Cobra Ironman starts in Cebu

LAPU-LAPU CITY—At least 1,700 participants made up of 1,350 individual athletes and competitors spread out in 124 relay teams from 31 countries will plunge into action  in the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines starting here today.

The biggest swim-bike-run competition Cebu is hosting will feature 16 professional athletes, including back-to-back champion Pete Jacobs of Australia and his compatriot and reigning women’s champion Belinda Granger.

Also in the field is 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button of Great Britain, who came with his girlfriend, Japanese model Jessica Michibata, who will compete in the 30-34 age group category.

Organizers said the event has become so big that it needs to transfer to a venue that has more facilities after staging it for three years from 2009 in Camarines Sur in Bicol.

“Four years ago, we had grand ambitions. But I would not be honest if I said we would have something like this,” said Wilfred Steven Uytengsu Jr., head of event organizer, Sunshine Events Inc. and president and chief executive officer of Alaska Milk Corp.

“We would like to thank the province of Camsur for what they did but we just got too big,” he told a news conference on Friday afternoon at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa.

Last year, more than 1,100 individuals, 12 professional athletes and 97 relay teams from 28 countries competed in Camsur.

With more participants, Uytensu said Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 needed to have “a bigger home.”

This year’s triathlon will start at 5 a.m. for the 1.9 km swim race in the waters off the Hilutungan Channel.

The 90-km bike course will start from the five-star resort to Talisay City, passing through Mandaue City and then to the South Road Properties Tunnel in Cebu City before going back here, for the 21-km run.

The entire Cebu has been placed on heightened alert with at least 263 policemen to be deployed in the different routes and venues of the event, said Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, Lapu-Lapu City Police Office director.

He said 30 personnel from the Philippine Air Force will also be deployed while 22 members of the Naval Forces Central (Navforcen) will provide additional security in the waters off Shangri-La for the swim race.  With a report from Haide P. Acuña