Huge field to compete in Powerade Duathlon

MANILA, Philippines - A banner field of 372 runners, most of them newcomers, will see action in the second leg of the Powerade Duathlon series scheduled on Saturday at the Evia Portofina residential-commercial property along Daang Hari, Las Piñas City.

“This is perhaps the biggest number of runners we have had since we began the Powerade Duathlon circuit three years ago, which is a sign of the growing popularity of the sport,” said Coca-Cola’s Teejae Sonza in yesterday’s PSA forum at the Shakey’s UN Avenue branch in Manila.

Joining Sonza in the session presented by Pagcor, Shakey’s, Smart and Outlast Battery were fellow Coke representative Barry del Rosario and race director Thumbie Remigio, who said that the second leg will be more “athlete-friendly” compared to the opening leg.

“The 6-km run-30-km. bike-3-km run contest will have fewer turns and will be raced on a flat course so a lot of newcomers have registered to join the leg,” said Remigio, adding that the Open division will feature national duathletes Robeno Javier, August Benedicto and Monica Torres, among others.

Sonza noted the huge number of duathletes competing in Saturday’s race “compared to when we started when there were just around 100 entries in our inaugural event three years ago.”

Both Sonza and Remigio were quick to point out that Nikko Huelgas, the country’s top male triathlete, began with the Powerade Duathlon circuit in 2009.

“We believe that the Powerade Duathlon series has somehow played a major role in popularizing the sport so that we now have a large number of enthusiasts vying not only in our events but in other duathlon competitions as well,” Sonza said.

“We provide a vehicle for athletes who may want to go up the next level and not just merely run or bike while complementing other similar races,” added Sonza of the event which is sanctioned by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines.

Del Rosario, on the other hand, said that the duathlon races are just one of the many sports events that Coca-Cola’s flagship sports drink will be supporting until the end of the year.