Philippine Duathlon Series – Leg 1 Race Review

Me Biking to Work for almost everyday for half year now.

For months, I’ve been so excited to try duathlon, so yesterday July 14, 2013 it finally happened and it was all a lot of fun, fitness to the highest level and something new learn and I had a fair share of newbie mistakes. I will tell you all on this write up, I’m in a way embarrassed but I will share it anyway and here it goes. I already prepared my race bag 2 days ago and it’s all packed but at the last minute I didn’t know what came to my mind I took out my race kit (the sticker with the number for bike and helmet and race bib) just to double check my race gears because it is the first thing that you will see when you open my bag and when we leave I wasn’t able to put it back and eventually forgot about it, excitement is killing me and I never noticed it until we arrived at the parking area at Filinvest City, Alabang already.

The Bike Transition Area

At that time, I started to get sad and upset thinking that I might not be able to run my first ever duathlon that I paid Php1,200.00 for the early bird registration and that I am on the sideline watching my friends race but I didn’t give up I had to go to the registration booth still and talk to the organizers and the good thing is that there is this timing chip for all athletes registered and it is uniquely given to each athlete only under his/her name so I was told to go to the marker line and then get the chip and I had to come back for a temporary race bib number. At that time, I was back on track, my first duathlon is still a dream come true. I came back to my friends and told them to get their timing chips and get marked with the marker boys.

Me and my Mizuno running shoes and first ankle chip for Duathlon

The next newbie mistake that we did next is we are waiting for each other to get marked and get the race shirt then proceed to the transition area where in we are surprised because at the transition area it is already marked and it is your own spot so it took us time again to set it up and hurriedly go to starting line.

Me and Jep at the last waive and the last athlete to start the race. Haha!

Me and Jep however need to pee so we had to file up with other athletes and it’s like a blockbuster hit movie at the line and it cost us minutes. We also didn’t mind the wave we are in because we really need to pee so another newbie mistake is we waited for the 3rd waive hoping that’s our age category but there is no more 3rd waive, so we are the last to start. Simply to say we are not listening to the race director during the briefing, haha.

Me and Jep lining up to get our race shirt. Look at the back who’s that celebrity? 

The 6KM Run leg.

Game face on. It’s the run leg and the first 6 kilometers. The race route is a 3 kilometer stretch with 1.5KM U-turn so making it 2 laps on the run and so I sprinted my ass off to catch up and to shave those wasted 15 minutes for waiting the 2nd waive gun start (not our age category, haha). I finished strong on the run leg and here I met my running friends and familiar faces like Ivan Mayrina, Coach Mherlz and Kuya John Base.

The GMA 7 News Anchors duing it too!

Kuya John Base happened to overrun himself doing almost 3 laps on the run and so I stop him and said to go back already and go to transition area for the bike leg, he is strong runner and cyclist no doubt about that but that mistake that he did take a toll on him, met many second winds and cramps on the legs, but he said seeing his mom, son and nephew made him not to quit so he still finished strong. That’s the spirit Kuya John we live the Rosarian spirit and we both finished strong without any injury.

The 30KM Bike Leg. (5K x 6 Laps)

The Transition Area and Terrenz (The Kalongkong Hybrid Bike)

During my last 500 meters off the run I can now see the Elite group on the bike so I kinda itching to ride my bike already but before that I am kinda observing the riders and the course so that I will have idea on how to attack it. So on my way to the transition, I didn’t wasted any time and good thing about a non-cleat pedals is I have no worries changing shoes I just have to grab my helmet, put it on, wear my gloves, shades and run my back to the bike mount area, it is still early and not that sunny yet so I had to leave my shades at my transition basket and plus I’m not get used to wearing eye shades on the ride I wanted to see everything on the road coming in and out, side by side. I am a defensive driver that’s why.

My bike at the transition area. Look at the back of my bike, it’s the fat bike. Good luck with that.

While still running holding my bike to the mount area or they call this “brick” I can’t wait to ride and start kicking when I do I wasted no time pedal to my top speed, good thing my hybrid bike is setup to match any road bike so I kinda no speed limit out there, I love the cornering, uphill, flats and the asphalt. It was a smooth run for me and I can’t explain enough how strong I am pedaling that I had to overrun those in front of me and with due respect I can’t count how many riders I passed by. The good thing about me biking to work is that the bike portion is a piece of cake to me, I didn’t mind gear shifting I stayed on the high gears even on the uphills and cornering.

Photo Courtesy of Anna Mapua

I feel the adrenaline to push and push myself to the limits and I know I can still go on and on and on. It was like a fun ride with speed for me because it was really a friendly competition. It was a drafting race but I didn’t had to draft what I did is break away all the way baby that I found myself racing with the elites. I kinda can still push it because I haven’t stand pedaling on my bike.

This is the time where I said to my self chanting while counting every riders that I pass, “It’s not the Bike, it’s the rider”. Sweet isn’t it, one of my goal when I set up my hybrid cross country bike is to smoke highly priced bike of some sort haha which I made so far but I still have respect to sky rocket speed roadies it so happen that I get used to pedal to the metal. Imagine this, I started bike to work for almost half a year now. Yes, that’s right I am going to my office riding my bike and it was a total of 50KM back and forth. I now live in Montalban, Rizal and I work to Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City.
The Last 3KM run leg and final run.

After a long 6 laps to complete a 30KM run, I exceeded like 10 meters because instead of going straight I turn right again so I had to go back a little to exit at the bike transition. At the bike transition, I didn’t waste no time removing my helmet, gloves and rack my bike. No worries again in changing shoes as I am not wearing cleat shoes. At first, it was hard to run because my legs are cramping on both legs and it was about to give out but I refused. I managed to continuously run it going to the race route and tried to shake it off by doing a race-walk-run ratio until I reach the uphill part of the first 1.5KM here I am almost taking up shower  by getting 2 cups of cold water and splashes it on my body and unto my head. It felt refreshing, energized again and my adrenaline got some needed boosts so I run hard and fast get past the U-turn and then paced myself for the home stretched speeding to the finish line.

I surrendered my timing chip, get my medal, get some freebies (Multisport mag, Nature Coco sugar, wheat grass etc.) and get my lunch and hid back to the transition area to get my camera and wait for my friends at the starting chute. Overall experience, awesome! The bike route is smooth and I really loved it, the water station is enough during the run leg and through crowded on the bike run but I was able to manage overtaking one rider at a time I actually overrun my friends/team mates once or twice but sad to say I couldn’t make it on top because of that false start. I didn’t started on the first wave but that’s okay, we all said, now we know the next time it will be easier for us to manage the bike transition and the rest. We are happy to go home and swear to join the next leg and finish this series.
Thanks Sir Thumbie Remegio and Team Adrenaline Multisport and to the sponsors. I love the shirt, the route, the race, new duathlete friends. Special mention to Sir Edilbert Pineda for cheering out so loudly, to Jennelyn Abelarde and Charlene for the pictures. To my teammates/friends Edward, Jep and JahnJ congratulations for finishing the race strong and for sure we will do it again next leg so better watch out. Over and Out! Boom!