5150 Dapitan lures field of 600

MANILA, Philippines — Over 600 bidders, led by the country’s elite triathletes and rising stars in various age-group categories, go for broke in the 5150 Dapitan Philippines today in Zamboanga del Norte.

John Alcala sets out for a third straight triathlon win, upbeat but wary of his chances both in his age-group (30-34) bracket and in the overall championship of the centerpiece 1.5-kilometer swim, 40km bike and 10km run race.

He bested a crack international cast to rule the first IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Princesa last November. Then the Team TRI-SND Barracuda spearhead stamped his class in wet conditions in the 5150 Subic last June.

“After Subic, recover lang ng konti then back sa training program ni coach Ani,” said Alcala, referring to his mentor Ani de Leon-Brown, the first Filipina to qualify for the IRONMAN World Championships twice.

“Confident ako sa training ko and hopefully, maka-perform ng maayos,” added the 30-year-old Dipolog City ace.

But the rest of his rivals for the overall championship worth P175,000, headed by Satar Salem, Fernando Casares, Maynard Pecson, Raymund Torio, Josh Gellane and Jacob Taylor, are also all geared up for the first-ever race in Dapitan City.

“We are excited to be the only race to combine, in this depth, an event to celebrate our heritage and sports. It is the perfect opportunity for families and the community to get together and to honor our past, experience life in the present,” said Dapitan City Mayor Seth “Bullet” Jalosjos.