Miller confident of chances in Xterra Danao

DANAO, Cebu — Joseph Miller’s greatest edge is also his competitors’ biggest fear on the eve of the Xterra Series here.

Miller is native of Lapu-Lapu City, part of Cebu’s Metropolitan Area, and being a local has its advantages in terms of dealing with the extreme heat and familiarity with the terrain — something that foreign competitors are concerned over.

“My advantage is that I’m used to this kind of weather. I’m used to this kind of heat,” Miller told INQUIRER.net.

Miller, considered one of the country’s top pro triathletes, will be up against the world’s best in Xterra with defending champion Bradley Weiss, Sam Osborne and Ben Allen tipped to rule the race.

But despite facing high caliber competition, Miller still likes his chances of landing a spot in the podium.

“I’m confident because I know I trained and prepared really hard for this,” he said.

The race features a 1.5 kilometer swim that starts and ends at Coco Palms beach resort, 40 km bike and 10 km run that had Weiss bracing for a “really, really tough” course.

Weiss is ranked No. 1 in the race after ruling Xterra Albay two years ago.

Danao is located 50 kilometers north of Cebu City. The temperature is expected to reach as high as 35 degrees around 11 a.m. on race day but organizers of the event said the heat will “feel like 42 degrees.”

Xterra Danao attracted 223 participants overall from 15 countries all over the world.