CLARK, Pampanga – World No. 8 Joey delos Reyes and SEA Games medalists Nikko Huelgas and John Chicano set out against some of the world’s top duathletes as they vie for top honors in the 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Championship presented by Summit Natural Drinking Water firing off today (Sunday) here.
Delos Reyes, who placed fourth in the Powerman Thailand and Indonesia early this year, has vowed to dish out his very best in the premier run-bike-run event organized by P&F International Events Group and held to showcase the Filipinos’ talent and skills in the sport.
“I will do my best to improve on my last race and make our country proud,” said delos Reyes of Standard Insurance.
Huelgas and Chicano, who swept the triathlon gold and silver medals, respectively, in the recent SEAG in Malaysia, are also expected to figure prominently in the centerpiece Elite category of the event also staged as a qualifying event for the next Powerman World Championships.
But focus will be on Dutch Thomas Bruins, the world No. 2 who placed second to Frenchman Gael Le Bellec in the 10km run-60km bike-10km run event last year, along with Australian Matt Smith and Malaysians Ziq Junaidy and Jason Loh.
Japanese Airi Sawada and another Aussie Alexandra McDougall, on the other hand, banner the women’s side of the event also held to boost Philippine duathlon in particular and the local pros’ world ranking in general.
“We have a powerhouse field and we expect an exciting race,” said Powerman Philippines president Owen Gan in yesterday’s briefing at the Red Crab restaurant.
The event drew 1,127 participants in the individual and relay competitions, including a slew of local celebrities, including including Aubrey Miles, Troy Montero and coach Al Gonzales in the Classic distance (relay), Sitti Navarro and husband Joey Ramirez in the Short distance (relay), Kim Chiu, Jake Cuenca and Gerald Anderson (individual).
Titles to be disputed are the premier Powerman Classic (10km run, 60km bike and 10km run), the Powerman Short (5km run, 30km bike and 5km run) and the Powerteens set on smooth, wide roads of Clark with the course offering scenic views of NLEX-SCTEx.
Presented by Summit Natural Drinking Water, the event is backed by Clark Freeport Zone and NLEX-SCTEx as Official Road Partners, Cobra Energy Drink as Official Energy Drink, Official Sports Nutrition Partner Unilab ActiveHealth, Official Timing Partner Garmin, Official Footwear Partner Skechers Performance, and Event Partners Seafood Island Restaurant, Hammer Nutrition, 2XU, Dan’s Endurance, Cycles & Brew by Hubble, Starbucks Coffee, Pace Prehab and Recovery, WattUp Cycling, Hotel Stotsenberg, Lohas Hotel, and Fontana Leisure Park.
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.
