THE Spartan Philippines returns to Cebu this time with a new venue in Danao City set on July 6, 2019. Spartan Philippines, known as the world’s biggest obstacle race, will test the terrain in Danao City following the inaugural competition in Foressa Balamban a year ago.
“We are seeing a lot of growth in the sport. When we first did it here, we had 1,700 people. Now we have 2,500 registrants and we can still go up to 3,000,” said race director Michael Reyes during a press conference at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu on Saturday, June 22. “That’s a great growth. We have almost doubled the number of participants in a span of about a year.”
Spartan Race Philippines chief executive officer Guenter Taus said they like to bring the race to Cebu since there are a lot of things to do here for the visiting athletes after the competition.
“A spectrum of activities can be done here in Cebu. It’s really a good destination,” he said.
The organizers announced there will be no single-use plastics in the race.
“We will ask the participants to bring their own water bottles. If they don’t have a water bottle, there will be reusable cups that will be sold in the area at an affordable price,” said Reyes.
“We are taking the next step to an environmental-friendly race,” added Taus. “We will see what contribution we can make from this.”
Reyes said the new venue will surely bring a lot of challenge and excitement to the participants.
Danao City’s Vice Mayor Thomas Mark “Mix” Durano said the city is positioning to become one of Cebu’s destinations when it comes to sports tourism.
Aside from the upcoming race, Danao City has hosted international MTB events and the renowned Xterra race.
“Danao City is excited. It’s new for us, and we are learning about this event. Hopefully, we can encourage some of our locals to do this so there will be representatives from Danao in the upcoming events,” he said.
“The foreigners are coming over. The Philippines is really ideal for this sport because of the terrain and also the hospitality of the people. There’s so much potential here for sports tourism and ecotourism,” said Reyes.
The Spartan Sprint will have a six-kilometer course with more than 20 obstacles. The event is open to all. (RSC)