DESPITE the heat, Dabawenyos were out of their homes yesterday to give support to the athletes of the Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao, held at the Azuela Cove, Lanang, Davao City yesterday.
As early as 2:00 a.m. athletes were already arriving at Azuela Cove, the event’s venue, to get ready for their respective events – swim, bike, and run. Some 1,800 athletes from 39 countries, including the Philippines are competing for the first Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao.
It was 6:10 a.m. when the gunshot was heard to mark the swim race.
Spectators who were at the Azuela Cove positioned themselves along the shoreline to witness the start of the historic athletic meet.
Upset
At around 10 a.m., Mexico's Mauricio Mendez foiled the grand slam bid of top-ranked Timothy Reed of Australia as he raced past the latter to capture the pro male overall championship title in the Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao.
The 22-year-old Xterra world champion from Mexico crossed the finish line in three hours, 50 minutes and 32 seconds to steal the show from heavy favorite Reed who finished second with 3:52.26. Australian Tim Van Berkel clocked 3:53.45 to grab the third spot followed by Craig Alexander, also of Australia, who timed at 3:56.24 in fourth and Bradley Weiss of South Africa (3:58.37) fifth.
Mendez, trailing behind in fourth during the bike event, pumped up speed in the 21K run with a time of one 1:16:14. Reed, then running second to bike leader Alexander, followed Mendez to the finish line, three minutes and six seconds later.
"The heat is actually challenging. I actually struggled more on the bike. I have been working hard for it and my goal was to be as close as possible from the front group," Mendez said on the toughest part of the race.
Reed, for his part, admitted that Mendez ran very well and caught him off guard despite his bike advantage.
"I really had to get away from Mendez because I knew he is a stronger runner in the heat and it took me really hard but he just hang in there," Reed said.
The feat was Mendez's fourth 70.3 title.
"I think this is a start of a great year and I really want to bring my Xterra title back this year, and I want to do great in all the races I do. I know the secret is to train really hard and keep focus on what you're doing and enjoy it, that would probably give me an era, that will be a dream come true," Mendez said.
Meanwhile, Radka Kahlefeldt of Czech Republic crowned herself pro female champion as she registered 4:25.30. She bested Naomi Washizu of Japan (4:36.53), Australia's Dimity Lee Duke (4:39.12), Lisa Tyack (4:41.01) and Kirralee Seidel (4:43.36), who occupied the next four spots in the event that lured more than 1,800 participants from the 39 countries.
Jorry Ycong from Bohol City, meanwhile, ruled the Filipino elite male category with a total time of 4:24.15 while August Benedicto (4:25.02) placed second.
Winding up in the next three spots were Banjo Norte (4:25.07), Paul Jumamil (4:36.24) and Benjamin Rana (4:40.42).
The Filipino elite overall female title went to Leanne Szeto.
Successful first
Yesterday, Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao, which was held in Mindanao for the first time, drew in a large number of spectators who have positioned themselves along J.P. Laurel Avenue hoping to get a glimpse of the triathletes while some hope to get a photo of their favorite celebrity triathlete.
Among the celebrities who participated in the event are actor Mateo Guidicelli, who was a participant for the relay category, and TV personality Kim Atienza, who was a participant for the Filipino elite category.
"When the race started, Davao city Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio was there, our major sponsors, and our athletes were there, they are all very excited," lawyer Tristan Dwight Domingo, Assistant City Adminstrator, said.
As of 8 a.m. yesterday, Domingo said they have not recorded any untoward incidents during the early part of the race.
Davao City Police Office City Director Police Superintendent Alexander Tagum also said a minor incident did happen during the race when two bikers slipped at an area in Carmen, Davao del Norte.
Meawnhile, Domingo said they are set to conduct a post event evaluation days after the event to give time for the security personnel and those involved in organizing the event time to rest.
"Everybody will have an assessment of what transpired; where we can improve; and what the interventions we can do in preparation for the next Ironman in the next two years," Domingo said.
Davao City Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre said the staging of Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao has put Davao City in the international spotlight again as it was participated by foreign athletes who came from 39 countries.
“We also invited the foreign media to cover the event as this is a good outlet to capture the whole world that Davao is a very good and very nice not only for racing but also for tourism," Alejandre said.
He said they noted that hotels in the city were fully booked as the 1,800 participants also brought their family and friends with them.
Davao city mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio said in a press conference on Friday, March 23, 2018, said she really wanted Davao city to host the said event since her first term as city mayor in 2012.
For the major triathlon event, the city held a welcome dinner last Friday and also a lunch for the athletes yesterday.
The Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao showed that Davao City is very much ready to stage such major international sporting events.
Aside from promoting sports tourism in the city, the event also showed that despite the ongoing Martial Law in Mindanao, peace and order is still very much present in the city.