THE Ironman 70.3 Davao, the fourth edition to be staged in Davao City, will kick off the Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival on August 11, 2024 in an out-and-back course from the Davao Coastal Road.
Princess Galura, president and general manager of Sunrise Events Inc., a part of the IRONMAN Group, said, "From usually having it in March, it will be scheduled in August instead since the water is calmer during that month. We will be the opening salvo of the Kadayawan."
This date change was prompted by feedback from this year's participants who noted rough waters during the previous race.
"We don't want what happened in the last race to happen again. The water situation during August is better, it would be a good choice. And since Alveo is no longer conducive with constructions going on, we will showcase the new coastal road of Davao City," she said during a Facebook Messenger call interview with SunStar Davao early Thursday evening, October 19.
It can be recalled that a Dabawenyo coach died due to a heart attack during the swimming portion of the Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao on March 26, 2023. Thus, organizers have put on premium on participants' safety in the succeeding competitions.
New Stars
In addition to the change in timing and venue, Galura anticipates the emergence of new stars in the 2024 race.
"May bagong set of triathletes, mga bagong stars, ang babata. Mga professionals, ang bibilis na (There's a new set of triathletes, younger and faster professionals). This has become a worldwide phenomenon. Things are changing, science is getting better and so is nutrition. Nag-iba na talaga kasi yung mga dating nagco-compete, may ibang hindi na, dahil nga sa nagdaang pandemic (There have been significant changes, with some athletes no longer competing due to the past pandemic)," she said.
Galura thanked Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte for his continued support in hosting the Ironman 70.3 Davao. "We're very lucky kasi gusto nya rin talagang mangyari ito. Mayor Baste, walang urungan, may sakuna or askidente, tulungan talaga tayo (We're very lucky because he really wants this to happen. Mayor Baste is committed, no matter what challenges or accidents we face, he's always there to support us)," she added.
Registration is ongoing with tier 1 already sold out, with only few slots remaining for tier 2.
Galura explained that they are following the global pricing scheme, which offer lower registration fees for those who sign up early.
"The earlier you register, the lower the price you will pay. We'll have tier 1 to 5 para masanay ang mga participants na mag-register ng maaga (The earlier you register, the lower the price you will pay. We'll have tier 1 to 5 to encourage participants to register early)," she said.
Flexible payment terms are also available. For more details, check out the Ironman 70.3 Davao Facebook page. MLSA