It will be the triathlon wannabes’ turn to get a dose of top endurance racing in an Olympic-style setup when the Sun Life 5150 Triathlon returns to Bohol on July 9 at the posh Bellevue Resort on Panglao Island.
The sport actually marked its return to the mainstream after the pandemic at the popular triathlon destination in Central Visayas noted for coral reefs and unique geological formations last year with Lanao del Norte’s Satar Salem and Bea Quiambao of The Next Step Tri sharing top honors in the 1.5 km-swim, 40 km-bike and 10 km run distance event.
This time, the organizing The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc., coming off a successful staging of the 70.3 and full IRONMAN in Subic, expects a bigger, stronger cast and keener competition in the 5150 race designed for athletes wanting to embrace multi-sport racing and reach the IRONMAN level.
Jonathan Pagaura of Rider Omega Triathlon team, who finished second overall to Salem, heads the early roster of more than 300 entries that also drew bets from the US, Malaysia, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany and Japan.
Aside from the overall crowns, age-group titles are also set to be disputed in the event, sponsored by Sun Life Philippines as part of its continuing commitment to help promote a healthy lifestyle among Filipinos, including 15-to-19, 20-25, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64 and 65-69.
Also on tap are relay competitions while the Sunrise Sprint or S2 will spice up the Bohol 5150 race. The short-distance event, a sub-category to the centerpiece 5150 triathlon series, is set over 750-m open-water swim, 20km bike and 5km run for beginners and upcoming athletes to get a feel of the tri-racing.
For details, visit www.ironman.com/5150-bohol with social media accounts at Sun Life 5150 Bohol (facebook) and 5150bohol (Instagram). For the Sunrise Sprint, log on to www.goforgold.sunrisesprint.com/
Backers of the event are Finish, Rudy Project, Sandugo, Santé, Active, Amorita, The Bellevue Resort, Bluewater Panglao, Province of Bohol, and municipalities of Dauis and Panglao, and media partners Manila Bulletin, Crosstrain.ph, MBody.ph and Tempo.