In scorching heat and under driving rain for quite a few instances, Australia’s Josh Ferris and New Zealand’s Amelia Watkinson ruled the Ironman 70.3 Lapu-Lapu presented by Megaworld on Sunday in Mactan, Cebu, where the locals showed them a lot of love that made their respective victories unforgettable.

“My ears were about to burst, they were so loud,” Ferris said of the crowd that lined up on the sides of the course as he clocked three hours, 49 minutes and 10 seconds for the 1.9-kilometer (km) swim, 90-km bike and 21-km race. “All the school kids out there, all the people were cheering and it was awesome.”

All Ferris needed was to get out of the water first as he fended off Kiwi Mike Phillips by more than three minutes, as the Aussie’s time was just short of the record 3:46:44 held by Mexican Mauricio Méndez in 2018.

New Zealand’s Sam Osborne, last year’s runner-up to Henri Schoeman of South Africa, finished third in 4:04:05.

“It’s actually quite a unique atmosphere,” said Watkinson, who timed 4:14:22, with Australian Sophie Malowiecki, the leader after the swim, finishing second in 4:24:42. New Zealand’s Samantha Kingsford was third place in 4:27:45

“You can feel the visual energy out there. The kids had so much enthusiasm,” Watkinson added. “It’s different here–it’s not just racing, it’s racing with emotion.”

The course tested even the best. But the soul of the event came from the people of Lapu-Lapu.

“It’s something I’ll carry with me,” said Ferris. “It’s not just about winning. It’s about being part of something bigger. This was special.”