Australian Dimity Lee Duke, Manami Iijima of Guam and Hong Kong’s Leanne Szeto set out for a gruelling test of endurance as they dispute the women’s elite pro crown in the Black Arrow Express 5150 next Sunday, Nov. 4 in Subic Bay.
Duke ended two years of frustration in 5150 races in the country’s triathlon capital with a come-from-behind victory over Laura Wood last year with the regular PH campaigner all geared up for another crack at the crown in the premier 1.5k swim-40k bike-10k run event.
But Duke, who also won a 5150 event in Bohol and turned in podium finishes in other Ironman 70.3 races, expects a fierce challenge from her rivals, including Iijima, who actually finished ahead of Duke in Ironman 70.3 in Cebu last August.
With her focus, commitment and drive to excel, the 25-year-old Iijima, who also placed third in the Lixil Ironman in Japan last June, hopes to nail her first 5150 diadem in the upcoming event sponsored by one of the country’s top eCommerce Logistics companies.
Focus will also be on Szeto, an Asian Games veteran and a former mainstay of Hong Kong’s national team whose experience in endurance races have equipped her with the know-how to compete with the best.
But Duke vowed to go all out to dominate the Olympic distance triathlon series, particularly in the bike and run stages, with compatriot Sam Betten also fancied in the men’s side for a possible sweep by the aces from Down Under on a course they are very familiar with.
Betten, for one, has won the Subic 5150 races the last three years, making him the top pick in the event organized and produced by Sunrise Events, Inc. against the likes of Czech Jakub Langhammer, American Tim Linn and compatriots Dan Brown and Mitch Robins.
Backed by venue hosts Subic Bay and ACEA Subic Bay and major sponsors David’s Salon, Pioneer Insurance and Wicked Active Gear, the event caps SEI’s decade-long staging of the premier endurance race in the country.
For details, visit www.blackarrowexpress.5150philippines.com.
Other titles to be disputed are the Asian Elite and various age categories along with relay events for male, female and mixed.
Other supporters of the event are TYR (official swim cap), GU (official energy gel), Active Network (official registration partner), marketing partners Alaska, AlcoPlus, Cetaphil, DeVant, Nuun, PLDT Subictel, Smart, Sanicare, Regent, Storck and Timex and media partners Hyper HD, Cignal, The Philippine Star, AsiaTri.com and Finisher Pix.