Remind me to NEVER AGAIN join a Duathlon if it is to be held near Baywalk/Luneta Park. Right now, the only thing I can think of were my close calls with a ton of ignorant passers-by. I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling this way as during the bike leg of the race, I was hearing Putang Inas left and right. There were two really close calls during my 2nd loop of the bike which almost forced me to quit, thinking that it may not be worth a crash since I'm about to begin training for a more important race.
Anyhoo, after the race I chatted with Tad Manas, one of the race organizers after and he shared the same sentiment, and promised never again to hold the race there. It was just downright dangerous. Thank God nobody got hurt.
Now to the actual race report:
The race was an Olympic-distance Duathlon, which consisted of a 10k run, followed by a 40km bike and a 5k run. I seriously didn't have any speed in my legs since I've been focusing more on building endurance rather than speed. My plan was simple - 'Piolo pace' for the first 10k, a decent bike, and whatever I had left for the last 5k.
As soon as the gun went off, a lot of eager beavers floored it. I tried to keep my cool and settle into a pace. At around 2km in, I finally settled with a group of 4. They eventually dropped out and I found myself running with Josh from Sunkist for the next few kilometers. The run was flat, and consisted of 2 loops (which I later verified to be 9.7km instead of 10km). I held a pretty good pace throughout the first run, and tried to save some energy for the remainder of the race. At a little more than 42mins, I was in transition.
A quick transition, probably because I had some 'pressure' - a film crew was filming my transition...thank God I didn't screw up...since I have a knack of doing that.
I was sporting my tri-bike for the first time, and so this would be a 'test' of sorts, since I am in the process of dialling in my settings. The bike was were all the action was. From tricycles, to families crossing the road, to ignorant bystanders, and oh...to a 'taong grasa' who decided to drunkenly walk across the road and plant himself in the middle of the street. Good Lord...this was THE WILDEST bike ride I have ever been in...and all of this happened in just over an hour.
I was so glad to be entering transition, knowing that I was safe. Usually, I dread T2..since it means the run is coming up...but in this case, I couldn't be happier.
Off to the 2nd run I was. Early into the 2nd run, I caught elite runner John Lozada who appeared to be cramping up. I maintained a steady pace throughout, and as I turned off into the finishing chute, Meyo Rodriguez (who dropped me with 2km left at WhiteRock) ran up beside me. He was gracious enough not to sprint me, as we crossed the finish line together in 2:18 and change.
Whew! That was tiring, in a different way. Dodgeball meets duathlon...that's what it was.
On a side note, I'd like to make a plea to the race organizers - Let the age groupers race AS age groupers, and let the Pros race AS pros. They are in a different league...there is no doubt about that.
Happy Holidays!
Anyhoo, after the race I chatted with Tad Manas, one of the race organizers after and he shared the same sentiment, and promised never again to hold the race there. It was just downright dangerous. Thank God nobody got hurt.
Now to the actual race report:
The race was an Olympic-distance Duathlon, which consisted of a 10k run, followed by a 40km bike and a 5k run. I seriously didn't have any speed in my legs since I've been focusing more on building endurance rather than speed. My plan was simple - 'Piolo pace' for the first 10k, a decent bike, and whatever I had left for the last 5k.
As soon as the gun went off, a lot of eager beavers floored it. I tried to keep my cool and settle into a pace. At around 2km in, I finally settled with a group of 4. They eventually dropped out and I found myself running with Josh from Sunkist for the next few kilometers. The run was flat, and consisted of 2 loops (which I later verified to be 9.7km instead of 10km). I held a pretty good pace throughout the first run, and tried to save some energy for the remainder of the race. At a little more than 42mins, I was in transition.
A quick transition, probably because I had some 'pressure' - a film crew was filming my transition...thank God I didn't screw up...since I have a knack of doing that.
I was sporting my tri-bike for the first time, and so this would be a 'test' of sorts, since I am in the process of dialling in my settings. The bike was were all the action was. From tricycles, to families crossing the road, to ignorant bystanders, and oh...to a 'taong grasa' who decided to drunkenly walk across the road and plant himself in the middle of the street. Good Lord...this was THE WILDEST bike ride I have ever been in...and all of this happened in just over an hour.
I was so glad to be entering transition, knowing that I was safe. Usually, I dread T2..since it means the run is coming up...but in this case, I couldn't be happier.
Off to the 2nd run I was. Early into the 2nd run, I caught elite runner John Lozada who appeared to be cramping up. I maintained a steady pace throughout, and as I turned off into the finishing chute, Meyo Rodriguez (who dropped me with 2km left at WhiteRock) ran up beside me. He was gracious enough not to sprint me, as we crossed the finish line together in 2:18 and change.
Whew! That was tiring, in a different way. Dodgeball meets duathlon...that's what it was.
On a side note, I'd like to make a plea to the race organizers - Let the age groupers race AS age groupers, and let the Pros race AS pros. They are in a different league...there is no doubt about that.
Happy Holidays!
