Pinoy Triathlon

Subic Bay Ironman 70.3 2016

March 6, 2016

1.9K - 90K - 21K

Starting Line - Subic ACEA formerly Dungaree Beach

Finish Line - Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center

A simpler take on last year's design

Details of my performance - at 6:00 is just 5 minutes off of my goal

Daybreak at Transition 1

Starting line at ACEA formerly Dungaree Beach

Waiting for my wave - first time to experience a rolling start

Pretending to finish strong

Shower with free liquid soap

Free massage

Ice bath

Shade at the center of the open ground

Claiming of finisher's shirt

Crackers

Waiting area

David's Salon tent

Medical tent

Lunch buffet

Catering at the convention center

Bike check out

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.

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.

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

Audax 200K Subic

Audax 200 Kilometer Brevet Ride (Subic to Masinloc and back)

January 16, 2016

200 kilometers is the shortest distance of an Audax ride available to us and yet this was the first time in three tries that I almost got cut off on the the very first checkpoint thanks to an hour spent immobile at kilometer 12.

The following photos should entice anyone to join one in the future.