Davao City—The show must go on.
Penong’s Duathlon Davao, reclassified from a 5150 Triathlon, blasts off today July 7, at the Waterfront Hotel here with a strong cast of international professionals and some of the best triathletes in the country.
Sunrise Events and IRONMAN Group, after conducting comprehensive water testing, concluded that water quality is not suitable for recreational use. After consultation with local health officials, and with the health and safety of participants as utmost priority, the swim leg was cancelled.
Formerly an Olympic distance triathlon the Penong’s Duathlon is reclassified to a Run-bike-run duathlon.
The Penong’s Duathlon starts with a 2.5k run, followed by a 40k bike and topped by a 10k run to complete the duathlon. The Sunrise Sprint starts with a 1.25k run, followed by a 20k bike and will be completed with a 5k run.
Professional triathletes Mitch Robins of Australia, Jakub Langhammer of Czechoslovakia and Kieran McPherson of New Zealand battle for the men’s top prize. Thailand-based Dimity Lee Duke and Lisa Tyack of Australia and New Zealand’s Laura Wood compete for the crown in the women’s category of the race staged by Sunrise Events with title sponsor Penong’s Barbecue Seafood & Grill which is Davao’s most popular barbecue house.
On the local front, some of the country’s best triathletes: August Benedicto, Banjo Norte, Raymond Torio, Juan Carlos Abad and Jorry Ycong compete for the Asian Elite crown.
Those top triathletes lead hundreds of endurance racers vying in various age-group divisions in the race which attracted participants from Japan, Kuwait, United Kingdom, Australia, Panama, New Zealand, Spain, the US, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Italy, France, Greece, Guam, South Africa and Czech Republic.
Benedicto is a four-time champion in IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines. Norte is a three-time winner. The pair will lead the chase for the Asian Elite crown worth P30,000.
Penong’s Barbecue Seafood & Grill makes its debut on a national stage even as it promotes a healthy lifestyle by holding the Penong’s 5150 Triathlon.
“We want to introduce Penong’s not just in the food industry but also in sports. I have four kids and two are seriously into triathlon. We want to market Penong’s through triathlon,” said Penong’s owner Ma. Teresa Regis.
Co-owner Vanessa Mae Uy Santos said they want to promote the importance of health and wellness while expanding their business at the same time.
“Being part of Penong’s ever growing family I personally advocate a healthy and active lifestyle. I see this partnership as an opportunity to show my support to my fellow athletes as well as those who are athletes at heart,” she said.
The race kicks off with a one-loop run which will traverse Daang Maharlika. It is followed by the ride through the two-loop ride bike phase that will also traverse the Daang Maharlika Highway. They return to the transition for the final one-loop run.
Backing the event, which comes on the heels of Sunrise Events’ successful staging of the second Alveo Ironman, also in Davao, are Lungsod ng Davao, Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao, 2GO, Nature’s Spring, David’s Salon, F2P Sportswear, Pioneer Insurance, Vitargo, Alaska, AlcoPlus, Australia Harvest, Cetaphil, Devant, Regent Foods, Sanicare, Sun Life Financial, Timex, TYK and Active with One Sports, Cignal, Manila Bulletin, Crosstrain.ph, MBody.ph, Tempo, Trilife, AsiaTri.com and Finisher Pix as media partners.
For details, visit www.ironman.com/philippines, http://penongs.5150philippines.com and www.goforgold.sunrisesprint.com
