DAVAO CITY – To ensure the safety of the athletes who will participate in the Ironman 70.3 race here on March 26, the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) will conduct a training for the medical team that will be deployed during the event.
In a statement Wednesday, Dr. Mark Emmanuel Balag, an SPMC emergency treatment specialist, said basic emergency course, triathlon module lecture, and face-to-face (F2F) training will be given to medical teams from the local government units covered by the 70.3 triathlon race area that also includes the cities of Panabo and Tagum, and Carmen town, all in Davao del Norte province.
Balag said the two-part training will be carried out through an online seminar set on March 9-10, and the F2F instruction slated on March 16-17.
During the F2F training, Balag said they will have to assess medical responders' knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a lifesaving technique useful to reduce high body temperatures, among others.
“The training will cover the usual emergency cases and expected medical cases that may occur during mass participation events such as the triathlon,” he said.
In this city, he said they required 40 participants for the medical training considering the planned 21 medical stations covering the swim, bike and running events.
"The triathlon module lecture was derived from the previous Ironman emergency cases we have identified emergency cases, which can be encountered in such an event,” Balag said.
He said medical teams should know how to manage cases of hypothermia, electrolyte imbalance, seizure, and poisoning caused by sea urchins and jellyfish stings, among others.
Meanwhile, the Davao City Sports Development Division (CSDD) has called on both public and private sectors to cooperate in this year’s hosting of the Ironman 70.3 triathlon race.
CSSD head Mikey Aportadera said the city’s previous hosting of the triathlon in 2018 and 2019 was successful due to the cooperation of the people here and those from the provinces and municipalities.
The Ironman 70.3 this year will follow the same template in the past: a 1.9-kilometer (km) swim at the Davao Gulf; a 90-km bike ride from Bajada in Davao City to Tagum City and back; a half-marathon 21-km run from Victoria Plaza to Azuela Cove and back - with the addition of some public health guidelines. (PNA)
