Where was I?: Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines

Last Sunday, the biggest triathlon event in the Philippines was held in Cebu.  The 2012 Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines drew over 1,000 participants from different countries around the world.  While I wished I was in London watching the Olympics, the half-Ironman event was a pretty good alternative.

I made sure I woke up early even if I had slept very late the day before.  By 7 am, I was making my way to Parkmall. I parked my car at the mall and the security guard asked me where I was going.  I just told him that my companion and I are going to Jollibee for breakfast.  I knew that he felt that I was lying because I was bringing 2 cameras with me. When we were near Jollibee, I told my companion Lenmar to buy me some burgers so that the guards will not think that we fooled them especially when  I heard the other guard radioing and saying that we look like photographers and not the Jollibee-going kind.

We just came at the right time as the first few bikers passed by the area for their ride to Talisay.  It so happened that the turning point for the bike portion of the race was just in front of Parkmall.  I was able to pick a nice spot to shoot pictures and cheer on the participants.  I even got some water bottles from the triathletes and I kept them as some sort of souvenir. 

Here are some of the photos I took during the event:

The foreign contingent were dominant as they practically swept most of the divisions.  Foreigners ruled both professional divisions. Thanks to my "beercan", I was able to take some close shots of the winners.

Many people watched the event to take a look at the some celebrity participants.  I was really having a hard time differentiating the celebs among the countless of bikers.  The celeb that was the easiest to shoot was fashion designer/columnist/socialite Tessa Prieto Valdes who was wearing a can't-miss pink outfit.  I also have a pic of the popular Piolo Pascual on his way back to Mactan after biking for over 70 kilometers.

It was unfortunate that one participant died on that historic day. 44 year old Ramon Igaña died during the bike leg.  I was able to capture an image just minutes before he died in Talisay.  The photo was taken during his return from his first lap to Talisay before taking a U-turn at the intersection near the CICC at Km. 47 mark. The blog would like to extend its heartfelt condolences to the Igaña family.

All in all, it was a memorable event for me and I am looking forward to next year's edition. The weather was good and in fact, it was a sunny day.  After almost of 3 hours of standing around and having my cam's batteries exhausted,  I headed home feeling drained yet satisfied.  Most likely, it was a similar feeling of what the athletes felt after surviving a half-Ironman event but definitely their feelings were exponentially greater than mine. ;)

Links:

Pete Jacobs wins again!
POGS fun run 2011
"Mud" Football fever hits Cebu
First fun run with the Rainmakers
Bikecology at the Banilad Town Center