Tri United triathlon Sunday; all eyes on Gonzales couple

Peter Gonzales and his wife Sandra banner the tough Tri United long distance triathlon on July 17 at the Matabungkay Beach Resort and Hotel in Lian, Batangas.

The husband-and-wife team, both Bike King bets, heads the favorites in the grueling 2K swim-60K bike-15K endurace race.

“We would have wanted more participants, but because of the limitation of the race course, we decided to set the maximum number of 300 triathletes to ensure the safety of the participants,” said race organizer Raul Cuevas.

Aside from Gonzales, a former national coach, several other big names in the men’s division include Celnan Jopson (Polo Tri) and Patrick Joson (Fitness First).

Among the top rivals of Sandra Araullo-Gonzales, a silver medalist in the 2005 and 2007 Southeast Asian Games, are Joyette Jopson (David’s Salon), Tricia Conception (Polo Tri) and Lorhiz Echavez (Reborn).

The top three finishers in the men’s and women’s races, age groups and team competitions of the race organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines will receive medals.

The Triathlon Association of the Island of Negros (TRAIN), which hosted the triathlon event in the Philippine National Games, will field JP Benedicto, JJ Coscolluela, James Dinsay and Alvin Edrosalam.