SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — More than 40 countries are taking part in the Century Tuna Ironman Philippines which gets going Sunday.

According to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman and Administrator Jonathan D. Tan, this is the biggest triathlon event in the country.

"Athletes from USA, Australia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Germany, Israel, South Africa, Sweden, Myanmar, Singapore, and others will join their Filipino brethren to race, this time, on a new bike and run course," SBMA chairman and administrator Jonathan Tan said.

"One of our claims to fame is being the 'Triathlon Capital of the Philippines' and we take pride in being a witness to the accomplishments of the Filipino IRONMAN. We are inspired by the athletes and organizers with this passion to bring out the best in themselves and the events, and we continue to promote Subic Bay as a nirvana for sports tourism because of that," Tan said.

Three events will be held over the weekend — the Century Tuna IRONMAN Philippines, IRONMAN 70.3 Subic Bay, and the IRONKIDS Triathlon. The full distance IRONMAN Philippines race, set over a 3.8-km swim, 180 km bike and 42 km run has been pegged as the centerpiece event.

This year, Filipinos will have the chance to take part in the co-hosted IRONMAN World Championship events in Nice, France for the men's race in September and in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i for the women's race in October.

"Last year, was an amazing contingent to Kona, both men and women. The largest contingent we'd ever sent," said Fred Uytengsu, founder of Sunrise Events.

"Andrew Messick, the president and CEO of The IRONMAN Group, was there to greet us for a welcome breakfast. Filipino triathletes have made a huge impression on the IRONMAN world. We've seen the benefits in our community — of training and racing, and the joy and pride that we get being IRONMAN triathletes," he added.

Not only will the full-distance racers have the opportunity to race on the world's stage, but 30 seats will also be offered for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland.

Regional Director for the IRONMAN Group, Princess Galura, has brought a new challenge for the race.

"Triathletes in both distances will relish the challenge of a different course this year — after a swim at the bay, the uphill battle of the past has been diverted to a flatter course. There will be many personal bests waiting to be achieved. Competitive athletes can expect a smooth and speedy racecourse as they vie for a Championship title," she said.

Czech Petr Lukosz took the top honors in last year's edition of the full distance IRONMAN Philippines at 9:52:34 with Filipino, Jet Ramos, finishing second overall at 10:39:48. Ines Santiago, who went on to become the first Filipina finisher in the IRONMAN World Championship in 2022, will be back this year after finishing 20th overall at 12:13:27.