From the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Website
PILI, Camarines Sur—Comfortably out of the water first and unmatched in the bike leg, Pete Jacobs made the 21-kilometer run his victory march to repeat as the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines Triathlon champion Sunday.
Rain fell for the second straight morning in this sprawling, usually steamy watersport destination, making for a race that finished faster than anticipated.
And the dreaded “Rice Cooker” stretch in the run leg proved not much of a factor.
Cheered on by a huge gallery practically every step of the way, the 30-year-old Jacobs was the master of the Pro field again, clocking three hours, 51 minutes and 43 seconds to win by more than 20 minutes over Jesse Thomas of the United States at the CamSur Watersports Complex here.
“This is excellent,” Jacobs, from Sydney, Australia, said moments after turning in the second fastest time in Philippine 70.3 history. “I felt good coming out of the water and seeing that it was Amanda (Stevens) chasing me and not Jesse (Thomas).”
The fancied Belinda Granger made it a sweep for the triathletes from Down Under after rallying in the run stage to nip Stevens in 4:26:03, sixth overall and more than two minutes ahead of the American’s 4:28:34.
Cameron Brown of New Zealand was third in 4:12:54, Erich Felbabel of Hong Kong was fourth in 4:17:44, while Wee Bree of the United States finished third in the women’s side with a time of 4:35:16.
Singapore’s Assad Attamimi was the top amateur after finishing fifth overall in 4:18:08 and ruling the men’s 35-39 division. He wound up a slot ahead of Justin Granger (4:25:30), even as Arland Macasieb dethroned Neil Catiil as the top Filipino male racer.
Macasieb, second to Catiil last year, timed 4:26:31.
Granger was slowed down by a four-minute penalty halfway through the bike stage after being caught for “drafting,” a term used by organizers for racers who seek cover behind the leading riders to avoid the headwind.
Stevens, an American medical school graduate who had a colorful swimming career with Texas Christian in the US NCAA, led after the swim and bike stages before he was overtaken by Granger in the final few kilometers of the run.
Under overcast skies that obscured majestic Mount Isarog, Jacobs underscored his status as one of the world’s finest triathlon swimmers by negotiating the 1.9-km leg in 24 minutes and 17 seconds, setting the stage for the breakaway win.
Jacobs, who won with a time of 3:58:41 over Terenzo Bozzone last year, padded his lead after zipping through the 90-km bike trail from Lago del Rey and back in an astonishing 2:05:55, close to four minutes ahead of Thomas.
The Kiwi Bozzone’s winning time of 3:51:25 in 2009 still stands as the fastest in the three-year history of Ironman 70.3 Philippines.
“I thought I was being pressured, but when I looked behind, I was alone,” Jacobs said when asked to recount his journey in the bike stage.
Monica Torres was, for the third straight year, the top Filipina pro elite finisher after clocking 4:55:15.