SUBIC – John Patrick Ciron turned his first-ever IRONMAN 70.3 appearance into an unforgettable triumph, stunning a field of elite triathletes with a gritty performance in the Century Tuna IRONMAN 70.3 Subic Bay on Sunday.
A renowned duathlon specialist, the Iriga City native entered the race with questions surrounding how he would fare against seasoned triathletes on a course that demanded excellence across all three disciplines.
Ciron answered those questions with a breakthrough triumph, clocking a total time of 4:37:28 over the grueling 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run.
Ciron sealed the deal with a stunning closing run, clocking 1:28:17 in the half-marathon leg to beat 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 Cebu champion August Benedicto, who settled for second in 4:40:58 (1:33:58 in the run). Mervin Santiago faded in the final stretch (01:36:40), finishing third with a time of 4:42:40.
“Sabi ko sa sarili ko, sa second lap ng run dapat maabutan ko sila, kasi kung hindi, mahihirapan na akong makuha 'yung panalo,” said Ciron, recalling the pivotal moment he made his move. He clocked 30:45 in swim and posted a 02:33:21 time in bike.
The 2025 World Triathlon Development Regional Cup duathlon champion proved he belonged with the best even in the full 70.3 format of the event presented by Century Tuna and organized by Sunrise Events, Inc.
Benedicto and Santiago timed 31:19 and 31:02 in swim and posted 2:30:06 and 2;29:44 clockings in bike, respectively.
Putri reigns supreme
In the women’s side, Indonesian Dea Salsabila Putri took the title in 5:26:22 with split times of 27:44-03:10:21-01:41:07, besting local favorite Erika Burgos, who fought through stomach issues to secure a hard-fought second place finish. Burgos clocked 5:32:30 with leg times of 27:52-03:16:05-01:41:57).
Nicole Andaya, who timed 34:00 in swim, flashed her superb biking and clocked 02:54:02 but faded in the run with 01:59:31 clocking to finish third in 5:37:09 in the event presented by Century Tuna and supported by Subic Bay, NLEX, MPTC, SCTEX, Amlan, Ion Advanced Electrolyte Drink, 2GO, Salt+Fin, Santé, SECC, Teresa Marble, Manila Bulletin, Tempo, Hoka, Roka, Breitling, AG1, Hyperice, Qatar Airways, Rouvy, TriDot, Wahoo, and Zoot Sports.
Benedicto and Burgos, on the other hand, shared the Bagong Bayani awards, a special elite category for current and former Filipino national athletes.
Meanwhile, Darrell Bada, a standout product of the IRONKIDS program, turned in a stellar performance to capture the overall crown in the Sunrise Sprint, which featured a 750m open-water swim, 20km bike ride, and 5km run.
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