Ines Santiago returns to the very site of her big victory last year, eager and ready to make it two-in-a-row in her side of the battle in the Century Tuna full IRONMAN Philippines firing off on 11 June at the country's triathlon capital in Subic Bay.

Santiago scored a wire-to-wire victory when the premier endurance race hit the road again after a two-year hiatus due to pandemic, bucking the back-breaking 3.8-kilometer swim, 180-km bike and 42-km run race and winning it all in 12 hours, 13 minutes and 27 seconds.

The 41-year-old Negrense likewise topped the IRONMAN 70.3 Cebu, also last year, virtually making her the triathlete to beat in the grueling race held side-by-side with the IRONMAN 70.3 to be disputed over the 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run distance.

Santiago, who took up running in 2012 and then added swimming and biking to her exercise regimen, also went on to become the first Filipina finisher in the IM World Championship last October.

Mary Jane Baluyot, who placed second to Santiago in full IRONMAN, is also in the early roster of bidders with the Century TriHard spearhead going all-out to stop the top Herbalife Nutrition bet from re-asserting her mastery of the field in the event organized by The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events Inc.

The centerpiece full IM event sponsored by Century Tuna has lured close to 500 entries with more expected to join the survival of the fittest and the toughest. Registration is ongoing. For list up, visit www.ironman.com/ironmanphilippines or www.ironman.com/im703-subicbay.

Keen competition is also seen in the other age categories, both in the male and female sides, including in the
25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74 and 75-and-above.

The Subic IRONMAN 70.3 roster has also continued to swell, which also features various age classifications while another stellar field is expected to dispute top honors in the IM 70.3 relay event.