Arche, Echavez-Lopez win Tabuelan triathlon

CEBU, Philippines - Ralph Arche finally got his well-deserved championship trophy as Lorhiz Echavez-Lopez came out the women’s open champion in the 2014 Tabuelan Triathlon 111 at the Maravilla Beach yesterday.

Arche, a former top junior swimmer, won the premier elite men’s division full distance after he completed the 2-kilometer swim, 88-km bike and 21-km run ahead of returning Elmo Clarabal, while Joseph Miller settled at third spot.

Arche was lucky not to be down by upset stomach that beset a host of other triathletes while on the race which someone suspects to be caused by the food they had before the race.

The Xterra pro triathlete, Miller was lucky enough to see Cebu’s former road running king, Mendel Lopez ran out of gas in the final hundred meters.

Mendel Lopez, however, still went away feeling like a winner after his wife snared the women's crown.

Echavez-Lopez was successful in redeeming himself after a second place finish last year against Amale Jopson. She also lost against Cianyl Jamae Gonzales in the Bogo triathlon last month.

It was an impressive outing for Echavez-Lopez who was down with diarrhea before the race proper and was thankful to have fully recovered before the race.

Lopez was the fastest of all female triathletes beating Gonzalez, while a foreign triathlete wound up third.

In the half distance action, Nia Durano-Aldeguer won the female open action over Rashell Cabrera as Loveleneill Casidsid wound up third.  (FREEMAN)