Alcala man to beat in IRONMAN 70.3

MANILA, Philippines — John Alcala is all geared up and ready to defend his crown in the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Princesa on Nov. 12.

“I never skip a workout and I do a little extra especially in the swim part, kasi ‘yun ang weakest ko,” said Alcala during a break in training for the blue-ribbon event in the country’s tropical paradise.

The Dipolog City ace, who relied on his excellent running skills to emerge the surprise winner of the 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run event in Palawan last year, has gone the extra mile in his swim training to improve this aspect of his performance against a strong international field of competitors.

“I am training hard for this,” said Alcala, who also topped the IM 70.3 Subic Bay last June.

Registration is ongoing. For details, visit ironman.com/im703-puerto-princesa-register, according to the organizing The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc.

Meanwhile, the event, backed by Global premier partners Vinfast, Active, Gatorade, HOKA, ROKA and Breitling 1884 and Global technical partners Athletic Brewing Co., Fulgaz, Hyperice, Qatar Airways, Red Bull, Santini and Wahoo, will serve as host to the Asia TriClub and Relay Championship with Puerto Princesa putting up a P500,000 prize for the winning club.

Headlining the early roster in the Asia TriClub and Relay Championship are Gas Coaching, Fit PH, Baguio Benguet Triathlon, Las Vegas Tri Club, Heroes Hotel Adventure, ArmyNavy SouthTri, Loolaba Tri Club, Les Sables Vendee, La Rochelle Tri and KOA Sports.