Toughest of the breed clash in Xterra triathlon

LILOAN, Cebu, Philippines  – Some of the best and finest off-road triathetes gather today to clash for honors in the second edition of the Vaseline Men Xterra Off-Road Triathlon capping the wild and wholly weekend in this scenic Visayan town now known the Xterra Mecca capital in the country.

Unless it gets hotter than expected, hundreds of participants including the toughest of the breed in the world Xterra, an off-road version of a triathlon race, should have no problem overcoming the challenges posed by this event consisting of 1.5 kilometers of swimming, 35km of biking and 10km of trail running.

The athletes to watch out for are 2011 European Tour champ Olivier Marceau, 2011 Xterra Brazil winner Ben Allen, four-time Xterra European Tour winner and six-time Xterra Saipan titlist Renata Bucher, 2011 Xterra South Africa champion and 2011 Xterra Brazil winner Carina Wasle and 2009-2011 Xterra Japan titlist Meiko Carey.

Will Kelsay, considered the Mr. Xterra of the sport, is also expected to give the younger guys a run for their money.

“I just love to race whether I win or not, I just love to compete and promote the sport Xterra,” said 32-year-old Buolder, Colorado native in yesterday’s event launch at the Coral Room of the posh Crimson Resorts and Hotel in Mactan, Cebu.

Alaska Milk Corp. CEO Wilfred Uytengsu, through Sunrise Events, Inc., said there is no other place that could host an event of this magnitude.

“It’s a privilege to bring Xterra to such an outstanding host like Cebu, which we can say is now the Mecca of Xterra race in the Philippines,” said Uytengsu, who will also bring the Ironman to neighboring Lapu Lapu City in the next three years starting this August.

“We did our best last year to ensure that Xterra is coming back and we’re glad you did,” said host Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who was accompanied by Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco.

“We’re so excited to sponsor an event which best describes how we see our Vaseline Men, strong, sporty and adventure-lovers,” said Vaseline Men brand manager Jonathan Pua, who brought along Vaseline Men endorser Jericho Rosales.

Earlier, Kenyans Abraham Missos and Douglas Muite and Brazilian Andrea Bess came through with emphatic performances to rule their respective divisions in the Vaseline Men Xterra Trail Run held in this quiet, scenic coastal town yesterday.

Missos, 30, was unflappable and ruled the 21-kilometer event in an hour, 14 minutes, 49 seconds while Muite, 31, came in a little over a minute later with a clocking of 1:15.50 to complete a 1-2 finish for the Kenyans.

Local bet Bonifacio Monjas checked in a third in 1:16.37.

“It’s a little bit challenging compared to regular, on-road races but I did well,” said Missos, a native of Nakuni town in Rift Velley province back home who is staying in Cebu with a friend and University of San Carlos marine biology student Wilfred Kibiwot Tuitoek.

Bess won the women’s side in 1:52.24.

 edging the latter who came in with a time of 1:52.55.

Cebu pride Merlita Dunkin emerged the best Filipina finisher by timing in 1:57.35.

“I’ve done so many races and this one’s for sure is one of the most difficult ones I did, it was an amazing feeling winning this particular race,” said Bess.

Madelyn Carter and another Kenyan, Jasphat Kiptanui, ruled the 10k races in 57.56 and 49.24, respectively, while Rachel Tan and Batang Pinoy gold medalist John Cliff Debulosan of Cebu topped the 5k events in 18:37.10 and 14:39.08, respectively.

The Vaseline Men Xterra Trail Run, which served as a prelude to the Vaseline Men Off-Road Triathlon Series, was sponsored by Alaska Milk, 2XU, LBC, The Philippine STAR, Timex, Gatorade, Prudential Guarantee, Air Phil Express, MultiSport, Studio 23 and David’s Salon.