Van Berkel said he felt strong on the 1.9km swim, finishing with the lead group including Reed and Philips—but he began to struggle with the heat on the 90km bike. Racing on his Trinity Advanced Pro bike with a CADEX Aero WheelSystem, the Aussie pushed through and started feeling better toward the end of the bike leg.
Reed had built up a solid lead on the bike, but Van Berkel started out strong as he attempted to close the gap during the 21.1km run.
“It was bloody hot as it always is in the Philippines when I started my run,” Van Berkel said. “I started to feel better and was running in second place, closing in on the leader, until about the 16km mark where it all came undone for me. I started to fade big time and was getting passed. I was in survival mode for the final podium spot.”
Digging deep, Van Berkel was able to push through and land the podium, beating fourth-place finisher Jakub Langhammer of the Czech Republic by just 6 seconds.
“I was a little bit disappointed, but that’s racing,” Van Berkel said. “Third place in a quality field, and it was a good hit out in the heat for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in eight weeks. I’ll take it.”
