We asked for it, and we got it! The country’s first (and maybe last?) Ironman race will be finally held on local soil. That’s 140.6 miles (226km for us) of unadulterated heat, hills, and wind. If you’re like most triathletes who are up for a challenge, “you won’t be disappointed” is an understatement. Let’s cut the chase and talk about what to expect on race day!
The Bike King kicks off its triathlon season for 2018 in one of the most iconic venues in the Philippines: Subic Bay! This place has had its fair share of races but each one is very unique. The sheer size of the place allows race organizers to customize the course based on their desires. For Bike King TRI 1, expect a mix of flats, hills, and of course, very memorable race experience. To make sure you have a pleasant race, we present to you the first edition of Sante Barley’s PREP (Practical Race Execution Preview) for 2018!
The Bellevue 5150 Bohol is definitely one of my favorite races of all time. It has this calm and relaxed vibe that’s a great way to cap off the racing season. The size of the race, the venue, the course, and the timeframe is a perfect “racecation” if ever there was one. One of the smaller races of the Sunrise calendar, it lends itself to a close and intimate atmosphere that is well suited to Panglao.
The Cobra Ironman 70.3 in Cebu is no different from the course last year. This isn’t because of a lack of interest from the organizers to keep it interesting but simply because “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” The course went through several iterations over the past 6 years and this has been the layout that works best.
This year’s TriUnited Exceed Long Distance event is very similar to last year’s race. This might actually be a good thing since I’m sure there are a lot of athletes racing this with a chip on their shoulders. Having raced the course for the first time last year, everyone had a really tough time conquering the challenges each leg brought.