Don't count out Jakub Langhammer.
While most experts have picked Sam Betten and defending champion Mitch Robins as the men to beat in the Black Arrow Express 5150 which reels off tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 27 in Subic Bay a victory by Langhammer certainly cannot be discounted.
The Czech blazed the road on his bike to rule the recent Penong’s 5150 last July and he is capable of pulling off the same feat in the Olympic distance race in Subic.
Tactics will be an important factor in determining who wins and who places in the coming race and Langhammer is well prepared.
“Tempo during Olympic distance race is always so fast. Faster than 70.3 or full IRONMAN. So you have to make sure to stay hydrated and cool your body much as possible. Racing in heat is really hard especially during the run. My secret is not to run so fast during first half of the run and always take water or ice on each Aid station,” said Langhammer.
The Czech said he spent two weeks in Hawaii not only to watch the IRONMAN World Championship but to also train and prepare for the coming BAE 5150. He is confident and enters the race with winning as the only goal.
He confessed that the Philippines is one of his favorite places to race and joins as many races held here as he can.
“I like all triathlon races in Philippines because I always feel like home. There are so many friendly faces and the best cheering people in the world. And they always make best racing atmosphere,” said Langhammer.
Black Arrow Express is the title sponsor. Venue hosts are Subic Bay and ACEA Subic Bay. Other backers are TYR (official swim brand), GU (official energy gel), David’s Salon and F2P Sportswear as major sponsors. Media partners are ONE Sports on Cignal, Crosstrain.ph, MBody.ph, Trilife, AsiaTri.com and FInisherPix with Alaska, AlcoPlus, Australia Harvest, Cetaphil, DeVant, Sanicare, Regent, Storck and Timex as marketing partners.
The Go for Gold Sunrise Sprint—a short distance triathlon series featuring a 750m open-water swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run put up by Go for Gold to help Filipino athletes achieve excellence in their sport – will be a companion race held on the same date.
For details, please contact the secretariat at blackarrowexpress@5150philippines.com. Pro athletes may contact preregistration@ironman.com.
