Caroline Steffen wins Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines

Caroline Steffen has backed up her victory in Roth just last month, with a dominating performance in the Philippines today. Steffen was first out of the water in 26:31, putting her 41 seconds clear of eventual second place finisher Bree Wee of the USA. With no real surprise Steffen stamped her authority on the race with a 2:18:15 ride, an entire ten minutes faster than any other female on the day. This enormous lead allowed the Swiss Miss a comfortable run to the finish to claim back to back victories in her sponsor’s home event.

It was a case of deja-vu for second and third place getters Bree Wee and Belinda Granger, replicating the podium positions behind Steffen from 2012. The only difference from 2012 was Steffen’s finishing time, almost five minutes faster than the previous year. Perhaps an interesting insight into Steffen’s potential form leading into Kona this October.

Second place getter USA’s Bree Wee left the water in second place behind Steffen and remained in the same position throughout the entire race. Wee returned to the Philippines after racing and finishing second in 2012, and reports of her enriching life experiences in the Philippines leading into the event. “The part that convicted me dearly were their clothes.  All the children had one or two outfits, they hand wash them daily, hang them to dry, and wear them again and again.  Each of them looked so clean and it would appear to anyone just passing through quickly, that these kids must be well off.  It made me feel really bad for the way I wash my laundry and leave it all day long in the dryer because I’m too lazy to put it away.  Or the times I just shove my clothes….under the bed.  I felt bad.  I felt inspired to care more. The Philippines always does that to me, makes me think I should care more about what I have, then just maybe I would focus even less on what I don’t have.” These words from Bree resonated so closely with us here at Trizone Women that we wanted to share them with you. Life is about so much more than where you finish in a race, and we felt Bree’s words really represented this.

Third placed Belinda Granger is a familiar face on the Asian circuit, taking advantage of the growing calendar of racing close to home. Although speaking to Belinda it appears to be much more than the proximity to her training base in Noosa Australia that draws the Aussie to races such as the Philippines. Commenting on her three favorite features of the Philippines 70.3 event weekend, Granger happily reported “the people – generous, warm and so, so friendly! The location – Shangrila in Cebu is pure perfection and having everyone stay here is the best! The organisers – most amazing, efficient team ever. Their attention to detail is unbelievable..so spoilt!” 2013 is the third year Granger has attended the event, and believes “the event is amazing, third time now, just gets better every year.”

The truth is we were so impressed by the aura surrounding the Philippines 70.3 that we will be taking a look into the event, including why you should add it to your list of races to attend, and how best to arrange the trip for yourself and hopefully your family too. We also shared a few words with a young, local and inspirational girl who competed in the Ironkids race on Saturday. Please stay tuned for both of these articles coming to Trizone Women this week.