SUBIC BAY — Seychelles’ Nick Baldwin and Australia’s Liz Blatchford emerged as the top finishers of the Century Tuna Ironman Philippines 2018, the very first full-distance triathlon race in the country.
Baldwin successfully swam, biked and ran the Subic Bay route finishing at 08:50:30, past New Zealand’s Cameron Brown (08:56:49) and Simon Cochrane (08:58:58), who placed second and third respectively, to win the men’s Pro division.
Blatchford, meanwhile, topped the women’s Pro division at 09:22:22, with fellow Aussie Dimity Lee Duke (09:40:45) coming in second, followed by New Zealand’s Simone Maier (09:47:39).
Filipino August Benedicto ruled the Asian Elite Division clocking in at 09:48:46. Pinoys Benjamin Rana (10:13:01) and John Philip Duenas (10:27:34) who came in second and third respectively share Benedicto’s pride of being top Ironmen in their own country.
Baldwin and Blatchford got their share of the $25,000 total purse prize for winning their respective categories. Also for the first time, the race served as a qualifier for the 2018 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, USA with 30 slots up for grabs.
The country’s inaugural full distance Ironman saw close to 1,300 participants with 50 countries, including the Philippines, represented. A total of 805 Pinoys were among the pack, a strong indication of triathlon’s increasing popularity and the country becoming a premier race destination.
“Filipinos earning an Ironman badge on home soil is making history. We hope the triumph of our Ironmen and Ironwomen today inspires our countrymen to embrace fitness and live healthier lifestyles — our goal as an organization from the very start,” said Greg Banzon, EVP and COO of Century Pacific Food, Inc.
The Century Tuna IRONMAN Philippines 2018 is produced and organized by Sunrise Events, Inc. and made possible through the support of a number of sponsors and partners including: Alaska, the Department of Tourism, the Tourism Promotions Board, AAI, SBMA, Acea Subic Bay, NLEx and SCTEx, HOKA One One, Gatorade, Aquafina, TYR, Stork, David’s Salon, GU, Intercare, Prudential Guarantee, Media partners: The Philippine Star Hyper HD on Cignal, AsiaTRI.com and FinisherFix, Marketing partners: AlcoPlus, Cetaphil, Devant, Fern-C, Ford, PLDT Smart Communications, Regent Foods, Sanicare, and Timex.
