SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Another historic first will happen here next month when Subic hosts the country’s first Trifecta Weekend for Spartan Race, the most popular obstacle course race (OCR) in the world today, at the Camayan Beach Resort on September 15-16.
Race Director Michael Reyes said in a press conference here on Wednesday that this will be the first Trifecta event in the whole of Southeast Asia where all three medals can be earned in one weekend.
“This particular Trifecta Weekend will serve as the grand finale for the Southeast Asian Championship Series and will be offering the only Spartan Beast race in the SEA Series,” Reyes said.
“We are expecting around 5,000 athletes to participate in the event since the reception we got in the last three events was phenomenal. We estimate around 7,000 finishers in the Philippines with 99.99 percent finish rate,” he added.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Wilma T. Eisma said in the same briefing that the Spartan Race would add to the already large number of prestigious sporting events being held in Subic, including the first full Ironman that was held here in July.
“Subic has been hailed last year as the best sports tourism destination in Asia, and now with the Spartan Race we’re cementing this free port’s reputation as the endurance sports capital, too,” she added.
The Spartan Race Trifecta Weekend is part of the South East Asia (SEA) Series Finale that will take place on September 15 and 16, holding three races in one epic weekend. The race will be held at the West Ilanin Forest area of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Reyes said the Subic Trifecta Weekend will comprise all three Spartan Races: Spartan Sprint, which is a six-kilometer long, 20-obstacle course; Spartan Super, a 13-km, 25-obstacle course; and the Spartan Beast, a 21-km, 30-obstacle course.
The Spartan Beast will be held on September 15, a Saturday, while the Spartan Sprint and Super categories will be held on September 16, a Sunday.
Reyes said Spartan racers from all over Southeast Asia will be coming to Subic Bay Freeport to gain a spot in the 2018 World Championship in Lake Tahoe.
He said the top ten male and female finishers from the elite category, the top five male and female racers in the 14-17, 18-24, and 50+ age groups, and the top ten male and female entrants in the 25-29, 30-39, and 40-49 age groups will earn their spots in the 2018 Asia Pacific Championships in Johor, Malaysia on December 2018.
Meanwhile, the top three finishers in both the elite and age group categories will qualify in the Regional Championship, as well as the World Championships in Lake Tahoe at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Ocean Adventure founder Scott Sharpe said the company plans to create a small obstacle course inside the Camayan Beach Resort here to give tourists a taste of the Spartan Race course.
The firm also plans to create a fitness facility here based on the OCR model, he added.