Kids take spotlight before 70.3 Davao contest

Top contender Tim Reed and Filipino elite triathlete August Benedicto join the Alaska Family Run at People’s Park, one of the side events for tomorrow’s main event.

DAVAO—Kids take the spotlight ahead of the pros as they vie in the Alaska Fortified IronKids with a huge field participating in the event on Saturday, a day before Ironman 70.3 Davao presented by Petron gets going at Azuela Cove here.

Unlike in its past stagings, however, this marks the first time that IronKids will be disputed via the swim-run competition as organizers decided to drop the bike stage from the previous junior version of triathlon to lure more kids in the 6-to-14 age bracket.

But all eyes are on Sunday’s main event, where Mauricio Mendez and Czech Radka Kahlefeldt set out for repeat triumphs in the grueling 1.9K swim, 90K bike, 21K run event hosted by Davao for the second straight year.

“I think it’s gonna be a really tough race. Every race is different but I feel I’m in great shape,” said Mendez, who vowed to improve his mark of 3:50:32 fashioned out in come-from-behind manner last year.

“I love racing here in the Philippines and I’m really excited to be back here in Davao,” said Kahlefeldt, out to better her wire-to-wire triumph in 4:25:38.

Ushering in race weekend were the Iron Girl 5k fun run and the Alaska Family Run on Friday, where over a thousand participants taking part in both events. Alaska’s Tri-Aspire athletes led by pros Tim Reed and August Benedicto led the family run where Alaska packs were also given to Vicente Hizon Elementary School.

Over 2,200 entries from 38 countries are vying in the event with Mendez and Kahlefeldt up against equally talented pro rivals, including the fired-up Australians Reed, Sam Betten and Tim Van Berkel, Germany’s Markus Rolli, Frenchman Antony Costes and Bahrain’s Eric Watson joining the title hunt.

Out to foil Kahlefeldt in the women’s race are veteran campaigners Caroline Steffen of Switzerland and Dimity Lee Duke of Australia.