THE AirAsia DurianMan Triathlon set for April 28 to 29 on Samal Island is expected to boost the tourism industry in Davao Region.
DurianMan Triathlon Race director Stax Savellano, during the Kapehan sa Dabaw press conference Monday, April 23, said triathlon is considered to be one of the fastest-growing sports event in the world.
Cash prizes have increased to P25,000 for the champion from P20,000. As for the second place and the third place, they will each receive P15,000 and P10,000 respectively. During the previous year, the prizes for the second and third place were pegged at P10,000 and P5,000, respectively.
With the increased prize money, the Triathlon Association of Davao (Triad) is expecting more participants to join the AirAsia DurianMan Triathlon, which is part of the Visit Davao Summer Festival (VDSF).
This triathlon, which started three years ago, is known as the region's own version of the Iron Man Challenge. This year, they are expecting at least 200 participants aging 16 to 70 years old to join.
"In Davao City, we offer a different kind of race which is a cross-channel. So it is more exciting and challenging since not all triathlon races is a cross-channel," he said.
The race will start in the city proper of Samal where the participants will swim a 1.5-kilometer distance from Paradise Island all the way to Club Samal. It will then be followed by a 40-kilometer bike race from Club Samal to Peña Plata and vice versa. Lastly, the participants will run for 10 kilometers following the same route during the biking race.
As of yesterday, April 23, there are already participants from other countries who have registered particularly from the United Kingdom and Germany.
Savellano said they were also expecting racers from India, Indonesia, and other countries from Europe. Majority of the participants will still be Filipinos.
Last year's winner was Jonard Saim of Sarangani Province.
Savellano said Triad will collaborate with the Philippine National Police and the Philippine National Red Cross to ensure safety of the participants and the visitors. They are to use 20 motorized boats for the said event for monitoring. (Jamille Galido Monforte, FSUU Intern)