Triathlon heads to Mindanao with 5150 Davao

Close to 500 athletes have so far signed up for the Penong’s 5150 Davao, the event that marks the return of triathlon in Mindanao on Sept. 4.

Slated to take off in 2020 before being shuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic like all sports in the country, Penong’s 5150 will be a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-km bike and a 10-km run event in Tagum City that has attracted some of the biggest names of the sport in the country.

This will be the fourth triathlon event for the year after the successful staging of the Ironman in Subic last March, the Sunlife 5150 in Bohol and the Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu last Aug. 7 which was ruled by Augusto Benedicto.

“We have been coordinating with the local government to ensure the safe conduct of the event,” said Ironman Group/Sunrise Events, Inc. general manager Princess Galura. “With the success of our past races, we can guarantee another smooth and trouble-free staging of this short course race set over the premier Olympic distance.”

Satar Salem triumphed in Bohol and also took part in Cebu.

Benedicto, meanwhile, has gone back to Germany to rejoin his family and said that it is likely that he won’t compete in next year’s World Championship because of lack of funds.

Aside from the individual competitions for overall and age-group levels, also on tap in the event, to be held under minimum health protocols, are the Go for Gold Sprint, the relay all-male and relay all-female and the relay mixed.