Dapa dangles P.5M for 8080 triathlon
HALF a million pesos in cash prizes will be at stake for the winners in the first ever triathlon event in Siargao dubbed the Dapa 8080 Triathlon on June 13, 2020 in the Municipality of Dapa, Siargao Island.
This was announced by Dapa Mayor Elizabeth Matugas in the event’s launching at the Cebu Country Club on Friday, Feb. 28 , 2020.
“Dapa is the economic center of Siargao but we’ve been left behind in terms of popularity as a tourist destination among the nine municipalities in Siargao. With this effort, we’re hoping to bring more tourists,” she said.
The local government unit of Dapa has tapped the Cebu-based CornerStone Group to manage the event which is in line with the municipality’s goal to boost sports tourism. The organizers held the press conference here knowing that Cebu is the hub for triathlon.
The mayor is hoping to draw around 800 participants for the swim-bike-run event.
What’s new in this event is that the organizers are considering to give away cash prizes even to the age-group winners, which is rarely done in triathlon. The elite top three in the 8080 distance (1.8-kilometer swim, 65K bike and 14K run) will win a whopping P30,000, P20,000 and P10,000, respectively, while the podium finishers for the 4040 distance (900-meter swim, 32.5K bike and 7K run) will get P20,000, P10,000 and P5,000.
“We will also give cash prizes to the winning relay teams. The prizes for the age-group are still in discussion right now,” said Steve Maniquis of CornerStone Group.
He said they’re doing the sporting event on a long weekend since June 12 is a national holiday. It will give the participants more time to roam around Siargao.
The technical team, for its part, has promised to give the participants a traffic-free course and a scenic route.
“We invite all the triathletes to come to Dapa, Siargao, especially the Cebuanos, not just to race but explore the tourist spots,” said Matugas.
Online registration will start on March 5 at the official website of the CornerStone Group. (RSC)