SUBIC Bay Freeport—Subic Bay has received high ratings as a venue for some of the top triathlon events in the world.
The 2015 Ironman 70.3 APAC Overall Satisfaction Scores placed Subic at No. 6 among the best triathlon sites in the Asia Pacific Championship series.
According to Princess Galura, general manager of Sunrise Events Inc. which organized the Century Tuna Ironman 70.3 here in March and last year, Subic Bay earned the superior ranking of 85.80 percent in a field that included triathlon sites in Australia and other Asia-Pacific nations.
“Survey results for the 2015 event showed that our race [in Subic Bay] ranked 85.80 percent, which is just below global standards by .09 percent,” Galura said in a letter to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia.
“We are also above Asia-Pacific standards, as they only ranked 83.95 percent,” Galura added, further thanking Garcia for the SBMA support during the event.
The 2015 Ironman overall satisfaction scorecard listed Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, as the best venue with a satisfaction rating of 90.20 percent, followed by Western Sydney and Korea tying for the second place at 89 percent; Mandurah in Western Australia, third at 88.30 percent; Auckland, New Zealand, fourth at 88 percent; and Busselton, Western Australia, fifth at 85.99 percent.
Subic Bay and Cairns in Queensland, Australia, tied for sixth place with a rating of 85.80 percent—less than a point short of the global average of 85.89 percent.
Garcia said that the ranking “clearly shows that Subic is among the world’s best in terms of facilities and natural environment that is ideal to triathlon competition.”
“We have been aggressively promoting Subic as a sports hub and we’re surely gaining ground. These events organized by Sunrise significantly help in putting Subic on the sports map,” Garcia added.
Sunrise Events, an affiliate of the World Triathlon Corp. (WTC), runs two major races in the Philippines—the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon and the 5i50 Triathlon. The firm has also initiated the Alaska Ironkids Aquathlon with Subic as one of the venues.
Galura likewise announced that they will launch the short-distance race series “Sunrise Sprint” here on June 5, to coincide with the opening of the Regent 5i50 Triathlon.
The Sunrise Sprint, which Galura described as “targeted for beginners, come-backing athletes, and those who lack training,” will feature a 750-meter swim event and a 20-kilometer bike race to be topped by a five-kilometer run.
Garcia said the incoming events “will further cement Subic’s reputation as the country’s triathlon capital,” recalling that Subic has been cited as an outstanding triathlon venue by the internationally-circulated sports magazine TriMag Asia, after covering two big triathlon events here in 2012.
Garcia said the magazine particularly noted Subic’s “interesting course and friendly atmosphere,” and added that the Freeport “is increasingly getting a reputation for top-notch races.”
Image credits: Henry Empeño