All In A Day Before Race Day - Ironman 70.3 Subic

March 5, 2016
Saturday

Travel through SCTEX, a billboard sign of IM70.3, a tunnel as we enter Subic Freeport

Arrived at the athlete center/finish line area, Subic Bay Exhibition Convention Center, M-dot

Registration, Race packet pick up, stage set up

Some of the booths inside the exhgibit area, tri tats marking, bike mechanic booth

Check in at hotel, lunch at Wendys

Transition 1, bike check in booths, bike check in photo taking

Inspect swim venue

Pros on the stage, race briefing, transition 2 bag drop off

Visit at a chapel inside SBMA, relax and walk by the seaside, dinner at Cabalens

Listen to a live performance, night walk by the seaside, one last shot at the bar before bedtime

Lucky at NAGT

National Age Group Triathlon (NAGT) 2016 Subic Leg
1.5K - 40K - 10K
February 21, 2016

Recently I am becoming the worst blogger ever with entries few and far between. Although I have lots of events lined up this year with four already in the bag I just don't have the enthusiasm to write as many as I used to. But here's a race that happened just a week after Pilipinas Duathlon Leg 1, the National Age Group Triathlon Subic Leg.

Podium ceremonies at the scenic Subic Bay Freeport ACEA area

This particular event holds a dear place in my heart for some reasons; this is where my daughter and I did our first open water swim and my first race in Subic which is the triathlon capital of the Philippines. NAGT is probably one of the few races with a laid back atmosphere, something which I do like very much. 

Neil Ong
Happy finishers all

Nowadays NAGT isn't as popular as it used to. Tri United 1 is just a week away and most triathletes are joining that event instead of this.

Race briefing at Harbor Point

The swim venue is the soon to open ACEA Hotel (formerly Dungaree Beach Resort). I arrived early to get a parking space near the transition area and finish line. We were watching the elite triathletes while waiting for our wave to start and one thing we noticed was that SEA Games champ Claire Adorna swam really strong, with each stroke producing a wide and long wave that lined up on the sea in a triangular shape. When it was our time to swim I positioned near the front and off we went. I couldn't remember anything out of the ordinary except for a slower first and second loop compared to my previous swims and it wasn't a surprise to me that day.

A lot of triathlon events start here

The bike course was the same bike course we've ridden in the past. The route was undulating but nevertheless still a fast course with half on a forested highway and the rest on a coastal road. I rode conservatively preparing for the run (yes I can actually run in short distance races... or so I thought).

Legend has it that this man is the father of Philippine Triathlon

My entire plan of approach was to force it on the swim and run on the way to a 2:32 finish but with a slow swim I was pinning all my hopes on the run: a 44 minute run off the bike, it was a flat course anyway. But  instead, I got a longer run split of 50 and was actually just trying to fend off the runners on my back.

A simple breakfast for the participants

On a day when everything seemed to go wrong suddenly EVERYTHING went for the best ;) 

Pretty patriotic medal

Compared to my last attempt here I was a tad slower on the swim, par for the bike and almost 6 minutes off the run. It could be disastrous in most days but this is not my usual day and in this edition of NAGT... guess what I GOT.
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