The Triumphant Triathlon: IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Princesa 2023
All roads lead to Palawan! This 2023, the City of Puerto Princesa once again turned into the Philippines’ most scenic racecourse with the IRONMAN 70.3 PUERTO PRINCESA triathlon. Palawan’s capital city seems to be the newest hotspot for the event, since it first hosted the race in 2022.
This tropical paradise with a busy metropolitan core had all the features making it the ideal location for such a grand race. Its natural beauty, immaculate beaches, and dramatic scenery enthralled everyone in attendance, from spectators to the athletes themselves. Moreover, several famous landmarks, such as the Puerto Princesa Baywalk and the Ramon V. Mitra Jr. Sports Complex, served as significant touchpoints throughout the race.
IRONMAN returns to Puerto Princesa
The event held on November 12, 2023 was one of the many iterations under the famed IRONMAN racing umbrella. Three (3) races took place, namely the IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon, the Ironkids Philippines, and the first-ever Princesa Run. The Princesa Run was a 5-kilometer fun run, the first of its kind, and was launched by Mayor Lucilo Rodriguez Bayron himself.
IRONMAN races span all across the world, throughout North America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Asia. Races typically incorporate 3 main sports, which are swimming, cycling, and running. In IRONMAN 70.3, the distances are as follows: the Swim meet covers 1.5km, the Bike course covers 90km, and the Run track covers 21 km.
2023 Winners
In last year’s race, John Dedeus Alcala placed First, with a time of 4:32:21. This year, Satar Salem bagged Top Overall Male with a time of 4:22:25. Leyann Ramo, with a time of 5:02:56, was crowned Top Female Finisher. Both were awarded Php60,000 each.
Meanwhile, team Tri SND Barracuda was dubbed the Asia TriClub Champion. They did not only gain the prestige as the top of the region’s triclubs, the host city took it up a notch and granted them a Php500,000 (about USD8,800) prize.
