Aussie-trained duathletes boost performance

The 2008 Philippine International Duathlon Open became the avenue for the country’s top duathletes to show their remarkable improvement after undergoing long training under Australia ’s high performance coach Rob Pickard.

The race was held yesterday at the Clark Economic Zone with the top five finishers in the men’s side submitting clockings below the two-hour barrier.

Neil Catiil, 22, emerged new national champion as he won over August Benedicto with a time of 1 hour, 53 minutes, 24 seconds in the 10k run, 40k bike and 5k run event

Top national duathlete Monica Torres led from start to finish to the delight of Pickard, who also participated in the race organized by Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) with the support of Clark Development Corporation (CDC).

A double leg winner of this year’s Sprint Duathlon, Benedicto failed to keep pace with the 5-9 Cagayan de Oro rival in the final run leg and settled for second in 1:54:24. Fellow national mainstay Rowel Odonio (1:58:28), Arland Macasieb (1:58:36) and Jefferson Valdez (1:59:04) took the next three spots.