

But tragedy marred the ninth staging of the 1.9k swim-90k bike-21k run event like it did in 2012 as one of the participants succumbed during the swim stage after apparently suffering from what appeared to be a heart attack.

The Philippine Red Cross identified the athlete as Eric Nadal Mediavillo, 47, from PMMA Multi Sport team.

Mediavillo was unconscious when he was brought to shore. Paramedics still tried to revive the triathlete before rushing him to Mactan Doctor’s Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival at 9:47 a.m.

In an official statement, Ironman Philippines confirmed the incident, saying that the triathlete required medical attention in the swim part of the race and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our athletes following the Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu. The athlete required medical attention during the swim portion of Sunday’s race and was properly transported to a nearby hospital where they were treated. Our condolences go out to the athlete’s family and friends, whom we will continue to support,” said the statement.

Sunrise Events founder Wilfred Steven Uytengsu said the organizers were still investigating the incident.

“We are still gathering information,” Uytengsu said.

The Ironman race in Cebu also had a casualty back in 2012 when Ramon Igana, Jr. who died of pulmonary embolism.

Hindi na umabot sa finish line: Triathlete sa Ironman 70.3 Phl, patay matapos atakihin sa puso

Hindi na umabot sa finish line ang isa sa tatlong kalahok ng Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines sa Mactan, Cebu nitong Agosto 6.

Ayon sa ulat ng CNN, dead on arrival na si Eric Nadal Mediavillo, 47, na tubong Lungsod ng San Pedro, Kalakhang Maynila dakong 9:45 matapos itong atakihin sa puso sa isinagawang swim leg sa Ironman 70.3 Philippines nitong Linggo ng umaga.

Ayon sa ulat, sinabi ni Lapu-Lapu City Police Office Director Supt. Rommel Cabagnot na sinubukan pa nilang isugod ang atleta sa Mactan Doctor’s Hospital ngunit idineklara na itong patay ng attending physician.

Kinumpirma naman ito ng organizers: “Required medical attention during the swim portion of Sunday’s race, and was properly transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated.”

“Our condolences go out to the athlete’s family and friends, whom we will continue to support,” dagdag pa nito.

Ito ang pangatlong insidente sa mga kalahok sa Ironman sa bansa ay namatay.

Ang unang insidente ay naganap sa unang Ironman ng Camarines Sur noong 2009 kung saan ang negosyanteng si Miguel Vasquez ay matapos itong atakihin sa puso sa isinagawang swim leg.

Ang pangalawa ay naganap noong 2012 sa unang pagkakataon na naganap ang Ironman, namatay ang biker na si Ramon "Ramie" Igana Jr., dahil sa pulmonary embolism.

Samantala isang tourist police naman na dumalo sa nasabing sporting event ang nahimatay sa huling race nito.

Ang pulis ay kinilalang si PO2 Brian Guillen na isang Lapu-Lapu City Tourist Police.

Napag-alaman na nasa run leg na sana ito o huling yugto ng karera at malapit na sana sa finish line nang bigla itong hinimatay.

Kaagad namang naisugod sa ospital ang pulis.

One dead in Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Cebu

Cebu (CNN Philippines, August 6) — A Filipino athlete died at the Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Cebu early Sunday morning.

Lapu-Lapu City Police Office director Rommel Cabagnot said the fatality is 47-year-old Eric Nadal Mediavillo of San Pedro, Metro Manila.

Mediavillo was the third athlete to die in Ironman.

The first was Miguel Varquez during the inaugural outing of Ironman in Camarines Sur in 2009. Like Mediavillo, Varquez also died during the swim course.

The second was Ramon Igana, Jr. who died of pulmonary embolism during Cebu’s first hosting of the three-in-one sporting event in 2012.

In a text message to reporters, Cabagnot said Mediavillo was declared dead on arrival at the Mactan Doctors' Hospital at 9:45 a.m.

The death was first confirmed by organizers and its event medical team.

"Our condolences go out to the athlete's family and friends, whom we will continue to support," event organizers said in a statement.

Fred Uytengsu, president of Sunrise Events Inc., which staged the triathlon, said they are discussing how they could assist the family of the athlete.

The athlete was rushed to the hospital after suffering from what appeared to be a heart attack during the swim course, which is a 1.9-kilometer race at the Shangri-la Resort in Mactan Island.

Aside from the swim course, Mediovillo was supposed to finish a 90-kilometer bicycle course and a 21-kilometer run to complete the grueling race.

Most of the foreign and local athletes complained of the extreme heat from the weather. Others also said there were strong currents in the Mactan Channel.

Meanwhile, for the third consecutive year, Australian Timothy James Reed bagged the Ironman 70.3 Philippines finishing at 3 hours and 54 minutes.

Following him is 21-year-old Mauricio Mendez from Mexico.

New Zealand's Amelia Watkinson also bagged her first Ironman 70.3 in Cebu for the female Pro category at 4 hours 29 minutes.

Over 2,000 athletes from 45 countries participated in the race.

The Ironman website said Cebu has been the home of the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 since 2012.

Story updated 9:25 p.m. of August 6 to include statement of Lapu-Lapu City Police Office director Rommel Cabagnot.

Tim Reed completes treble as Ironman 70.3 Cebu marred by death of triathlete

AUSTRALIA’s Tim Reed pulled off a rare triple while Amelia Watkinson of New Zealand shared the limelight in the Ironman 70.3 Philippines at the Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa.

Tragedy marred the ninth staging of the 1.9k swim-90k bike-21k run event as one of the participants died during the swim stage after apparently suffering from heart attack.

The Philippine Red Cross identified the athlete as Eric Nadal Mediavillo, 47, from PMMA Multi Sport team.

Mediavillo was unconscious when he was brought to shore. Paramedics still tried to revive the triathlete before rushing him to Mactan Doctor’s Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival at 9:47 a.m.

In an official statement, Ironman Philippines confirmed the incident, saying that the triathlete required medical attention in the swim part of the race and was transported to a nearby hospital.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our athletes following the IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines in Cebu. The athlete required medical attention during the swim portion of Sunday’s race and was properly transported to a nearby hospital where they were treated. Our condolences go out to the athlete’s family and friends, whom we will continue to support,” said the statement.

In 2012, a biker fell and hit his head on the gutter and died of sudden blood clots in the lungs.

Reed came out of the water fourth and fought back to complete his golden treble.

"Every win is different. This is a really pleasing result for me because I worked really hard for this," said Reed, who clocked 3:54:07 to beat Mauricio Mendez of Mexico by more than two minutes.

"I knew I was very fit and I knew I'd have a good chance. If somebody else beat me but I put in a really good performance, I'm okay with that. Today (yesterday) was just all about focusing on myself and racing as hard as I could," he added.

Mendez wound up second place in 3:56:46 while early pacesetter Ryan Fisher, also from Australia, settled for third in 4:00:20.

Watkinson clocked 4:29:17, six minutes and thirty-six seconds ahead of Jacqueline Thistleton in a big improvement to her sixth place finish in last year’s Asia-Pacific Championship. Kerry Morris of Australia came in third in 4:39:11.

"I was sixth last year. You always take something from the bad races so it's not a hindrance to come back and try to be better," said Watkinson.

Fil-Am Kim Kilgroe settled for seventh in 4:58:58.

Close to 3,000 triathletes from a record 52 countries are vying in the country’s premier triathlon produced and organized by Sunrise Events, Inc. and backed by title sponsor Cobra Energy Drink and presentor Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and Summit Natural Drinking Water, the official hydration partner.


From the waters of Shangri-La Mactan, the elite field will tackle the bike phase which features a climb at Marcelo Fernan Bridge heading to Cebu International Convention Center, the iconic Plaza Independencia, Cebu South Coastal Road and Talisay City before returning to Shangri-La Mactan for the closing run stage.

The run is a two-loop course along Punta Engaño towards Discovery Bay and back again to Shangri-La Mactan.

The event also features a slew of local celebrities, led by Matteo Guidicelli, Paul Jake Castillo, Ivan Carapiet, Erwan Heussaff, Adrien Semblat, Drew Arellano, Ryan Agoncillo, Bubbles Paraiso, Sam YG, Pia Cayetano, Gilbert Remulla, Anthony and Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, Raffy Tima, Kim Atienza and Dyan Castillejo, who are competing in the full distance, with Enchong Dee and Gretchen Fullido (swim), Dingdong Dantes, Isabelle Daza, apl.de.ap, Piolo Pascual, Gerald Anderson, Jake Cuenca (bike) and Kim Chiu and Solenn Heussaff (run) doing the relay.

Local bet Banjo Norte topped the Asian Elite division in 4:35:51 followed by Paul Jumamil (4:41:35) and Joseph Miller (4:49:36) in the event organized by Sunrise Events, Inc. and backed by Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and Summit Natural Drinking Water. Other backers of the annual event are Mactan Resort & Spa, Lapu-Lapu City, Megaworld, Sun Life Financial, David’s Salon, Intercare, Alaska, GU, Timex, DeVant, Regent, Omega Pain Killer, Sanicare, AlcoPlus, Bionic Cebu, Daylong and media partners Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star, ABS-CBN Sports + Action, AsiaTRI.com and Finisher Pix.