Jenson Button arrives in the Philippines for 2012 Ironman 70.3 competition

Former Formula One world champion and current Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button has just arrived in Cebu with his girlfriend in preparation for the Ironman 70.3 in which he will be competing in. The former F1 world champion will be competing in a race without his car this time for a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km bike ride and 21.1km run which sums up to a distance of 113 kilometers or 70.3 miles and is considered as a middle-distance triathlon.

Button who finished in sixth-place in last Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix will be competing in the age-group category. His girlfriend, Jessica Michibata meanwhile will be doing a relay with several Cebu based personalities.

After the Ironman 70.3 event in Cebu, Button is said to be hosting his first triathlon race on August 19 in England and is to be called 'Jenson Button Trust Triathlon'. The fund raising event will benefit the people at Help for Heroes which takes care of Navy, Army and Royal Air Force of London which are wounded in the service of their country during current conflicts.

Last known visit of Button was during his career as driver for the Renault Mild Seven F1 team in 2002 for a promotional event.