Worry-free race gives Prestley faster time in Ironman

CNMI triathlete Peter Prestley had a triumphant return to Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines.

PRESTLEY

Prestley came back to Cebu early this month to try to complete the 1.9-kilometer swim, 90.1K bike, and 21.1K run anew and did it in record-breaking fashion, timing in at 5:36:08, which was way faster than his debut (6:03:33) last year.

“I was happy that I improved my time over last year’s race. Last year in Cebu, I had a flat tire and had a difficult time changing it because I didn’t have a valve extender on my spare. This year I didn’t have any technical issues on the course, which is always a blessing,” said Prestley.

With his faster time this year, Prestley was ranked 26th (out of more than 200) in his division (40-44). He was at No. 64 (out of more than 300 participants in his age group) last year. Overall, the lawyer placed at No. 170 (from No. 327 last year) out of more than 2,000 finishers and No. 267 in the men’s division.

“It still wasn’t as good as my race in Subic in March where I finished in 5:21 even with more hills to climb,” Prestley said.

“The race I did in Subic in March was the first Ironman 70.3 held in Subic. There were about 1,000 participants, which was much less than the race in Cebu. The Cebu race attracts about 2,500 participants and the streets of Lapu Lapu are closed and full of spectators, which make it really fun. The Subic course has more hill climbs than the race in Cebu, with the majority of it out on the expressway,” the CNMI triathlete said when asked to compare to two Ironman he did this year.

Prestley also took note of the change in the swim course rules in Cebu Ironman this year, making it easier for him to navigate his way through a lot of people.

“This year in Cebu, they switched the swim to a rolling start which was nice. It means that you can enter the water whenever you like and your timing chip starts as soon as you cross the threshold. This is a lot easier than the wave starts where groups of 200 to 300 people all charge into the water at once. You always get kicked and elbowed a lot in the wave starts,” the 41-year-old triathlete added.
The welcoming crowd was also a plus, according to Prestley.

“This year I was really just out to have fun because I didn’t have as much time to focus on training. It’s easy to enjoy the course in Cebu though because people are cheering you the whole way. It’s pretty rare to have that experience in a triathlon event. Normally you see people at the transition and then you’re alone the rest of the time. It’s one of the things that make the race in Cebu so unique,” Prestley said.

Meanwhile, Prestley encouraged his fellow triathletes who want to experience the race in Cebu to register early.

“Registration for the race in 2016 opens on Oct. 1 and usually sells out in about 10 minutes, so I hope anyone who wants to join can get a spot.”