Pinoy Triathlon: Duathlon

Showing posts with label Duathlon. Show all posts

TITAN 77.7 2023

Titan 77.7 🏃🏽‍♀️🚵🏼‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️

September 10, 2023

4K Run - 100K Bike - 21K Run

All Female Relay

Runner - Mariane

Biker - Jamyka

21m - 3:10 - 2:11 = 5 Hours 43 Minutes 30 Seconds

Days before the race Mariane injured her ankle. We thought we couldn't join but I guess we were lucky to show up ready albeit hesitant. She looked struggling during the first run and she had her ankle taped before the second run. Jamyka had only one day to practice the clip on aero bar before the race but had a strong performance despite cramping in the first few kilometers. Congratulations to these two wonderful girls for displaying grit and determination.

Race kit claiming at Cycles and Brew

Timing chip

Pledge Wall

Unli Shabu, Unli Samgyup

Waiting for room availability

Track read: bike route

Track read: run route

Dinner

With national teammate

Wave formation

One minute before gun start

First run

Taped before the second run

The biggest finisher medal literally

21m - 3:10 - 2:11 = 5 Hours 43 Minutes 30 Seconds

Congratulations to the organizer and all the finishers

Pilipinas Duathlon Leg 1 2016

Pilipinas Duathlon Leg 1

4K - 25K - 4K

Valentine's Day 2016

Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna

The first leg of a four part series begins at Nuvali. The place is arguably most suited for events like this. The run route is free of traffic and the bike route is wide. Nuvali is just a few kilometers from Metro Manila where most participants come from. It has parking lots and the starting line is a stone throw away from a newly built mall.

Crossing the finish line

In Pilipinas Duathlon Series this race is the shortest with the last leg being a standard distance race (10K-40K-5K) the longest. On race day the skies were clear, it was a perfect day for a short course event. There were about 900 participants which was quite huge compared to the last duathlon I joined in January. The transition area was the longest I've seen in a duathlon.

A long transition area

The start of the race was a bit of a mess, I didn't even hear the gun start. It was already past the starting time (6:00am) anyway, so I wasn't surprised. I started near the front and made my way through the traffic easily. The first stage was over in 17 minutes.

Lining up for the breakfast and finisher shirt

There were no surprises on the bike leg. I was overtaken by a lot of the guys, the route was familiar, it was a sunny day ride on a beautiful place and had no idea who I was competing against.

Groufie

The second run was amazingly easy for some reason, it could be the lack of runners on the road or the lack of effort on the bike, either way there was no pain on my legs and feet, and the route was clear. The race was over in 1 hour 21 minutes good for second place in my age group.

There were only two participants in my category LOL

Here are the things fulfilled by the event:

Finisher shirt

Finisher medal

Breakfast

Timing chip

Race number and stickers

Wrist tag for bike safety

Water

Portalets

Tents

Mt.Banahaw De Lucban Duathlon

January 23, 2016

4K - 25K - 2K

On the foothills of Mt. Banahaw the town of Lucban, Quezon played host to a multi-sport event. There were 136 registered participants and I wasn't one of them but thanks to Mr. Dune Tamayo I got a free slot from one of his friends.

All smiles after finishing the race

I was hoping for a podium finish but I wasn't even close. I exited transition 1 after 18 minutes. The bike started woefully slow; I usually start the bike leg stupidly fast and slowly but surely slowing down as the race wore on but this time my legs were spent after just 4 kilometers of run agh. It was 1:14 on my stop watch as I exited transition 2. The second run was miraculously fast for about 150 meters and that's it. I saw the front of the pack heading towards the finish line as I was just starting my second run - whoa they're fast. For such a short distance race the gap was really huge. I finished the 4K - 25K - 2K three stage event in 1 hour and 24 minutes. A good gauge of how fit I am right now heading towards NAGT Subic in February. Obviously I have my work cut out for me.

Here are some photos from the town that is 1,500 feet above sea level. Thanks for stopping by. :)

Registration area

A road every inch to our own

Mt. Banahaw

Transition area

Waiting area at the gas station

Happy finishers

Top finishers

2016 Triathlon Race Calendar version 1

2016 Triathlon Race Calendar version 1
Please click the image to enlarge.
Hope this could help you plan for your 2016 race schedule.

The Obligatory Best of 2014

With 2014 winding down to its last day I think it would be fun to share the obligatory best and worst of the year. But let's focus on the best shall we.

Best Race - Milo 21K - This was my first 21K run. I fumbled at the start, got going from there, endured the blisters, kept my composure when I felt cold from my sweaty shirt, misjudged the last couple of kilometers and still went on to finish in 1:38.

Best Adventure - Audax 300 - It was an early start at 3:00 A.M. The lights of the bikes were awesome, the sunrise was breathtaking, the rain poured hard, the sun was too hot, the road was endless, the coastline was fantastic and the mountains on the other side was magnificent.

Fastest Run - During the first run of the Duaman X2 Duathlon Race in Nuvali I ran the first 10K in less than 41 minutes. The course was only 10.8K according to MapMyRide and I also got into the sub 20 minute 5K Club on that day. The bike was too slow though.

Longest Transition Time - Challenge Philippines 70.3 - I clocked 18 minutes in Transition 1 while waiting for my friend so we could bike and run together.

Best Preparation - RUPM and Bohol 226 - It was the first time I felt ready to run long at a pace of 5:00 minutes per kilometer for 42K. But of course that didn't happen on race day. And for Bohol 226 nothing really happened at all.

Shortest Race - 5K Run - Building up to a marathon I did a 10K, 5K, 21K and a duathlon.

Best swim course - Challenge Philippines - I can see the bottom most of the time.

Best Bike Route - Tri United 3 70.3 - A ride from the beach to the Subic tollgate was great and the next kilometers were ridden at SCTEX Tollway. Try Google Earth to see the route: Subic Dungaree Beach to Porac, Pampanga.

Best Run Route - The Challenge Philippines run route in what looked like a jungle was unique but the lack of kilometer markers on a jumbled course made the RUPM city run a better course to me.

Race I can recommend - From the few races I joined in the past year I can recommend the Subic International Triathlon with its new race course. For 2015 I think they renamed it to Asian Triathlon Championships.

Race to look forward to - I'm leaning towards Run United Philippine Marathon maybe in the first week of October, 2015 just because I like to run a marathon during that time of the year.

Best Shirt - This one's hard; Challenge Shirt loses its print, Tri United 3 has its bold color, Run United looks Run United, Duaman X2 is youthful, SuBiT has red streaks on black, Bohol 226 has distance numbers on the back, hmmm... I'll save the best shirt for next year. ;P

Event to look forward to - I guess it's the Audax 400 or Audax 600 for the sheer distance and love of cycling.

So how about your 2014? One thing is sure, we both enjoyed our races and events. RIGHT?

My training ground: How I wish I could workout in the cold... Naahh! Posers don't do that!

2014 Races

I was lucky enough to get back into endurance sports after I got sick and lost interest in it. Although I didn't get the chance to try Bohol 226 or do the Milo Marathon Finals I think my races were satisfying and well scheduled. Each race prepared me for something in the future races and they were all so varied from 5K run to a full distance triathlon. The events that required me to check in for an overnight accommodation were mostly short family vacations also so they were fun not just to me.

All The Events Were Special In Their Own Way

Challenge 70.3 Philippines - the best swim course, unique run route, finished alongside my two teammates Reggie and Monki.

Subic International - an easy standard race distance course, almost everything went well, finish line at a shopping mall

Audax 300 - a 300 kilometer adventure filled with sun, rain and for others moon, ate a pack of Milkyway chocolate

10K Run - on my first fun run of 2014 I learned that I wasn't as fast as last year (not that I'm fast or anything), I thought everything's fine until kilometer four and I still have six more to go.

5K Run - I did okay, felt like I was getting faster... no kidding ;)

Milo 21K - I didn't like the singlet but I thought everybody should wear it on race day so I did and it almost ruined my run. The night before the race I thought I should pace myself for a 1:38 finish and that's exactly what happened on race day.

Duaman X2 - I won the race because apparently I was a junior among a field of freshmen.

Run United Philippine Marathon - I farted way too much and stopped for a long break in a rest room but for 26K I was coasting at a pace of 5:00 minutes per kilometer

Tri United 70.3 - an exciting ride on a tollway, a painful neck, and a bunch of nephews and nieces on a 'semestral' break.

Bohol 226 - last year there was the earthquake, this year we had the Typhoon... I mean Super Typhoon.

Milo 42K Finals - since the long distance triathlon was cancelled you'd think I'd be lucky enough to run the marathon.. it was postponed to a date I wouldn't be available... REALLY?

The Race That Wasn't Meant Be

Duaman X2 Duathlon - 12K-40K-6K

September 21, 2014 - Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna

Are you familiar with our local duathlon events? Well, they come in a variety of distances from newbie friendly 6K-30K-3K to a standard distance 10K-40K-5K distance in the format of run-bike-run. Active Health Duathlon is a 6K-60K-4K bike heavy event and this one, the Duaman X2 with its 12K-40K-6K distance is biased towards a strong runner than a biker.

I parked the car a little bit far from the transition area, I biked towards the registration tent and got my race packet and went back to the car to prep the stickers, race belt and my transition basket. It was still dark but the dawn was breaking and the transition area was about to get filled with an assortment of bikes from folding bikes to triathlon bikes.

Race briefing followed, Carlos the organizer explained it well then repeated the instructions sensing that a lot of participants were beginners. I went to the portalet for a last minute break then went back and glad to be starting at the front as the porta-potties were just in front of the starting line.

As the gun went off I immediately pushed the button on my stop watch and ran as soon as I saw it ticking. The first 300 meters was a blur, a race towards the rotunda which served as the landmark for our turnaround point. We had to do 4 loops and it was the end point. First loop went fast as I finished it in under 11 minutes. I got to the transition area in less than 45 minutes and quickly toweled and changed clothes.

Lapping Some Runners On My Way To Transition Area

I never saw someone from my age group overtook me so I guessed I was leading at that point. I started the bike in excellent condition, no back pain or heavy legs. The route was wide and rolling where in some parts I felt the might of the wind. I was praying for a trouble free ride and it was really fuss free but as usual I lost steam at some point and this time it was at kilometer 25 of the bike leg, I felt some weakness from my legs and the numbers on my cyclocomputer just dropped. I was just cruising from that point on when suddenly I saw someone with a race number close to mine pass me with still a few kilometers to transition 2. I pedaled hard to get closer to him as much as possible but he still got away, oh well.

Looking for my Bike Rack

I came to T2 a few seconds later than the man who overtook me and run with my cycling shoes then I just took it off and went looking for my transition area with only my socks. I went a few meters off my bike rack and went back and still missed my bike rack 'what the ...haha'. My rack number was covered by my shirt - toinks.

Off to Chase some Runners after T2

As soon as I started running for the last 2 loops, I saw familiar faces from the first run. They were the ones I ran shoulder to shoulder with earlier in the race but now at a slower pace. I overtook them easily and ran hard until I was about to pass a participant who was 1 lap ahead of me told me "you have no opponent". To my delight I eased and enjoyed the rest of the race.

We can only get our bikes after the last bikers arrive - here are the 3 of them

I finished in 2:30 and for the first time I won a multisport race... with 85 percent of the participants were newbies hehe - as told by the organizer. My teammate Nerozel placed 2nd in her age group despite starting the race 8 minutes late whoa!

With Puro Tri Team - photo by Nino Bretana

The event was fun in a painful way :P , the bike course was nice, the weather was perfect, the souvenir shirt was bright and comfy and... I won. It might not happen again but I was sure glad that I joined Duaman X2.

Oops! Accidentally... :)

I'll tell you later... :P

Just Got Lucky, I Guess

Adrenaline Off Road Duathlon 2014 Race Course

April 27, 2014
Timberland Heights, San Mateo Rizal
5k Run - 22k Bike - 5k Run

Off Road Duathlon at Hacienda Escudero

May 5, 2013
3.5K-22K-3.5K

For starter, this didn't turn out well. My first attempt at off road racing was a bit of a failure right from the start. Two days before the event I went to the venue for track reading. A fellow named Hermie generously guided me through the track. It was a mix of lots of trail under the coconut trees and some paved roads of an empty subdivision. The trail was flat with turns all over the place and the grass slows the wheel down substantially. I wasn't doing well that day but I already expected that since I'm riding with tires suited for hard pack concrete like roads. I knew I had to use a different set of rubbers and there lies the problem, I didn't change them so I was doomed right from the get go.

Early enough to bike through the run route before gun start

The first run started out well, I reached kilometer 1 in less than 4 minutes and second to go inside the transition area. The run course was approximately 3.5 kilometers and only 35 percent of it was off road and is flat as any pancake's bottom.

Then came the bike leg and with 60 psi of inflation I was bouncing hard on the track. Coupled with my lack of skills on trail riding, or biking in general, needless to say the 22 kilometer ride went slow. And as if that's not enough I encountered two more problems first with my rear derailleur so I had to stop and fix it and second by getting lost in the lagoon portion of the track. By this time I was just enjoying my ride and hoping to finish with a smile on my face as the brutality of off road biking put a toll on my butt and triceps. Maybe a 60 kilometer road bike course is easier than this. My speed was definitely 3 times less than my road bike average.

Obviously I won't be stepping on this in the near future

As I entered the transition area to prepare for the second run there were more than 15 bikes already hanging on the bamboo poles. I was able to overtake 5 or 6 runners on my way to the finish line and placed 11th overall out of less than 40 participants.

Would I do this again? Maybe yes if the participants remain few. I don't think I would enjoy it this much if there were more than a hundred of us battling it out on the trails. Trail riding could easily be dangerous if there are a lot of overtaking but the allure of mountain biking will always be there. Off road racing is too technical you just can't spend time on a trainer and hope everything will be fine.