XTERRA triathlon fires off in Cebu

LILOAN CITY, Philippines — Top athletes all over the world converge this weekend in this picturesque city for the Vaseline XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon Championships.

More than 450 participants from 17 different countries will lead off the competition, including defending men’s champion Ben Allen of Australia and women’s champion Renata Bucher of Switzerland.

Happening for the third time in Liloan, the XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon seems to have found a home in the beautiful city of Cebu.

“We’re delighted to be back,” said race director Dave Nicholas, the “Godfather” of XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon.

Working on Antarctica

Starting in 1996 with 125 people the XTERRA Off-road marathon has now grown to over 100 races on all continents across the globe.

“Except Antarctica, we’re still working on that,” noted Nicholas.

To people unfamiliar, triathlons test the limits of the human body like no other competition. The competition consists of a 1.5KM swim, 35KM bike and a 10KM run.

Now if these staggering figures aren’t enough, XTERRA adds a twist to it by making it off-road – not your usual triathlon on the concrete jungle, but the real jungle.

In the XTERRA Off-Road triathlon, competitors have to bike and run across rugged terrains of farmlands, grasslands and paved roads. A true challenge for anyone who want to test their physical limits.

There is of course a “Lite” version of the competition. A 500M swim, a 35KM bike and a 5KM run has also become very popular among the participants. Capping of the festivities will be a trail run consisting of 21k, 10k and 5k the following day.

This year’s competition will also be special as Liloan Mayor Duke Franso unveiled a custom made medal for the finishers. A beautifully crafted set of medals have been made of oyster shells, a proud product of the city of Liloan, for the winners of the competition.

“No two are the same,” proudly explains Mayor Franso. – Rappler.com