Rookie Ciron surprises 70.3 Subic field
John Patrick Ciron crosses the finish an emotional wreck.—CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
SUBIC–John Patrick Ciron gave it all he got in the run stage on Sunday and made his Ironman 70.3 debut an unforgettable one after turning back a household name in ruling the Century Tuna Subic Bay edition.
A duathlon specialist, Ciron broke down at the finish when the enormity of what he had accomplished set in, as he left the decorated August Benedicto in his wake with a devil-may-care effort in the run to time four hours, 37 minutes and 28 seconds for the 1.9-kilometer swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run spectacle.
“I don’t even know exactly where I launched my attack–I just kept my focus,” said Ciron, a native of Iriga, in Filipino. “I really aimed for a fast run, but it was insanely hard.”
Benedicto, the 2022 champion in Cebu and one of the attractions of the event, checked in second in 4:40:58 after an almost five-minute deficit in the run stage. Third was Mervin Santiago, who faded in the final stretch to finish in 4:42:40.
Indonesian Dea Salsabila Putri, meanwhile, ruled the women’s event in 5:26:22 with times of 27:44 in the swim, 3:10:21 in the bike and 1:41:07 in the run, to best local favorite Erika Burgos, who fought through stomach issues to secure second in 5:32:30 with leg times of 27:52-03:16:05-01:41:57.
Darrell Bada, a standout product of the Ironkids program, shared the day’s honors with Ciron and Putri after ruling the Sunrise Sprint, which featured a 750-meter open-water swim, 20-km bike ride, and 5-km run.
Bada clocked a total time of 1:06:29 to edge Dayshaun Ramos by a mere six seconds.
