STAR MOVIES' Movie Triathlon Winners

The third staging of the movie-marathon endurance challenge Star Movies Triathlon saw five winners sharing the coveted title. An interesting mix of yuppies and students won over the contest made more difficult by the fact that two other types of endurance challenges were added apart from the movie marathon itself.

The winners were Ria Hernandez, a 28-year old interior designer, Cathleen Anderson, a restaurant owner in her early twenties, students Natalia Ortega and Dominic Cruz, and another young movie buff Lesly Yiu.

All five survived the Triathlon staged at the Newport Cinema 3 last October 18. They outlasted the rest of the 200 participants from practically all ages and statuses.

Classic movies like "Casa Blanca" and "Apocalypse Now" were shown during the 16-straight hours of movie-watching under exceptionally strict rules that included 'no standing, phone call, sleeping, and yes, no bathroom breaks. The two other challenge categories were Circuit Training and Yoga Poses.

The final nine who lasted the 'triathlon' were all given flat TVs as additional prize before they were led to the surprise "sudden death round" of exercise biking and treadmill run while glued to the big screen for a final stretch to determine the official winners.

Winners won P150,000 as cash prize.

"With three years of consecutive success, it's true no one entertains like Star Movies," said one observer.