IRONMAN 70.3 Davao offers world tilt slots

MANILA, Philippines — A one-of-a-kind racing experience awaits more than a thousand participants in the Alveo IRONMAN 70.3 Davao with berths to this year’s World Championship up for grabs on Sunday at Azuela Cove.

On top of the 30 slots offered in various age-group categories, the blue-ribbon event also stakes 25 extra spots for women to the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship on Aug. 26-27 in Lahti, Finland.

That makes the 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike and 21k run event powered by Petron doubly exciting with the qualifiers gaining the rare chance to race under the Nordic midnight sun in Lahti.

The event organized by The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc. has generated so much interest, this marking the return of the pros in local triathlon in general, and in Davao in particular, after it hosted the IM 70.3 in 2018 and 2019 which Mexico’s Mauricio Mendez and Germany’s Markus Rolli, topped, respectively,

A handful of Filipino triathletes have competed in past World Championships but with 55 slots now being offered, expect a spirited chase for top honors in the event backed by event partners Alveo, Petron, Lungsod ng Dabaw, Azuela Cove, Davao Light, Lightwater, Prudential Guarantee, One Sport and Cignal.

Portuguese Filipe Azevedo and fellow IM 70.3 champion Tuan Chun Chang of Taiwan banner the men’s pro cast, both seeking to bring their winning acts to the king city of the south.

The pros will slug it out for the top $30,000 purse in the event held to boost the city’s economy and the tourism sector.

Meanwhile, a winner-take-all cash prize of P550,000 and a perpetual trophy handcrafted by noted homegrown artist Kublai Millan also awaits the Tribu Maisugon winner. The event is held in honor of the city’s 11 tribes.