2008 Philippine Duathlon Open

Reality checks can be bitter sweet at times. After this weekend’s race in the Philippines, I have a double feeling about my performance. On the one hand, I’m extremely pleased with my run performance. On the other hand, I’m a bit disappointed with my sixth place position, but in all honesty I’m being too hard for myself. I was beaten by five national athletes. What do you expect?

I knew that if I wanted to have a shot at winning the race, I would have to run a very good first 10 km. And that’s what I did, but to my surprise, athletes who I had beaten before, were able to follow the tempo. We had to run four two-and-half km laps. The first two laps were led by another competitor and the eventual winner Catiil, but gradually I started catching them and for the last lap-and-a-half I more or less dictated the tempo. At all times, I felt very comfortable, although I did pick up a slight strain in my left hamstring. I decided to continue as I felt it wasn’t serious enough to quit. I finished the first 10 km run in 33:29, a few seconds behind the other three of the leading group. I did not sprint into transition as the others did, as that usually just blows up in your face later on in the race.

I did not have a bad bike, but still I struggled. I don’t have the explosiveness to keep up with any decent cyclist. I don’t have any training partners and I knew before the race this was going to be my biggest weakness. It was also an undulating course, which is the kind of course I am totally not suited for. It’s either flats or monstrous mountains, but anything in between I struggle on. Three more guys passed me on the bike, but my aim was to catch them on the second run. I saw them running when I entered transition after 1:09:34 on the bike.

What can I say about my second run? With a strained right hamstring I pulled a fantastic 17:03 off the bike for the last 5 km run. And still, I only managed to catch one guy, so I finished 6th overall. I just wasn’t able to beat the two hour mark, as I finished in 2:00:06.

The ambiguous feelings I have stem from the fact that if I were to be stronger on the bike, I could actually compete for a podium place in a race like Powerman. Nevertheless, the reality is that I can’t enjoy the luxuries of proper training partners, full-time commitment to the sport, on site professional coaches, etc.

This does not take away the amazing performance of the Filipino national team. They did a wonderful job and some of their athletes have improved tremendously. If the SEA Games were to be held today, the podium would be all Filipino. They don’t just have one Ryan Mendoza, they have four or five of them running around, and all of them are in their early twenties. A 16-year-old, who competed and won in the sprint category, managed a 16:32 for the first 5 km run.

I was hugely impressed by the commitment and professionalism of the Filipino Triathlon association. They have a proper system in place, backed up by an excellent coaching team. In the years to come, this South East Asian country could become one of the leaders in Asia’s multi-sport scene.

I would like to thank the Triathlon Association of the Philippines for inviting me to the race and taking care of my accommodation in Clark and Manila. A special mention goes to Mr. Carrasco and Rick Reyes, who invited me to stay at his home for my last night in Manila. Thank you for your generosity and hospitality.