Big cast seen in SPEEDO age-group triathlon in Subic

A big field of triathletes are expected to join the 2011 SPEEDO National Age Group Triathlon Series 1st leg which begins on Sunday at the Subic Bay Freeport.

This is the second straight time the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is joining hands with the organizing Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) for the staging of the inaugural leg of the NAGT in this year’s event.

A total of 237 triathletes will be competing in this age-group tournament, which will serve as a training ground for future national team members.

“We’re happy, and at the same time surprised, to see a big number of triathletes right in our first event for the year. We even had to order additional finishers' shirts to accommodate all the participants," said TRAP president Tom Carrasco Jr.

The race starts and finishes at the Dungaree Beach, with participants competing in different age groups in mini-sprint and standard distance.

Kids from 6 to 12 years old will be competing in the Super Tri-Kids Aquathlon.

As in previous years, the top 10 triathletes in the standard distance (1.5-K swim, 40-K bike, 10-K run) will earn points based on their order of finishes per leg, with the overall leader after six legs gaining possible slots in the national pool.

Other NAGT legs will be staged in Davao (March 13), Plantation Bay in Mactan (April 3), Cagayan de Oro (August 6), Ayala Alabang (October 16), and Los Baños, Laguna (December 10).

Body markings start at 5 a.m. while the race briefing begins at 5:50 am. - KY, RCJ, GMA News