XTERRA weekend unfolds

CEBU, Philippines - The wait is finally over as the Vaseline Men XTERRA Weekend gets underway with a star-studded list of participants ranging from showbiz personalities to politicians and corporate executives all set for action in the two-day race of fun, thrill and excitement at the panoramic Amara subdivision in Liloan, Cebu.

Television actors Richard Gutierrez, Jericho Rosales, Drew Arellano and Matteo Guidicelli, Senator Pia Cayetano, Alaska Milk Corporation President and CEO Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, Jr., Liloan Mayor Vincent Franco "Duke" Franco and former COMELEC commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal are just a few of the distinguished individuals who will be joining the event that has attracted some of the most respected triathletes from both hemispheres of the globe.

The twin events serve as a qualifier to the highly-competitive XTERRA World Championship in Oahu and Maui in Hawaii.

The action-packed weekend fires off with the trail run today featuring the 21K, 10K and 5K categories. Cash prizes are available to the male and female winners.

Most importantly, the top age-group finishers for the 21K will earn tickets to the XTERRA Trail Run World Championships slated in Oahu, Hawaii this year. 

The centerpiece triathlon events will take place tomorrow with the XTERRA Lite and the XTERRA Philippines Championship.

The XTERRA Lite covers a 500-meter swim, 30K bike and 5K run, while the Philippines Championship involves a more grueling challenge of 1.5-kilometer swim, 30-kilometer bike and a 10-kilometer run. 

Apart from winning cash prizes amounting to a total of US$15,000, the top age-group finishers will now vie for 40 slots to the XTERRA World Championships in Maui, Hawaii. 

Among the A-list triathletes seeng action are Renata Bucher and Oliver Marceau also of Switzerland, Carina Wasle of Austria, Ben Allen of Australia, Matt O’ Halloran of Canada, Will Kelsay and Branden Rakita of United States, Cedric Lassondre of France, Takahiro “Oga-san” Ogasawara of Japan, Darrelle “Daz” Parker, Graham Wadsworth and Jacqui Slack of the United Kingdom.

Three-time Phl Open champion, two-time SEA Games medalist and 15-time Ironman finisher Arland Macasieb is expected to represent the country in the elite event.  

On the local front, among the stars to watch out for are Cebuanos Franz Baguio, Gerrie Calinawan and Elmo Clarabal, who will challenge defending champion Neil Catiil in the elite all-Filipino division.

Last year’s top Pinay finisher Lorhiz Echavez-Lopez won't be able to defend her crown as she has just given birth. With this, Cebu’s triathlon princess Rochelle Tan is out to carry the fight for the Queen City of the South against the country's best led by the Cebu-based Loveleinell Casidsid.

After the world-class action in Cebu, the exciting series shifts to Clark, Pampanga for the Putik Pare leg slated on November 18. It’s a duathlon relay involving a trail run and mountainbike.

The Vaseline Men XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon Series is sponsored by Alaska, Timex, Gatorade, Summit Water, David’s Salon, LBC, AirPhil Express, Prudential Guarantee, 2XU, Dusit Thani Manila and media partners The Philippine Star, Multisport, SBR and Studio 23. Host venues for this year are Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal, and Amara, Porter Marina, and Papa Kit’s in Liloan, Cebu. (FREEMAN)