DAVAO CITY – The allure of competing alongside the world's elite triathletes is expected to drive over a thousand athletes, who are all geared up for the IRONMAN 70.3 Davao here on Sunday, Aug. 11.

At stake are berths for the 2025 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, scheduled for Nov. 8-9 at Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain. Additionally, the event grants qualifying slots to the top five finishers in each age group category for this year’s IRONMAN Women’s World Championship in Nice, France, on Sept. 22.

The blue-ribbon event, powered by Aboitiz and organized by The IRONMAN Group, offers a challenging 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike, and 21.1 km run.

The women’s field boasts a strong international lineup, including Hong Kong’s Rachel Chow, Singapore’s Man Ling Lo and Hui Juin Lim, Spain’s Monica Monfort Roca, Vietnam’s Thao Nguyen and Link Tran, Oman’s Reem Al Harthy, India’s Pawni Sakpal, and Japan’s Shiho Sato and Akari Koge.

Leading the local charge are Jessica Palermo, Rara Torres, and Alessandra Aquino, supported by fellow Filipina athletes Sophia Capistrano, Chloe Ong, Natasha Doromal-Lim, Shirra De Guia, Faith Garcia, Kate Labio, Veronica Silos, and Geraldine dela Cruz.

This year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Davao features over a thousand athletes from 31 countries. Notable international entries include 35 participants from Japan, 19 from Singapore, 10 from Vietnam, and seven each from India, China, Great Britain and the United States.

The highlight of this year’s event is the introduction of the Coastal Road, a 17.3 km composite highway. This challenging course will test athletes' power and endurance, particularly in the closing run stage.

Intense competition is also anticipated in the swim and bike segments, where athletes will strive to build momentum and confidence for the deciding run part, expected to be a nail-biting finish.

The event, sponsored by Aboitiz and Ion+ Advanced Electrolyte Drink, is part of Davao City’s 39th Kadayawan Festival, which celebrates local cuisine, tribal products, and cultural showcases.

Meanwhile, the 2GO Gwapa Dabawenya Run, a 5 km fun run on Friday (Aug. 9) will kick off the IRONMAN 70.3 weekend with over 2,000 women participants.

The IRONKIDS event will also take place on Saturday (Aug. 10), featuring a run-bike-run competition for athletes aged 6-15, with RLC Residences as the main sponsor. A special IRONKIDS run will also be held, with a 1 km course for kids aged 6-10 and a 3 km course for those aged 11-15.

For details, visit ironman.com/im703-davao-philippines.

The event is backed by global premier partners VinFast, Active, HOKA, ROKA, and Breitling; global technical partners Athletic Brewing Co., FulGaz, Hyperice, Qatar Airways, Santini, AG1, and Wahoo; Asia supplier partners Always Advancing, Compressport, Ekoi, and Nirvana, and media partners Outside+ and Sportograf.