3rd 15-km Kayak marathon is on

PALOMPON, LEYTE, Philippines - — Participants and guests have arrived in this town yesterday for the 3rd 15-km Kayak Marathon 2013 today.

They were ferried to the famed Kalanggaman Island where the race will start at 6 a.m. going to the mainland. In last year's staging, kayakers covered the distance in less than two hours. The island is about 30 minutes away by speedboat and about an hour away by pumpboat.

Municipal tourism officer Cleo Rivera said the expected at least 24 participants, up from 15 last year, despite the withdrawal of five of ten teams from Bohol, perhaps due to the earthquake devastation in that province.

Nonetheless, Rivera confirmed that five remaining teams from Bohol will compete, as well as those from Tacloban City and the towns of Isabel, Inopacan and Tabango, all in Leyte, and Culaba in Biliran, against the 1st and 2nd place winners of the Easter Sunday Kayak Marathon for locals.

Winners of this year's event will take P15,000 for the first place, P12,000 (2nd place), P10,000 (3rd place), P7,000 (4th place) and P5,000 (5th place) plus a trophy for each of them. A consolation prize of P500 and freebies will be given to non-winning teams.

Mayor Ramon Oñate invited Provincial Board members of Leyte and Samar to witness the event. They, with the participants, stayed overnight at Kalanggaman Island for a beach party "ala-Jamaican night," Rivera added.

Rivera said the Kayak Marathon is the opening salvo or "Abre Grande" of the town's month-long Lawig Festival, which will culminate on December 2, the feast day of its patron saint, St. Francis Xavier.  (FREEMAN)