Lingayen, Pangasinan: Every April to May, Pangasinan celebrates one of the Philippine’s biggest fiestas, the Pista’y Dayat. From religious activities, to beach sports and contests, from art shows and trade expos, to pageants and talent nights, this year’s roster of activities were packed with fun-filled activities everyone can enjoy. Though the fiesta is originally meant to celebrate the bounties of the sea, Governor Amado I. Espino III announced that this year’s festivities will not just focus on showcasing the tourism and trade, arts, talents, food, and religious activities of Pangasinan, but also showcasing the province as a hub for sportourism, with beach volleyball, Paboksing ed Gulpo, a local boxing tournament, Luktaw Sayaw dance competitons, paragliding, and on its third year, the Tigasin Open Water Swim Challenge, presented by Neptune Actives, and the 5-year premier triathlon of Pangasinan, the Tigasin Triathlon, which took place on the weekend of May 4-5.
Neptune Actives Tigasin Open Water Swim Challenge
Unfortunately, the night before the Tigasin Open Water Swim Challenge brought strong rain and wind, so the 750m, 1.5KM, and 1.9KM open water swim on Saturday morning was converted into a 2K, 4K, and 5K run along the bay walk, for the safety of the participants. At 8 AM, the first gun start for the 2K run sounded and our runners were off, followed by the 4K runners, and finally, the 5K. In as early as 7 minutes and 20 seconds, we have our first 2K finisher, 18 minutes for the first 4K finisher, and not far behind, in 20 minutes and 36 seconds for the fastest 5K runner. The day would have been complete without the fun games and freebies from Neptune Actives, the official distributor of Funky Trunks and Funkita Swimwear and the official swimwear of TIGASIN Triathlon 2019.
Tagisan ng mga Tigasin
However, things looked up the next day at Tigasin Triathlon. The day started off with the swim leg at the Lingayen Capitol beachfront, with waves and currents which once again proved that only the #CertifiedTigasin can brave through the course and finish it. After which, the triathletes conquered bike leg, which stretched from Lingayen to Binmaley and then it’s time to run to the finish line at the Pangasinan Training Center.
At the Training Center, while the triathletes enjoyed the free buko juice brought by Clara International Aesthetic Naturale, special performances from Human Tribe, the grand champion of Luktaw Sayaw, Dangoan Pangasinan Dance Troupe, and Banda ni Pogi, not only kept the participants entertained, but also showcased the talents and culture of Pangasinan. Gift passes from Anytime Fitness and Pangil Beach Resort were also given away before the awarding ceremony.
Finally, time came to award the fastest and strongest of the #CertifiedTigasin. The triathlon had 2 distances, the 25.75 KM sprint distance and the 51.5 KM standard distance, for both the individual and relay categories. After awarding those who came on top in their respective age categories, the overall finishers were called on stage to receive their trophies. For the individual sprint distance, with a time of 1:13:11, we have Eros Sachi Navio of Mayon TriTeam in first place in the male category, followed by Reagan Nabua (1:19:14) from Baguio Benguet Multisport, and just 41 seconds after, we have, in third place, Danny Dexter Beltran from FilamTri & Com Cycling. For the female category, our winners come from Team Podium Baguio. Alyzza Marie Santiago bagged first place with a time of 1:33:03, followed by Hannah Kathryn Lokino (1:40:11), and Marissa Dacayanan (1:41:44). For the Standard distance, 1st place in the male category was occupied by Jonathan Arellano from the Avengers of Lueco Tri Union with a time of 2:28:41, 2nd place by Jazim Eugenio (2:36:00) of Herbalife, followed closely by Romeo Marquez (2:36:13) from Team Marquez. Meanwhile, Marissa Cayowet of 2600 Triteam Baguio and Baguio Sea Lions brought home the first place trophy with a time of 3:07:38, followed by Santé Barley’s Riana Mallari (3:10:56), and Tritanium’s Karla Bello (3:11:49). For the relay categories, in first place we have Team Goltebs with Nico King, Ric Aquil, and Carlo Roxas for the Sprint distance and Nazareth with Marc Kristoffer Tan, Jason Comandante, and Marcelino Guleng Jr for the Standard distance.
More than 200 triathletes joined the event, both local and international. Tigasin Triathlon is presented in partnership with the Provincial Government of Pangasinan and was also made possible with their marketing partners Neptune Actives, the official distributor of Funky Trunks and Funkita Swimwear and the official swimwear of TIGASIN Triathlon 2019, Clara International Aesthetic Naturale – “Your Skin’s Best Friend”, North Point AlHost 1ce Motors Corp. – “The official distributor Mitsubishi in Ilocos Norte”, Hi-Factor, AutoMekaniko, ShareTea Ilocos, and Anytime Fitness, their venue partner, Capitol Resort Hotel, and their media partners GMA Regional TV, Business Mirror, Pilipino Mirror, Health & Fitness This event was organized by Trisports Solutions Inc., the team behind Tri Ilocos Norte and online races in the Philippines. For more races, check out trisports.ph