Betten eyes No. 4; Duke seeks 5150 repeat

MANILA, Philippines — With his form, experience – and course familiarity – Sam Betten looks “four-ward” to another title run while fellow Australian Dimity Lee Duke shoots for back-to-back feat in the Black Arrow Express 5150 firing off today in Subic Bay.

Sweeping the three Regent 5150 races in the country’s triathlon capital, capping it with an emphatic victory over compatriot Mitch Robins in rain-hit edition last year, makes Betten the man to beat in Black Arrow Express’ first foray in triathlon with the towering 6-foot-4 champion bursting with confidence of extending his reign in the Olympic distance triathlon series on a course he’s very familiar with.

“I have been racing 5150 triathlons the last 15 years and because of this, I am a lot more experienced over this race distance. I really enjoy the faster racing of the 5150 races,” said Betten, who also won a 5150 event in Bohol in 2015. “Since I’ve been racing this distance for so long, I have so much experience which really allows me to make the most of the opportunity to succeed.”

While he is expected to dominate the men’s pro side of the 1.5K swim-40K bike-10K run race, the likes of Jakub Langhammer of the Czech Republic, American Tim Linn and Dan Brown, also from Down Under, and Robins also vowed to foil his drive for a fourth straight championship in the event organized and produced by Sunrise Events, Inc.

Like her counterpart, Duke is tipped to nail her second straight crown in the women’s pro division although she knows she’s in for a tougher duel with Manami Iijima of Guam and Hong Kong’s Leanne Szeto in the event also serving as SEI’s final triathlon on its milestone 10th year of staging the premier endurance race in the country.