SATAR Salem expects to have firmed up the last four weeks as he doubled up in his buildup for a crack at another championship in a premier endurance race where the stakes are much higher and the test a lot tougher than his recent feat.

But the Lanao del Norte's top triathlete is unfazed by the odds, ready to take on the best and the toughest, both from the international field and the world class course, in the Megaworld Ironman 70.3 Philippines presented by AIA Vitality blasting off Sunday, August 7, at The Mactan Newtown in Lapu-Lapu City.