Ramos, Stawicki Rule 2023 TriFactor Philippines in Subic Bay
By Elle Choo
February 13, 2023
Subic Bay, Zambales. (Feb. 12, 2023)– The triathlon capital of the Philippines was abuzz with excitement as hundreds of triathletes converged to participate in the 2023 TriFactor Philippines. The 1.5 km swim in Subic Bay’s harbor, followed by a challenging 40 km bike ride through the coastal freeport, and a hot 10 km run along waterfront road, tested the limits of every participant.
The day’s standout performances came from National Team mainstay Josh Ramos and dentist turned triathlete Rhia Stawicki, who were the first overall male and female finishers respectively.
Ramos dominated on the get-go with the day’s fastest swim at 22 minutes and 17 seconds. Combined with the race-best run split of 41:06, Ramos finished in 2:11:25, 5 minutes and 1 second faster than the next closest pursuer which happens to be his father, Jet Ramos, who placed 2nd overall finisher at 2:16:26. Perennial age group champion and performance coach Raymund Velasco completed podium by finishing 3rd overall with a time of 2:19:36.
Stawicki combined her women’s 2nd best swim, women’s best bike split of 1:10:09 and women’s best run split of 45:42 to dominate the women’s field with a finish time of 2:22:58. The 2nd overall female was Mitch Otsuru Park was 19 minutes and 44 seconds behind with a time of 2:42:42. Raven Joy Valdez finished in 2:43:16 to finish 3rd overall. The top 3 women’s finisher all belong to the same club, TriClark-Scania Triathlon Team.
“I’m stoked with the win. My plan was just to stay at the moment, and enjoy the race. It was hot at the run part but was able to hold my composure and pace. Overall, this is part of my preparation as I go up to 70.3 next month in Davao, and I am very grateful for finishing first female overall,” said Stawicki.
In the Team Competition, TriClark-Scania again showed its strength in the field with a total cumulative finish time of 9:53:29. Baguio Benguet Triathlon Team finished second with a time of 10:05:00 and local team Subic Bay Multisport secured 3rd with a time of 10:38:06.
“Today was a great day for Subic Bay as we staged the latest addition to our roster of international triathlons. With this maiden edition of the Trifactor Triathlon Philippines, our status as the triathlon capital of the Philippines is reaffirmed,” added Jem Camba, head of the Tourism Department of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. “Working with Go Clark has been a pleasure for us, and we look forward to other events that we will be planning together. Subic Bay will play host to a total of 8 triathlons this 2023.”
“It all came together this weekend. The hardwork from my team, GoClark, the SBMA group and our Singapore partner, Orange Room all paid off. The goal was to deliver a safe, fun and a race experience like no other. The happy faces at the finish line and the awards podium were all I needed to see. See you again at our races,” said Jumbo Tayag, TriFactor and GoClark Race Director.
“I am delighted to see so many local and foreign triathletes racing at the TriFactor Triathlon Subic Bay in the Philippines last Sunday. A great start to the 2023! Special thanks to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and GoClark for putting up a world class event and I look forward to making this event an iconic destination event within the TriFactor regional calendar,” added Elvin Ting CEO of Orange Room Asia, the brand owner of TriFactor Race Series.
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