In its 2023 comeback, Tinman 9 showcased why exactly it was dubbed “the best sports tourism event” in the Philippines

On Mar. 18 and 19, Trisports Solutions, Inc., in collaboration with the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, hosted the Neptune Actives Northern Waves Open Water Swim as well as the ninth year of Tinman: Tri Ilocos Norte—the most scenic triathlon event in the northernmost part of the Philippines—at Playa Tropical Beach Resort.

With a total of 200 strong triathletes and 11 relay teams, the gun started at exactly 6:10 a.m. for the prestigious 113K race (1.9K swim, 90K bike, 21.1K run) followed shortly by the standard (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run) and sprint (.750K swim, 20K bike, 5K run) categories.

Tinman 9 race — Standard category participants getting ready for the swim leg of the race

Jordan Vera Cruz from Trinorth Triathlon team finished first overall in the men’s category of the 113K race with a time of 5:18.42 while Wednesday Triathlon’s Joann Caralian came in soon after in 6:04.25.

Triathletes experienced the calm and clear waters of Currimao, Ilocos Norte and the rolling bike route of Paoay-Suba-Balacao Road passing through the historic St. Augustine Church (Paoay) and the Paoay Lake. And to top it all off, Tinman 9 participants coursed through the Currimao Seawall Boulevard that traversed the picturesque Pangil Coral Rock Formation and the Spanish era watchtower as they powered toward the finish line.

Around 200 athletes participated in Tinman 9 — Daniel Nazarro, of Baguio Benguet Tri on his way to the transition area to prepare for the bike course. He won in the overall male sprint distance category

Athletes made they way through the rolling bike route of Paoay-Suba-Balacao Road — Athletes made they way through the long and rolling bike route of Paoay-Suba-Balacao Road

Several raffle prizes, including Del Monte spaghetti packs and Fixifoot merchandise, were also given away to participants during the awarding ceremony. Trophies and medals were also awarded to the top age group and overall category finishers.

For the past nine years, Trisports Solutions, Inc. through the support of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte and the municipality of Currimao has successfully staged Tinman 9, which was also awarded the Best Sport Tourism Event of the Year (Domestic) in 2018 during the 4th Philippine Sports Tourism Awards.

Awards aside, Tinman 9 ensure that everyone swam, biked, and ran with joy — Overall female 113K distance podium finishers

Tinman 9 is co-presented by Milo and its official hotel and venue partners Playa Tropical Resort, Pangil Beach Resort, and Currimar Addison Hotel. The event is also made possible through its marketing partners Neptune Actives (the official distributor of Funky Trunks and Funkita), Del Monte, Salonpas, Northpoint Alliance Motors Corporation (the official distributor of Mitsubishi in Ilocos Norte), Hi-Factor, Automekaniko, and ShareTea Ilocos, Bicolano Runner (official photographer), and TeamSmile8 (official videographer).