Sun.Star website gears up for Ironman 70.3

CEBU CITY -- All is set for Sunday’s Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines, the first triathlon event happening in Cebu province with more than 1,000 athletes joining the race.

A team from Sun.Star website, at www.sunstar.com.ph, will cover some race points LIVE!

Live coverage of the Ironman 70.3 starts at 6 a.m. and ends late afternoon Sunday. Just visit www.sunstar.com.ph and click on the Ironman promo button displayed beside the Sun.Star logo, or go directly to specials.sunstar.com.ph/sports.

Sun.Star will stream live the race, including the awarding at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The race will start at Shangrila Hotel in Mactan, with 1,340 individuals and 125 relay teams competing. Race routes, schedule of activities and traffic advisory can be accessed at http://specials.sunstar.com.ph/sports/ironman-cebu/.

There will also be a live blog, where Sun.Star readers, as well as fans and supporters of local, national and international triathletes can share their thoughts and comments.

Sixteen professional athletes from different countries in the world will be joining the Ironman 70.3 Sunday. Among them are Pete Jacobs and Belinda Granger of Australia, Caroline Steffen of Switzerland, Ali Fitch of Australia, Amanda Stevens of the United States, and Michelle Wu of Australia.

Celebrities like Formula One driver Jenson Button, Filipino actor Piolo Pascual, Matteo Guidicelli, Drew Arellano, Richard Gutierrez, Tessa Prieto, and Senator Pia Cayetano will also be around to compete, along with Filipino elites like Arland Macasieb and Cebuano Ironman Noy Jopson.

Watch Sun.Star’s video interview with Macasieb at http://specials.sunstar.com.ph/sports/videos/. Also featured in the page are interviews with Ironman first-timer Jason Dorado, and Cebuano women athletes Aya Shlachter, Merly Colmenares, Pamela Apuhin, Love Casidsid, Rochelle Tan, Lorhiz Echavez-Lopez, and Jane-Jane Ong.

The triathlon Sunday involves three sequential endurance sports -- swimming, cycling and running. It is also known as “Half-Ironman.”

The “70.3” refers to the total distance in miles covered in the middle distance triathlon race – 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim in an open sea in Mactan, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run.

The Ironman 70.3 is qualifying event for the World Championship competition in Kona, Hawaii. It is a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). It consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86 kilometer) swim, 112-mile (180.25 km) bike and 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run. (Sunnex)