Alaska, TBB form triathlon team for int'l competitions

MANILA, Philippines - Alaska Milk Corporation and Team Bike Boutique have joined forces to form Alaska Team TBB that will compete in major international triathlon events.

Four foreign professionals and six promising local athletes compose Alaska Team TBB that will initially see action in Ironman 5i50 Subic Bay and 70.3 Cebu.

They will also carry the Alaska brand in major races in Asia and international races which include the Ironman Asia Pacific Championship in Melbourne, European Ironman Championship in Frankfurt and the World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

“We are very pleased to have top foreign athletes like Caroline Steffen, Ali Fitch, Matt O’Halloran and David Dellow,” said Alaska Milk Corp. president Wilfred Steven Uytengsu. “But we also want to augment this with promising young Filipino athletes that will hopefully be able to represent the country in international competitions in the near future. Obviously, having a top caliber coach in Brett Sutton helps make this goal a real possibility.” 

Uytengsu added that Alaska Team TBB’s professional athletes will not only race for the team but also act as role models to help improve the lives of people around the world by providing hope and opportunity through sport.

Steffen is a 33-year-old pro from Switzerland. She stands at 178 cm and weighs 65 kg. Since turning pro in 2009, she has won the 2010 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii and the 2012 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championship.

Dellow, 32, is a six-foot-two Australian triathlete who has been a pro since 2002, having competed in the World Cup eight times and over 100 races around the world. He was also a part of the Australian Elite World Champion team in 2007 and 2008. 

Fitch, 39, is another Australian professional triathlete standing at 169cm and weighing 58kgs. A pro since 2005, she has had several victories in major races including placing second in 2007 Ironman Malaysia and 2008 Ironman Canada, and winning first place at the 2008 Coeur d’Alene Olympic.

Canadian O’Halloran, 26, a pro since 2007,   has participated in more than 100 races around the world. He represented Canada in three World Championships. He recently ruled the Zambales Beach Games Triathlon and topped the Bantayan Beach Games Triathlon.

But more than just winning races, the Alaska Team TBB program hopes to develop a generation of Filipino champions through an athlete development program. Filipino scholars will be provided spots in the team so that they follow in the footsteps of the pros.

Alaska Milk has had a long history of supporting sports including the Alaska Aces in the PBA, the Alaska Cup (the single largest youth football tournament in the Philippines), Jr NBA, the Alaska Power Camp which provides instruction for youth basketball and youth football and is the title sponsor for Alaska Ironkids.

“The opportunity to be the title sponsor for Alaska Team TBB Philippines professional triathlon team is a natural progression as Alaska Milk extends its support to triathlon and the development of the sport and promising triathletes in the country,” said Uytengsu

The six scholars are Dhill Anderson Lee, Martin Torres, Nena Torres, Marc Altura, Banjo Northe and Loren Dale Echavez. 

Anderson Lee is a 21-year-old swimmer and runner from Manila who has won multiple medals in international meets and has set numerous records in the Philippines. Last 2010, he was the first relay swimmer out of the water in the Cobra Ironman 70.3 in Camsur.

Martin Torres, 17, hails from Cagayan de Oro. He placed second in Cagayan de Oro Super Tri Kids in 2009, seventh in the Junior SUBIT mini-sprint in 2010 and first in the 2010 Cagayan De Oro Tri Kids Aquathlon.

Nena Torres, 16, is also a multi running and swimming winner. She topped the Super Tri Kids Cagayan de Oro 2008, ruled the Cagayan de Oro Kids Aquathlon 2009 and led all comers in the 13-15 SUBIT mini-sprint in 2010. She also placed second in Super Tri Kids Cagayan de Oro 2009.

Altura is a 17-year-old triathlete from Manila with multiple victories in his age group. He placed second overall in the Anvaya Cove Triathlon in 2011 and placed fifth in the Junior Elite SUBIT 2011. 

Northe, 19, also hails from Cagayan de Oro. He has had victories in the Cagayan de Oro NAGT and Cagayan de Oro off-road 2011 Duathlon, and runner-up finishes in the Philippines National Games Junior Division in 2011 and Val Naga Triathlon in 2010.

Echavez, also 19, is from Cebu who has won medals and set various records in swimming. She was the first out of the water in XTerra relay in Cebu in 2011.

Team Bike Boutique is an international group of triathletes that competes in major triathlon events. The group was founded by Alex Bok in 2007.

Details: website www.teamtbb.com.ph