Monica Torres and Joey Delos Reyes prime themselves up for a battle royale against some of the world’s top and rising duathletes as they banner the local challenge in the 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Championship Presented by Summit Drinking Water, which fires off Oct. 8 at Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.
Torres, a perennial top local finisher in the annual Ironman 70.3 Philippines, will be coming into the keenly awaited event upbeat of her chances following a big campaign in the recent Powerman Asian Duathlon in Malaysia where she ruled the ITU Asian Middledistance division.
She also topped the Trisports 51.5 and Musaman events this year and turned in a couple of top six finishes in Pattaya and Bangsaen, Thailand even as she expressed confidence that the upcoming Phl Asian tilt will further boost Phl duathlon in particular and the local pros in general.
“The future of Phl duathlon looks bright and very exciting. With a number of newbies in the sprint races and the very best of international pros, including the sport’s world champions, the event shows the caliber of the races that we produce,” said Torres. “With the local pros posting podium finishes in recent years, I believe we will be dominating the Powerman series very soon.”
For his part, Delos Reyes vows to go all out to improve on his previous Powerman finishes in Thailand and Indonesia as he sets out against an elite field in the premier run-bike-run event organized by F&F International Events Group.
“I will try to improve on my last run and I’ll do my best for our country and to make my Team Standard Insurance proud,” said Delos Reyes, who emerged the top Asian duathlete and finished fourth overall in Powerman Thailand. He also placed second and fourth overall in Powerman Indonesia early in the season.
Powerman Philippines’ general manager Kaye Lopez also expressed hopes of a solid Phl showing in the event, believing the local duathletes have got what it takes to be among the best in the world.
“The driving force behind this year’s event is to bring the Filipino duathletes to the world stage by capitalizing on our duathletes’ innate strength in running and cycling and providing them with the opportunity to compete against the best in the world,” said Lopez.
The Powerman Philippines Asian Championship also serves as a qualifier for the Powerman World Championships in Zofingen, Switzerland. The event is also part of the country’s preparations for the Asian Duathlon Championships which it will host in a few years time.
“It’s all about investing in the Filipino duathlete’s potential, pushing their boundaries, and expanding their competitive horizons, with the ultimate goal of sending our top Filipino duathlete to the 2019 Powerman World Championships in Zofingen, Switzerland,” added Lopez.
Presented by Summit Drinking Water, the event is backed by Clark Freeport Zone and SCTEx as Official Venue Partners, Cobra Energy Drink as Official Energy Drink, Official Sports Nutrition Partner ActiveHealth, Official Timing Partner Garmin, Official Footwear Partner Skechers Performance, Official Hotel Partner Fontana Leisure Park, and Event Partners Seafood Island Restaurant, Hammer Nutrition, 2XU, Starbucks Coffee, Hotel Stotsenberg, and Lohas Hotel.
For details, visit www.powerman.ph and follow @powermanph on social media or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and twitter @powermanph official hashtags: #NoManNoPower, #PowermanPH, #PowermanPHPresentedBySummit.