Monday, May 23, 2011

Panglao Triathlon


I planned to explore as many beaches as possible, not just in Cebu but also throughout the 7,107 islands of the Philippines.  The original plan was to bring our windsurfing gears and document (through this blog) the wind patterns of the places that I've been to.

When I got bitten by the triathlon bug, it's time to revisit that plan, albeit with goggles, bike & running shoes.  Triathlon not only makes us fit but also enables us to enjoy the beautiful beaches that the swim leg has to offer.

When I learned that the next triathlon event will be in PANGLAO, I promised myself not to miss it.  How could I resist the white sandy beaches of the island?  The clear waters?  The sexy... err.. rocks?
The fallen coconut tree?


Panglao Triathlon

Panglao Triathlon is a race-for-a-cause event co-organized by Panglao Business Club & Sugbutriathlon.  It featured a 1k swim, 30k bike and 7.5k run.  The beneficiaries were the public elementary schoolchildren of the island.

In association with Team TG & my employer, Dyno Finance Corporation, we also gave a little extra to the beneficiaries.  School items like notebooks, pencils and ballpens were turned over to the organizers before the race started.


Pre-race

The first transition area was in Dumaluan Beach Resort.  There were about 80 triathletes who joined the event and an additional 20 relay teams.

This is the first out-of-town race for Bazinga, my Kona road bike.
We did the stretching with Team Chups.  The team could shock the next triathlon event with skimpy outfits so you better watch out for them.
Briefing

The usual briefing followed for those unfamiliar with the race course. 

Some were just enjoying the sand.
 Some desperately wanted to play love to the camera.

Hazel, of TG relay team, was just awed by the elite competition.

Race Start

We assembled and waited for the gunstart.


Bang!

The pictures just wouldn't do justice on how elated we were for the crystal clear waters of Dumaluan.  Many of us got lost as we were just enjoying the underwater view.  I was off-course by about 20 meters when I raised my head to sight.


After the 1k swim, we "hopped" back to the transition area.

The bike leg was beea-yuu-tee-ful!

Good roads, less traffic, people cheering, trees, cameras, you name it!


It was also my best bike leg to date, averaging more than 33 kilometers per hour.  Okey, I was drafting, but so are the rest. :-P

Sydney and my yaya, Kingking, also perfected their panning shots with me as the subject.  I will always be glad for this opportunity. :-)

The bike leg was my PB (personal best) at 55 minutes, at the expense of running.  I never trained for the high heart rate that I experienced during the bike, thus my run was reduced to a 7:45 pace.   

Team TG runner Hazel was actually astonished of the different "atmosphere" during the run leg of a triathlon.


Special Thanks

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Ted Zamora for making sure that no stomach was empty during our stay in Bohol.  Thank you kaayo bossing!  (Manganad ra ba ni sila!) Also to Yoyet and Manang.

Thank you also to my officemates in Dyno Finance Bohol, particulary George for lending me the car and Sylvester Bulilawa for the assistance.  Thank you very much.