Pete Jacobs 2012 Ironman world champion

Remember Pete Jacobs, the amiable Australian triathlete who took the men’s crown in the Cobra 70.3 Ironman in Cebu last August?

He won his first Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii last Sunday, pulling in a 6th win in a row by an Australian male at Ironman world championship.

Jacobs swam 2.4-mile (3.86 km) in 51:28, did the 112-mile (180.25 km) bike ride in 4:35:15 and 26.2 miles (42.195km) marathon in 2.48:05 for an aggregate finish time (including transitions) of 8:18:37.

German Andreas Raelert was over five minutes behind Jacobs and finished in 8:23:40, followed by Belgian Frederik Van Lierde who came in at 8:24:09.

Jacobs was not the first man out of water and wasn’t the fastest on the bike leg of the grueling full Ironman race, but pulled away in the run leg doing the full marathon distance in 2:48:05. In the 2011 Kona Championships, Jacobs posted the fastest run split in 2:42:49 and placed second behind compatriot Chris McCormack.

For the past seven years, the 31-year old Jacobs has been competing professionally and has completed 25 Ironmans so far. Jacobs won the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines.

I had the privilege of meeting Jacobs during the Ironman 70.3 in Cebu last August and he was one of the most down to earth champions I’ve ever met.

Right after crossing the finishline at Shangri-la Mactan, he had nothing but praises for Cebu, which was hosting the Ironman race for the first time. “If you can make it here (Cebu), you can make it anywhere,” said Pete Jacobs, “(It was) terrific but also having one of the toughest conditions for an Ironman event anywhere in the world. I have been all around the world, but this is the best race, the best supporters, the most fun,” he said, after receiving a trophy with other champions at the finish line in the Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort and Spa.

Philippine Azkals vs. Singapore Lions in Cebu

Save the date – November 15, 2012 — for the much anticipated football match between the Philippine national men’s football team versus Singapore at the Cebu City Sports Center.

ASAP Advertising and Promotions Cebu is handling the marketing, promotions and distribution of the game tickets. Sources revealed that tickets will be available on sale in the next two weeks and outlets will include SM TicketNet among others.

Seats located at the right most and left most side (pink and green sections) of the CCSC bleachers are pegged at P200. Tickets for the blue and yellow sections of the CCSC bleachers will be sold at P400, while the white section will be sold at P600. The VIP seats in the middle lower portion of the bleachers (VIP section) are pegged at P2,000 while the middle upper portion of the bleachers (Red section) will be sold at P800.

Just last September 7, the Philippine Azkals made history by beating Singapore (2-0) for the first time right on the Singapore Lions’ turf in a series of three FIFA-sanctioned international friendly games.

The Cebu friendly on November 15 between these two budding football rivals will lead up to the AFF Suzuki Cup from November 24 to December 22.