Presidential son-in-law, hundreds register for ‘Ironman 70.3’

ALVEO Ironman 70.3 Davao logo (Photo: ALVEO Ironman 70.3 Davao/Facebook)

DAVAO CITY – Presidential son-in-law and husband of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio are among the more than a thousand participants who registered during the first day of the nationwide on-site simultaneous registration of the Alveo Ironman 70.3.

“The biggest fulfillment of an athlete is to finish the race and that will be my goal,” Lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio said. Carpio was among the 200 early registrants on Sunday in Davao City.

Carpio will compete in the relay challenge together with Michael Denton Aportadera, the City Sports Division head and another teammate.

Carpio bared he will be competing in the running event while teammates Aportadera for biking and the other for swimming.He said the reason of his participation in this big race is his health since he is getting older.

“Kailangan na talagang maging healthy, medyo tumatanda na kasi (I really need to be healthy because I am getting older),” he said.

Carpio said he is now going to the gym as part of his preparation for the upcoming race in March 2018.

“We will be also having a full training with my teammates for us to have coordination,” he said, adding that he does not mind of not winning the race because it is more important for him and his team to finish the race.

“Iba kasi ang fulfillment pag natapos mo ang race (It will give you a sense of fulfillment if you finish the race),” he said.

Aportadera also said that aside from the cash prize, the biggest benefit is for the health.

“The biggest impact of this competition is to promote a healthy lifestyle and to avoid diseases as athletes train for the upcoming competition,” he said.

Meanwhile, Aportadera said the city government and their private organizer Sunrise Events is expecting to draw about 1,500 participants not just from the Philippines but also from other countries.

Davao City is hosting The Ironman 70.3 as a special event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ironman in the Philippines.

The participants will race through the city’s fusion of nature and urban infrastructure. Ironman 70.3 is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).

The “70.3” refers to the total distance in miles (113 kilometers) covered in the race – including the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike race, and the 13.1-mile run. Prior to the launch of the 70.3 series in 2005, the WTC races were then known as Half Ironman.