Filipino triathlete Joe Miller at the finish line. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
DANAO, Cebu—Joe Miller failed to land a spot in the podium of the Xterra Series here but the hometown hero was still able to prove a point.
Miller wound up somewhere in the middle of the pack in sixth place out of the 11-man field after clocking in three hours, 52 minutes and four seconds, a mark faster than some of Australia’s top pro triathletes Olly Shaw, Taylor Charlton and Alex Roberts.
Shaw came nearly two minutes after Miller crossed the finish line while Charlton, who was ranked No. 6 in the race, needed four hours, 13 minutes and 44 seconds and Roberts was the last man among the pros.
“I’m satisfied overall because I went against some Olympians, national champions and I was able to beat them,” Miller told INQUIRER.net.
Miller admitted the swimming has always been the weakest part of his game and it showed on Sunday after he being the last pro to reach dry land.
But it was a different story come the 40 kilometer bike and 10 kilometer run.
A native of Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu, Miller is used to training under extreme heat. He is also familiar with the terrain.
“I always train around this time so I already know how the weather would be like. I already simulated the race during my training,” Miller said.
“I only had a hard time in the swim part but I know it’s going to be a long course so you can’t just give everything you have right away. I knew I needed to pace myself,” Miller, who took home $450, added.
Bradley Weiss of South Africa repeated as champion after completing the course in just three hours and 16 seconds. Weiss won cash prize of $2,300.