Betten, Watkinson Bagged First Place in Sun Life 5150 Triathlon

Renowned Australian triathlete Sam Betten bagged the first place in the Sun Life 5150 Triathlon in Naga City, Cebu on Sunday, April 28.

The 6-foot-4 Betten finished the first 5150 race in Cebu with the record of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 32 seconds.

Betten completed the 1.5 kilometer swim in 19:51 to make a slim lead and finished the 40k bike portion in 57:46. Meanwhile he finished the run in 38:39 to finally bring home the bacon.

“I pushed a little harder during the bike race to build a little gap because Polizzi was trailing close behind but it was a great race. The swim was beautiful and also the bike course. On top of that is the great support from the crowd. That’s why I always keep coming back to the Philippines.” said Betten.

Fellow triathlete Alexander Polizzi finished 2nd with 2:03:55 run time followed by Mitch Robins (2:05:34) and Daniel Brown (2:27:12).

On the other hand, Amelia Watkinson of New Zealand finished the race with a total time of 2:06:44 to dominate the women’s division followed by Hungarian Anna Eberhardt (2:14:51) and Manami Iijima of Guam (2:16:16).

“It was a nice experience. It was hotter than I expected and it was a good reminder of the extra humidity around here. I think I like (the heat), but it’s definitely tough,” said Watkison.

Watkinson finished the swim and bike portion early with 20:49 and 1:02:18 before accelerating to the finish line with 39:53. (MLC)