Organizers to place 25T cheerers for run

Participants of the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Cebu will get all the community involvement they want as they transition into the run segment of the Half Ironman that covers five Lapu-Lapu barangays in Punta Engano, Mactan, Ibo, Buaya and Pusok.

During the event launching last month in Makati Shangri-La, organizing Sunrise Events Inc. president Wilfred Uytengsu Jr. said that one of the things that participants have always appreciated about previous events is the involvement of the community.

Come Aug. 5, participants will get just that as Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza not only ordered for 25,000 well wishers to line the race route, she also requested for a camp to be set up at the Discovery Bay, the turning point for the running segment.

Discovery Bay, owned by Sta. Lucia, is located at the tip of Punta Engano. The place is known as Mangal among locals and is very historical as Oponganons believe that it is the place where “Mangal” Lapu-Lapu’s father had hardened into a stone.

Some 40 tents will be set up in the area for the cheerers, and the place will be made to resemble a fishers village. Activities will also be held in the area to present a festive atmosphere as runners loop back to Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa.

This was one of the things that Radaza thought of after she observed yesterday’s dry-run of the city’s preparation for the international race.

For easy deployment, cheerers during the running segment will be students from Punta Engano Highschool and Mactan Highschool to avoid creating traffic near Shangri-La.