DAVAO CITY — The high registration turnout of the upcoming Alveo Ironman 70.3 in Davao City is a strong indicator the city is safe and secured even under martial law.
This was the assessment by City Sports Division Office head Michael Denton Aportadera, who disclosed that there are 1,800 registered participants in the qualifying race. This included 38 foreigners.
“With the number who registered, Martial Law is not a problem for them and it also shows that Davao is secured, Mindanao is secured,” he said.
Aportadera said the city also broke the record of being the first-time host to hit the 1,800 registrants for the prestigious triathlon qualifying event in the world.
He said the security components from Davao City Police Office (DCPO) and Task Force Davao and other uniformed personnel in Davao del Norte are helping the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) to put in place the security plan to ensure the safety and security of the athletes.
There are also the medical teams who are ready to give assistance during the day of the event.
“Kaning security forces, the medical teams, andam na jud as far as Tagum [City], Carmen, [and] Panabo City amo ng gi-sync tanan, centralized ang among operations niana (Our security forces and medical team coming from as far as, Tagum City, the town of Carmen and Panabo are already prepared and we synchronized all our operations for that event),” Aportadera said.
He said the emergency teams of Philippine Coast Guard and Davao City’s Central 911 will be deployed in the water stage in case of a possible drowning incident. In the past Ironman events in the Philippines, there were deaths always recorded in the water stage.
Aportadera said the city and the organizing team Sunrise Events are now 80 percent ready for the big event in the city.
The city government will also be highlighting the diverse but rich culture of the 11 tribes in the city during the hosting of the event.
“Ang amoang focus is more on the tribal aspect of the city,” he said.
Aportadera said not only the city will be showcased in this event but also the other neighboring cities and municipalities of Panabo City, Tagum City and Carmen.
The participants will enjoy racing through Davao’s fusion of nature and urban infrastructure.
The race begins with a one-loop swim at the beautiful property development of Azuela Cove where they will go back to their first transition.
Athletes will take their exit to the main highway to start the 90km bike course.
The fast, single loop bike course heads all the way to the turnaround point at Tagum City.
Participants will then head back to Azuela Cove for the second transition.
They exit out to the flat roads of J.P. Laurel Avenue towards the commercial district of Davao to complete the two-loop 21.1km run. (Armando Fenequito Jr/PNA)
