Seychelles’ Baldwin and Australia’s Blatchford Wins The Inaugural Century Tuna IRONMAN Philippines
Seychelles’ Nick Baldwin and Australia’s Liz Blatchford came out as the top finishers of The Century Tuna Ironman Philippines 2018, the very first full-distance triathlon race in the country.
Baldwin successfully swam, biked and ran the Century Tuna IRONMAN Philippines Subic Bay route finishing at 08:50:30, wheezing past New Zealand’s Cameron Brown (08:56:49) and Simon Cochrane (08:58:58), who placed second and third respectively, to win the Men’s Pro Division.
Blatchford, meanwhile, topped the Women’s Pro Division with a time of 09:22:22. At second place is another Aussie Dimity Lee Duke clocking in at 09:40:45, followed by New Zealand’s Simone Maier with time 09:47:39.
Filipino Elite August Benedicto ruled the Asian Elite Division with a time of 09:48:46 while fellow kababayans Benjamin Rana (10:13:01) and John Philip Duenas (10:27:34) came in second and third respectively. They share Benedicto’s pride of being top Ironmen in the country.
Baldwin and Blatchford got their share of the USD 25,000 total purse prize for winning their respective categories. Also for the first time, the race served as a qualifier for the 2018 Ironman World Championships which is going to be held in Kona, Hawai‘i this October 13, 2018, with 30 slots up for grabs. Meanwhile, the Ironman 70.3 category, which coincides with the full distance race, also offered 25 slots to the 2018 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa.
The inaugural full distance triathlon race saw close to 1,300 participants from 50 different countries including the Philippines. These triathletes braved the heat and the hill-filled bike course to earn their respective Ironman badges. A total of 805 Pinoys were among the pack, a strong indication of triathlon’s increasing popularity and the country becoming a premier race destination.
“Filipinos earning an Ironman badge on home soil is making history. We hope the triumph of our Ironmen and Ironwomen today inspires our countrymen to embrace fitness and live healthier lifestyles—our goal as an organization from the very start,” said Greg Banzon, EVP and COO of Century Pacific Food, Inc.
This year’s medal was also a highlight. Created by sculptor and artist Daniel De La Cruz, the “Alab ng Puso” medal embodies the love for the sport of triathletes who participate in the sport. In addition, the ribbon used was created by dream weavers from Marawi City.
The Century Tuna IRONMAN Philippines 2018 is produced and organized by Sunrise Events, Inc. and made possible through the support of a number of sponsors and partners including: Alaska, the Department of Tourism, the Tourism Promotions Board, AAI, SBMA, Acea Subic Bay, NLEX and SCTEX, HOKA One One, Gatorade, Aquafina, TYR, Stork, David’s Salon, GU, Intercare, Prudential Guarantee, Marketing partners: AlcoPlus, Cetaphil, Devant, Fern-C, Ford, PLDT SMART Communications, Regent Foods, Sanicare, and Timex.
RACE RESULTS
Race results are available at this link.
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