Cobra Ironman 70.3 Cebu Phillipines 2017

​One of the toughest yet most enjoyable 70.3

Time and time again, I overcome my indolence to face head-on yet another 70.3. I quite enjoy the stubbornness of the human mind in the way it is willing to subject itself to many weeks of suffering, and a few hours of sheer grit for a measly piece of metal, and a priceless memory of running over the finishing line.

VIDEO: Cebu 01 - Cebu here we come!




Preparation

The decision was certainly made easier having a group of good kakis pushing oneself. Very soon after the euphoria of Busselton, the groups started pushing again. Gingerly I joined the Wednesday night cycling sessions, throwing myself into a Kong Wan concussion mode, hanging on with gasping lungs behind Lucas Lee our sifu.
Collectively, a group of us who have been thus trained by Lucas, our Singapore's National Cyclist representing us in SEA Games 2017, have made improvements by leaps and bounds and are indebted to the tireless pulling by our Sifu every Wednesday night.  Our sincere appreciation to Lucas!

With our Sifu Lucas. [Photo: Kong Wan]

For myself, in additional to the Wednesday training by Lucas, I have the fortune of being pushed by Kai Sing on Saturday mornings for our modified Eastern Loop, not being able to join the big group of the fuller loop due to work.  My gratitude to Kai Sing for all his hard work!

Preparing for Cebu 2017 was a little different.

"What is the main difference in your training for Cebu?" asked Charles.

To which my answer was- plenty of weights and strength training, with constant advice from Kai Sing.

"Take your Creatine!" reminded Francis repeatedly.

"Yah Creatine is very importantly. Let you push really hard," affirmed Darric.

Strategies

After doing several races, I think it was time I grew a little smarter and wiser in my approach. I was resigned to the fate that I would never be a fast swimmer nor a fast runner. But just be a steady-paced participant.

Thus for Cebu, I was determined to really enjoy it. Many an article I read expounded the importance of being in a relaxed mood days before the race, feeling happy, and getting into the 'zone' during the run leg. Almost zen-like was this approach. I was just going to adopt a twist to my strategy this round.

As the weeks drew nearer, I saw with joy all my friends improving week by week on their Stravas. Ann Kheen was pushing his own boundaries and Charles was becoming a monster with his SeaMonsta-drilled swims, with Kong Wan strongly side by side in the water. Jemmy was doing superhuman 3 minutes pace on his runs. Darric and his regular 5am runs was an inspiration. Gerard peaked in very little time and took up his usual position as the sprinter on the bike, launching himself powerfully towards the finishing line during training, with PL not far behind.

The seasoned competitors Cyrus, William, Stella were already doing ultra distances and this Cebu was merely part of their training for their FIM shortly.

Raymond was training really hard every time his head popped out from the sea and when not busy brewing coffee, as could be seen from his strava.

Francis and I were contented to be the slow-twitchers in the group and we continued our slow-twitching lead-ups to the event.

Plagued by injuries

"... once injured, from there it's downhill all the way.." jokingly complained Gerard.

Age was never an advantage when it came to recovery. We all had our fair share of training injuries, some mild others bad enough to prevent training. Chronologically-challenged tendons and bones made pain a constant companion for many of us. Protein powders, glucosamine and anti-inflammatories might mitigate it a little, however full healing was a rarity. Mine own ankle and knee injuries were happily chugging along. I had accepted them as part of my life, sadly.

"Everyone ok? No injuries right?" was Charles' oft-repeated query after every training.

Looking around me on D-2 day, I saw battle-hardened comrades limping to the airport. Such admirable spirit.

Leading up to Changi Airport...

We were fortunate to have Charles and Elaine do the recce-ing.

Charles and Elaine volunteered as our advance party to arrive a day earlier and were already acquiring gears and attire for the group in huge orders at the Shangri-la MacTan Expo.

Raymond was in Cebu earlier to explore the dive spots.

The Telegram chat group exploded into a cacophony of comments the couple of days before as adrenaline started to surge, with Jemmy posting photos after photos of Guinness stout.

"Jiaklat.. the screw on my bike tube was worn out. I cannot dissemble the bike. Have to bring it to the bike shop..." sighed Gerard.

"The Velcro on my arm rest got torn out... luckily Bike and bites had replacement, needn't use super glue," a relieved Cyrus posted.

"Whole day my heart kept beating irregularly," wondered Stella.

Cyrus, Joe and Stella getting ready for their flight. [Photo: Cyrus]

My heart was beating irregularly too the whole day before departure, albeit perhaps in anticipation of a different set of excitement - Charles' acquisition of some sweetness at the Expo on my behalf.

"Aiyah, I only charged my Di2 a bit. But don't care lah. Pack the bike first," decided Kong Wan.

Raymond and Charles, the advance party checking out the Expo first! [Photo: Charles]

Finally...

VIDEO: Cebu 02 - Arriving at Shangri-la & Athletes check-in
 
Friday 4th August 2017. The 9am flight on Silk Air provided us with some well-needed sleep en route.

"It's going to be a nice holiday!" laughed Wai Meng. Haiyah... this Wai Meng ah, he flipped roti-prata one time too many liao lah.

My new-found friend Chua Boon Keat on board the flight.

"I am never going to use Grab any more!" angrily declared Darric upon arrival at Changi. He was stood up by a Grab Premium Cab on that morning for his transport to Changi airport.

I was very happy to be seated beside a real nice gentleman Chua Boon Keat, who was doing his 70.3 once again after a long hiatus, this time round with a colleague of his Lim Poh Chuan, and another couple of more friends.  Time and time again at the Expo and during the preparation we would meet, and would share many an encouragement.  Through him, I learned that the hotel that they were staying in, The Movenpick, was actually really not far - about 400m away by foot.

This time round I was pleasantly surprised by a very nice and airconditioned transit area in Davao.  Last year Serene and I had to be squeezed into a highly crowded small little transition room with thousands of others and it wasn't even air-conditioned.  Hmmm... Didn't know what Gerard was saying..

The very nice short transit in Davao

 "I am going to party the whole night at Shangri-la!" declared a fully floral-decked Viena during our breakfast.

Cyrus, William and Stella were on a later flight.

"By the time we booked our flights, Silk Air was full. So we are flying Scoot," said Cyrus, who was going on the 10:45am flight.

Cebu~ Lapu-Lapu City

Strongly supported by Paige and Portia.

Our bike cases waiting...

Transit at Davao was a breeze, a designated 40 minutes transit that was in reality most likely less than half an hour. Just nice for a pee. And this time round the transit area was air-conditioned with air-bridge access! What a pleasant way to start our trip.

There was no time difference. That made things so much easier. Once again the warm Cebuano sun opened its arm in welcome of us. Those of us with the official hotels had the very efficient staff right there ushering us up the coach and having our bike cases and luggage taken care of.

"Luckily it wasn't difficult to grab a taxi van. And it wasn't expensive. Two of us in one van with both our bike cases and luggage, and we made it to Movenpick... through the traffic jam," my newly made friend Boon Keat told me later.

The Cebu traffic jam

The notorious Cebu traffic jam made the 50mins start stop drive to Shangri-la MacTan a nice chance to sleep.

"5km in 50 minutes? I think run there also faster," one of us joked.

"The jam here is terrible," announced Cyrus when he, Joe and Stella arrived a couple of hours later.

Gerard must be happy to have the new orangey Pinoy Race Back Pack.

Kong Wan was lucky. He got a nice lady serving him for registration.  I got a s(he).

Happy was I to have arrived so much earlier this round.  Being my lazy self, I'd always enjoyed staying at the organising hotel.  The luxury of checking into our rooms at 5pm allowed us a leisurely athletes check-in before they closed at 6pm. The Expo was bustling. And long-legged Pinay were manning the Cobra and telecom booths.

Chua Boon Keat and Lim Poh Chuan making their way to the Expo 7 early 8 early too.  They were really humble cos
their eventual timings were superb.

Athlete check-in & Pre-race Carbo loading dinner

Jemmy, Ann Kheen and Kong Wan showing the way.

Pinoy flamboyance oozed from the orange race back pack and the black participant T-shirt was elegant.  Such a breeze was the whole process, including the (almost) usual assistance from several lovely adam-appled ladies, up to the arms and calves inking process.  I was left with even time to walk through the expo a little.

This Pinoy boy was very cute. Almost inked my right arm with the numbers upside-down.

"Let's meet at the lobby at 6:30pm for the Pre-race dinner."

The usual Pinoy partying during the Pre-Race Carbo loading dinner.

This year's spouse ticket for the Pre-race dinner was cheaper, at 1100 pesos (S$29).  The food was similar - thickly fat-padded pork belly, chicken, pasta, salad (that seemed to run out forever), and sweet pineapple and watermelon.  The only difference was, this year's dinner had no crispy skin lechon.

Elaine, Viena, Serene, Wendy and Jemmy stormed the dance floor.

The wives and Jemmy threw away whatever little inhibition they had and entertained not only ourselves but all the professional ironmen and the participants by dancing with the performing dancers.  Especially gyrating right up on the stage was our very own Jemmy.  He was truly the highlight of the night.

"What time are you all going to do the test ride tomorrow?" asked Raymond, who stayed about 400m away in another hotel.

"Let's plan to set out at 6am tomorrow morning for the test ride, because sunrise is at 5:30am.  Then after that we can come back from breakfast and then go for the test swim which opens at 9am," suggested Gerard.

Rolling his eyes, Raymond reluctantly agreed. 

The boys and girls were really damn energetic, and they hung out for a couple of drinks after dinner, after they all set up their bikes.  For some strange reasons, I had lots of difficulty getting my front cable correct and ended up dismantling and re-assembling the cockpit many times with text message help from Zhongxuan. 

Test ride, D-1 Day
5th August 2017

Gerard's TTiR with the Enve 8.9 was the foreground highlight in this shot of us getting ready in Shangri-la.

Sleep in the luxurious Shangri-la was really easy. The huge and comfortable bed afforded my jittery nerves a great degree of soothing. Daybreak at 5:30am in Lapu-Lapu City, alien as it was to our body clocks accustomed to more of a 6:45am first light back home.

"Don't wake me up for the ride.  I am going to have a good sleep," Jemmy announced the night before, after expending himself dancing on stage.

Click to enlarge

Right at the beginning our test ride was hit by a tyre puncture right out of Shangri-la.  Attempt to cycle through the run route came to an abrupt end.  The children's triathlon was being held and we made a U-turn and tried cycling the other direction.  I was confused.  So were Francis and those of us behind.

3km into the ride, the point men called it a day and announced an exercise cut.  But it was good enough, the bicycles had been tested and everything was in order.


VIDEO: Cebu 03 - Pre-race day Test ride & Test swim

Test swim

Our ardent supporters at breakfast.

"Let's meet at 9:30am at the lobby to walk down to the test swim"

Extreme left was William, Ann Kheen's long-lost classmate.  All admiring the AWA swim cap.

Francis must have been really tickling... that Gerard laughed himself crazy.

Some man are simply sexier than others.

I have forgotten how warm and clear the waters of Cebu were.  Oh this day we could look straight down onto the seabed, and I saw fishes and even a blue starfish.  Everyone was satisfied and highly reassured by the quality of the waters.

Gerard swam towards the left buoy and back again.  And Charles did a greater part of the return swim leh just to test out the current.  All were in great order.  

Jumping off the platform, Francis and I tested part of the return leg, and in all honestly we found no resistance in the water.  I personally didn't even experience the choppy waves that I felt last year that gave me a spell of giddiness.  It felt like I was, in Fann's own words, 'floating in my mother's womb'. A sensation that accorded a degree of comfort and confidence towards the actual swim the next day.

A panorama by Serene

There wasn't a single non-smiling face emerging from the water.  Our spirits were high. The bicycles were A-ok, and the water was good.

"I noticed you tend to pull a lot.  Don't need to pull hard.  Conserve your energy.  Exert to push from the hip downwards instead," Gerard's words resonated in my head.

The bunch of happy faces.  Really happy one.  No bluff. [Photo: Serene]

Sighting was not an issue.  The abundant sun and contrasty surrounding brought out the hues of the buoys.  Memories came surging.  The unique thing about this clock-wise swim course was, the numerous small yellow buoys linked by continuous rope ran from the beginning to the end of the swim course.  We just needed to follow the rope and we would need minimal sighting.

Darric was totally pleased with the swim

"Were you able to do navigation underwater with the seabed ripples and such?" I asked Kong Wan.

"No leh.. There were no ripples, and the rocks at the bottom didn't lend well to navigation," replied Kong Wan.

So.. looked like it was back to following the ropes then.

Photo : Serene

"Cebu swim is still the best!" I declared coming out of the water.

Lunch at the Chinese restaurant

The conditions were perfect for a swim leg.  And if anyone were to be doing it for the first time, this would be a reassuring swim.
Walking back, we met Wai Meng and Stella at the athlete briefing area.
Stella had just cycled the 5km from EGI Resort to Shangri-la and was, from what Wai Meng described, 'So poor thing, sitting looking lost on the kerb side waiting...'.
At least we were glad that China number one had a room to store her bike while she attended the briefing and had some simple snack.

Sweet Varn Varn Viena (aka Mrs AWA) testing out the Bambino Pro.

Expo

If anyone were to ask me, I would say Cebu's Expo was the best and most well-stocked and well-boothed.  Every corner we turned we were inundated with participants eagerly checking out the merchandise.  Many were at superb discount and importantly one could find items here that was totally out of stock else where in the world.

I had so much difficulty trying to procure a pair of  Specialised Tri-Vent Tri shoes but Charles was able to grab one pair of the exact highly-coveted red-black TriVent at 9200 peso (a good price) on the first day of the Expo for me.  And I topped that up with another of the same pair just so that I would be safe for a long time more to come.

The Hoka booth

I knew as a fact that I would be getting a couple of pairs of Hoka One One running shoes in Cebu because I knew they were having a booth there.  And fortunate were Serene and I for the latest models Clifton 4 were available and had sizes for us.  Sadly on the second day of the Expo the bigger sizes were out of stock, and Darric and Kong Wan could not get theirs.

"The price here is good leh," said Darric.  Disappointed that they didn't have his size.

"Should I be getting two pairs?" I asked Wai Meng.

"Siao lah! No need. You go check online and see got slightly bigger size than the US8.5 for you.  I suspect you need US size 9," advised Wai Meng.

Bike check-in

Even the bike check-in was a happy event here in Cebu.  We decided that 3pm was an ideal time to check in our bike, to avoid having to do last minute checking-in and paying the US$100 late check-in penalty.  The cut off time for bike check-in was 4pm.  I remembered at that time there were still people sauntering from afar towards the transition area for their check-in.  There was a group of Hong Kongers who apparently arrived late via plane and were scrambling to assemble their bikes along the corridors of the hotel and rushing to do their check-ins, even as we were returning to our room past 4pm.  What a way to start their event for them!

The bike check-in mug shot

Cebu was the only race (that I have gone to) that required a photo of the participant and bike to be taken and recorded in the computer.  Great security.

Charles has always wanted to pose like this. [Photo: Ann Kheen]

Jemmy wondering how to get in and out of transition faster.

"My wheel cannot be slotted into the wooden slot," said Gerard.  And the marshall very quickly gave him another transition box down the line.  Efficient!

"Ok when we run in from Swim in, the first tree we come to, we turn right into row Q," instructed a very meticulous Kong Wan. "Then we keep going and look to the right and take dressing from the tent afar."

Damn good lah, Kong Wan.  He made identifying our transition boxes so much easier.



VIDEO: Cebu 04 - Expo & Bike check-in


Meanwhile at 3pm something, the team's order of fresh Cebuano mango came into the hotel lobby for collection.

Collecting the mangoes. [Photo: PL]

That afternoon, a very concerned Wai Meng came to my room and took many detail looks at my run and my old Hoka One One Conquest 2.  With a frown, he said:

"I think you better throw your old running shoes away.  It's so heavy and your heel toe is too high.  You will be forced to run on the balls of your feet."

After a long long analysis and discussion, he instructed me to just use the new pair of Hoka Clifton 4, despite being a brand new pair, because I had little other choice - my old pair was going to weigh me down, and with my poor running performance, the only way I could gain some last minute advantage was to ditch the old ones.
Wai Meng even taught me how to tie my shoe laces so that they will never get undone.
Man, talking about eleventh-hour coaching!  I strongly believed Wai Meng saved my life on this day.


D-Day : RACE DAY!!!
6th August 2017

3:30am.  Usual time to wake up.  I have started learning to practise listening to music to calm the nerves first thing in the morning.

With my barang barangs to breakfast and then straight to preparation of transition.

As customary, Viena very nicely made herself available at 4am to take photos for us at breakfast before making her way back to the warm comfort of her bed.

Breakfast! [Photo: Viena]

There was no rain the night before.  And all our carefully-covered bikes remained dry.

Photo: Kong Wan

 
VIDEO: Cebu 05 - Race Day! Swim leg


5:50am.  Getting ready to walk over to the starting point as the Age Grouper wave off was scheduled at 6:30am.  Pinoys and Ang Mohs of all shapes and sizes were pushing towards the pents.  Our strategy was simple - just go all the way to the front 30 minutes pent because last year in the back of the waves there were too many breast strokers and we had to fight really hard.

Photo: Serene

Photo: Serene

The morning sun was warm, and the water surface appeared calm.  All conditions were good.  Only the mass of sweaty bodies squashing against us made it really stuffy.

Photo: Serene

Cyrus, Stella, William, Joe and Raymond were nowhere to be found.  They must have made their ways slowly and have been lost in the human mass.

[Photo: Serene]

[Photo: Serene]

There was a power cut right at the beginning and we lost the usual horn that signified the start.  It was a quiet start for the pros as they were waved off silently.  Luckily when our turns came the power came right back and we were let off in groups of threes by an electrical beep intervalled at several seconds.  This rolling wave start was not bad, in my opinion, but just that it tended to create a real dense mass of swimmers in the waters.

Wave off! Kong Wan right in the picture [Photo: Facebook ShutterSpeed]

My initial plan of wanting to swim with a steady rhythm while humming my favourite song was hurled out of the chimney the moment I hit the water.  I had forgotten how aggressive and powerful the Pinoys were known for.

They may not rank up there in general population swimming speed, like some Ang Moh countries, but when it came to ferocity, they lost out to none.  The front crawlers, both men and women, even those with sexy long legs, full rounded behinds and slim waists would hesitate little to slam their hands upon men of bigger built and claw their way forward stroke by stroke.

One of the most stylish shots of our swimming Stella by ShutterSpeed.

Up till this day I still maintained that this was my hardest-fought swim.  

"Normally in a swim leg, you will have a lot of people in the beginning and then as you swim everyone will start to space out and the crowd will thin out. But here there wasn't. The swimmers were together all the way," complained Jemmy.

I echoed his sentiments. Literally I was fighting on the left and right from the beginning till the end of the swim. Even fighting with those in front and behind me. I was constantly surrounded by swimmer who were out for my jugular.

Ann Kheen doing the post-swim-run the most correct way - REALLY RUN! [Photo: Salt Fin]

The ropes wth the yellow buoy marking the swim route were on our right side as we swam.  And the narrow little space beside the continuous rope was the most sought-after real estate in the water on this day and any time I inched near the ropes, I would be grasped at and clawed.  I kept looking at my watch to make sure no one kicked it off my wrist from its twistable bike mount.

Suddenly a girl kicked me in my goggles and my left side started becoming submarined with water.  The marauding crowd surrounding me made me decide that I could live with mono-vision for the time being and continued for a long distance more.

"I just kept away from the ropes," said Gerard after the race. "There were so many people around the buoys."

Jemmy showing the James Bond way of posing for the camera straight out of the water. [Photo: Salt Fin]

I totally lost my sense of rhythm, an important element on the swim leg, as I surged and slowed battle after battle.  In my mind I was gleefully thanking my lucky stars that I was finally drafting behind people for a long distance.

But stupidly I did not realise that the ones in front were not having a swell time themselves.  Unbeknown to us, the undercurrent was very strong on the return leg, i.e. after the U turn on the left side.  That 850m stretch was head-current all the way.  

Cyrus taking 10 minutes off Stella's swim time. [Photo: Salt Fin]

I was too focussed on pushing swimmers away that I must have failed to feel the resistance, expending much energy in the process.

"Wah lau.. when I made the right turn, the current actually pinned me against the big buoy," recalled Kong Wan retrospectively.

He was correct.  I remembered at the end of the 850m stretch parallel to the shore, when I had to turn right, I kept being entangled in the deep ropes anchored from the big buoys to the seabed.  Now thinking back I could understand this was all because of the strong current.

I remembered seeing a diver staring up at me from beneath one of these big buoys.  It was after the race that we learned that a 47 year old Pinoy man actually suffered a heart attack and sank like a rock during the swim leg and had to be fished out by these divers. The poor man eventually didn't make it.

Joe and Raymond emerging together! They must have swum hand in hand. [Photo: Salt Fin]

The home stretch back towards shore was really hard, this being that stretch when I felt the current most.  Here the swimmer finally fanned out a little and I had none to draft behind, and the impact of the current hit me full in the face.  The end was there but it was hard to progress.  I believed it was also here that I may have zig-zagged a bit, leading to a final swim distance of 2300m for me- a crazy swim.

"Wah lau.. this swim I was so slow! Some more I got train for the swim one, not that I never train ok!" Said Darric.

"I am shocked to see my swim time so slow," complained Raymond later after the race.

"I'm sure I swam more than 2300m!" mulled a puzzled Cyrus much later.  At least there was someone who swam the same distance as me.

"I was straight like an arrow.  My swim distance was 2000m," a happy Jemmy announced. 

Me and Kong emerging together. My eyes were so deeply imprinted by a pair of goggles kicked in by a strong Pinoy swimmer. [Photo: Salt Fin]

Running out onto the shore, I heard someone calling me on my left.  It was Kong Wan. What? We finished the swim together?

I took a glance at my watch and it read 1 hour 07 minutes.

"WTF!" I said to Kong Wan, who responded with an equally puzzled look.

We swam so poorly meh?  Cannot be leh. More than one hour leh!

Gerard wondering what happened to his watch timing. [Photo: Salt Fin]

It turned out that our watches were correct.  This one one helluva tough swim.  And everyone suffered.  Even Jemmy and Ann Khee , our competitive swimmers, swam one of their worst timings.

"Hah nor! They all lah. Don't know how they choose one. It is full moon on race day, when the tides are going to be the strongest, but the organizers insisted that it is five days away from full moon," complained Kong Wan afterwards.

They had to extend the swim leg for another 20 minutes to compensate for the strong current. But despite that, there were many behind who had to DNF.

I remembered one article that I read that emphasized on not running but merely jogging into T1, saving the legs. Winded as I was, I slowly made my way side by side with Kong Wan.

Coming into T1 I caught a glance of Gerard putting on his cycling shoes.  Kong Wan plonked himself on the floor and started changing into his cycling attires.  I could not, through my sheer tiredness, find the rest of the boys and girls. 

I pushed the bike and ran off. This year luckily there wasn't a jam at the Ride Out exit.  There were still quite a numbers of bikes in T1. That possibly explained why.  I must have escaped the traffic jam.


VIDEO: Cebu 06 - Transition one and cycle away!

Getting out of T1 was a breeze but I totally forgot that right out if T1 is an upslope. Jiaklat. I hopped onto my bike and the next thing the right shoes fell off the pedal!  One of the marshalls called out to me to be careful. I had no choice but to hold onto my bike and pushed back to retrieve my shoes and wore it and mount. Silly.  There went my stylish Out-of-T1 photo.

Cycle Leg

Jemmy negotiating the upslope and downslope right out of T1. [Photo: Sherrie]

The road out of T1, the M L Quezon National Highway (which in every practical aspect was jut a small kampong road) had quite poor road conditions- uneven ground especially towards the edge of the road.  I kept as much as I could away from the side of the road.  But since the first part of my ride leg I was lucky to be doing a bit of over-taking, I was on the left (over-taking) lane quite a bit.

Charles forgot to flip his Visor down, right out of T1. [Photo: Sherrie]

Kong Wan demonstrating how to cycle up the upslope immediately out of T1
without dropping the cycling shoes. [Photo: Official FinishePix]

My thighs weren't really warmed up yet.  I couldn't push my speed up and I resorted to just spinning and trying to bring my stubborn heart rate down.  I managed to maintain an average speed of about 30km/h up till Mactan Bridge.

Ann Kheen down the MacTan Bridge. [Photo: Reynan Opada]

 Now that I begun to settle into the bike, the effects of the swim started creeping in.  The bike leg for me had traditionally been a time for reckoning.  The adrenaline rush before and after the swim would have worn off, leaving me with  two-thirds (if I am lucky, three-quarter) of my petrol tank.  I have learned to follow what many long distance triathletes do: the bike leg is the time to settle down and start feeding yourself.  My standard therapy was 400 Calories of gels an hour, and about one litre of either plain water or isotonic drinks an hour.  This has served me well for all my races.

Stella taking getting ready to overtake a train in front of her. [Photo: Reynan Opada]

I have often marvelled how my other much fitter friends like Ann Kheen and Stella survived with minimal nutrition for a 70.3 race.  Ann Kheen himself would consumed not more than 4 gels (total of 400 Calories) for the whole race.  That, to me, was a feat in itself.  I couldn't.  I would bonk.

Darric showing the Ang Moh in front his real colours. [Photo: Salt Fin]

The MacTan bridge came, 10km into the ride.  It was no longer as formidable as it seemed compared to my first race in Cebu last year.  This year with myself on the TTiR I was a little more confident and was ready for all the notorious  headwinds of Cebu.  But for MacTan bridge, I knew my strategies.  I started changing down my gears and slow down to about 11km/h, keeping a close eye on my power meter, while around me many cyclists were mashing their way up the steep upslope, frantically panting, their bikes creaking beneath them under the force of their pedalling.  I have learned from Ann Kheen to just relax and let them go, while I focussed on not flooding my thighs. This is merely the beginning.  There were more milestones to cover.  

Kong Wan spotting the Sky Team's midline stripe Bambino, a model that gives free watttage. [Photo: Reynan Opada]

A left turn after the MacTan bridge and I found myself lost in my own panting along Ouano Road.  This year we were kinda lucky.  The headwind was definitely not as strong as the previous year, perhaps in someway Upstair's consolation for dishing us a punishing swim leg.  I settled into a nice rhythm, and a nice speed around 28-29km/h with the resistance from the wind, making myself as small as possible in the headwind out towards Talisay.  I was lucky this year, the part with the upslope and headwind only brought my speed down to the mid-teens instead of the sub-teens during last year's race.

Cyrus in one of his stylish turn. [Photo: Babsu Babsi]

Cyrus looking very stylish in his set up. [Photo: Yosores]

At about 18km into the bike leg, the famous tunnel of 1km engulfed us.  I meticulously turned on my front blinking bright light just before the tunnel, so that I illuminated the part of the road in front of me throughout that 1km, and turned it off after I emerged from the dark tunnel.  I literally did this four times, each time I encountered the tunnel on the way out and back.

Did I feel I would have needed the light, in retrospect? Thinking back, my frank answer to myself was... heck it. No need the light.  Just let the eyes accommodate.  Otherwise though it was safer, the turning on and off of the front white light was troublesome.

Gerard showing how to spell F I E R C E. [Photo: Reynan Opada]

Riding along Cebu South Coastal Road I saw really nothing much in terms of scenery.  This was just a highway.  Apart from hot tarmac and gasping cyclists, I saw nothing else more. The water stations came and went.  More than well-supported by not only the official volunteers but also 'unofficial' volunteers not in uniform, holding bottles of purple water which I could not identify, definitely not the official Gatorades.  I found one such bottle in my hand passed by a man in plain shorts and t-shirts, definitely not an official supporter, and after scrutinising it, I threw it away.  Could not risk to just gulp.

Jemmy giving a positive demonstration how to climb upslope in the aero position. [Photo: Salt Fin]

Kong Wan looking relaxed. [Photo: Official FinsherPix]

U-turning three times, I was finally on the final return leg of the ride, with the tailwind behind me. Just before the third and final U turn at Talisay, I called out as I spotted Anabel on the bike as I passed her on her left.  After the U-turn she overtook me and I never saw her again.  At the 69km mark, I was attempting to overtake a shapely Pinoy lady called 'HONEY' on her floral multicoloured tri-suit.  As I called out to Honey 'On your left!' someone shouted at me from behind.  Apparently this someone was trying to over take me on my left.

Yours truly on MacTan Bridge. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]

"Sorry," I apologised and kept right.  Then I saw, zipping past me, Raymond on the bike. "Raymond ah, you!" I called out to him.  He turned back but didn't see me, and continued on his way.  This fellow was really fast on the bike.

At 74km mark, I saw Darric on my right as I tried hard to past him.  It was not easy because he was going at quite a speed.. This Darric never made my cycling easy for me. Haha...

Charles in the superfast (left) lane. [Photp: Salt Fin]

Charles. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]

My heart rate for this ride wasn't ideal.  I couldn't explain why.  Must average power wasn't high, and my average speed was really a measly 28km/h.  But my heart rate was in the mid 140's zone.  Often I pulled myself back so that I would not jack up the heart rate.  Otherwise I would only stand to suffer.  Thus, with a total bike leg of 3 hours 9 minutes, I dare not complain.  It could have been better, but at the expense of a run weaker than it already was.

VIDEO: Cebu 07 - Hammering it out on the cycle leg



Run Leg

Ann Kheen on the Punta Engano road. [Photo: ShutterSpeed]

The Cebuano sun forgave no one except the most heat-seasoned Phillipino triathletes.  Fatigue described my state as I dismounted, too tired to even do the fly dismount thingy. 
Memories of last year's suffering came flooding.  The run out through the gravel road radiating infrared energy upwards was most uncomfortable.
This year was no exception.

Charles was really Zoned-out. [Photo: Yosores]

I forced a smile to start myself off on the run leg, the new Hoka One One Clifton 4 securely on my feet and feeling light.   On the last stretch of the ride leg I was desperately searching for a pee-ing point.  But there wasn't any to be found.  The supporters pointed to a private toilet across the whole breadth of the Cebu Coastal Highway and I ditched that idea, choosing to hold my urine until I arrived at T2.

Jemmy 'in the zone'. [Photo: ShutterSpeed]

Now running out of T2 my bladder was protesting.  I spied a male participant running behind a row of zinc fence just behind a van and I followed him.  There we relieved ourselves and cheekily smiled at each other.  Luckily there wasn't any marshalls, otherwise that could have spelled the end of my race.

Annabel on the run.  This elusive Annabel, could not find her one. [Photo: ShutterSpeed]

This Punta Engano Road was the thoroughfare through the town.  We often referred to it as the village, though technically it was larger than a village.  The rows of small brick houses and shops, punctuated by boutique hotels and restaurants and eateries on each side of Punta Engano Road were fronted by another layer of one of the most enthusiastic local crowds in the Asian circuit.  Old toothless grandfathers seated on short stools, Mothers feeding rice to toddlers, young children jumping and running up and down the road shouting for 'chocolat!', long-haired young men in groups sauntering and calling out each athlete's name on his/her bib...

I forgot how much I enjoyed this crowd.  The trees lining each side of the road afforded the runners shades that embraced us like a sudden downpour of cool air.  Wai Meng's words came back into my mind:

"Keep in the shades as much as you can".  And I did.

Stella in intense concentration. [Photo: Salt Fin]

"I was very happy that I ran a very good negative split on the run," exclaimed an excited Stella afterwards.

Flamboyance at its most colourful was Cyrus. [Photo: Serene]

The first 2km was tough.  My legs were not in running mode yet.  So I simply smiled and shuffled in small steps, mind zoomed-in onto the first water station at the 2km mark.  The welcoming shade made me loads happier and a genuine sense of happiness actually pervaded.  I reached out and high-five many of the giggling and screaming children along the way.  My pace was a terrible 9min/km.  I kept being over-taken by runner of all shapes and sizes, men and women.  Even those who I thought I could try to follow eventually pulled away from me.

Joe on the run, cleverly taking the shade. [Photo: Salt Fin]

Raymond still wondering where he got overtaken on the run.
[Photo: Salt Fin]

At the 2km water station I was so glad to see Gerard.

"Gerard!" I called out.  

"Hey, wah.. " he called back.

"Man, this is damn shagged," I said.

"Hey.. you don't have to follow me, just go at your own pace." this gentleman reminded me.  I could never thanked Gerard enough.  He literally paced me the whole run in our first Busselton 70.3, a favour that I would forever be indebted to him.  On this day, my legs found a little bit more petrol left in my tank, and were eager to utilise them.

"Don't worry, Gerard," I said. "I need to rest my legs a little. Let's just run together for a little while ok?"

And it was Busselton all over again for me, enjoying pounding the road with Gerard. At the 4km water station I saw Gerard for one more time, he was pouring cold water over his head.  I asked the volunteers to drop ice cubes down the back of my tri suit and I grabbed a handful of ice and capped them over my head with my running cap.  Instant air-con these were.  And happiness welled up in me again.   It was strange how a drop in core body temperature could elevate one's mood.  Perhaps that explains why the Eskimos are such a happy bunch of people.

Our supporting wives... getting bored waiting for all of us to return from our race.. A very very tough job they had.

I hadn't found my running leg yet. The nice shaded run through the crowded part of town lasted 4.5km.  After that we made a left turn into the first of two loops, one small and one big.  These were the not-so-enjoyable parts. Because the next 4km would take us out into the barren part of the peninsula, high-rise modern condominium with tree-less open roads, exposing us to the savagery of the scorching sun.  I remembered I hated this part just as much last round.
Somehow this time, the feeling of agony was not so pronounced.  My pace was nowhere near respectable, but I just had to continue to shuffle.

"Use your big muscles to run!" Wai Meng's words resonated in my subconscious mind.  And my neurons kept firing the gluteus.

Along the way, I saw some of our team members running in the returning opposite direction - Ann Kheen, Charles, Jemmy, Almeric, Kong Wan, Stella and Darric.  I could not find the rest of the boys and girls - did not see Cyrus, Joe, William, PL nor Raymond.  Understandably with 2700 participants, it would be next to impossible to spot everyone.  Our supporting wives found it difficult to get out to be along Punta Engano Road, neither did I feel that it would be advisable for them to do so. 

I tried calling out to each and every one of them.

"Ann Kheen!"

"Francis, I love you!"

"Jemmy, hey bro!" and Jemmy ran over and gave me a high-five.

"Kong Wan, wah you home run already! (That is fast!)"

[Photo: Official Finisherpix]

I think Kong Wan must have gotten tired of holding his rafia thread and decided to sling it around his neck on the home run.

"Stella!"

"Darric!"

Photo: Salt Fin

That kept me going, looking out for our boys and girls.  Prior to this race I had been reading about this thing called Runner's 'Zone' or 'The Flow'.  Jemmy was the first person to drum this idea into my head in Busselton a few months ago.  And since then I have learned that this 'Zone' thing was a big thing - it could make one keep running effortlessly forever (apparently).  But it was not something that one could force it upon oneself. It had to be natural, and naturally allowed to suddenly dawn upon the legs.  Sadly, even up till the 14km mark, I still hadn't found my legs.  With 7km left to go, I decided to heck it and just stop high-fiving the children and just focussed on my run.  Seeing the way Jemmy ran in the opposite directly, in his own rhythm and totally enjoying it, brings me the inspiration to try my best to emulate him.

"Big muscles, big muscles..."

VIDEO: Cebu 08 - The Run Leg



Crossing the Finishing Line

William quiet quiet showed the way to cross the line. [Photo: William]

14km became 15km.  15km became 16km.  The last 5km took me into the left curvy wurvy road back into my comfort zone - the shady Punta Engano.  The roar and whistling of the cheering crowd came as sweet music to my ear drums.  It was really a wonder how these lovely people could be there for the whole few hours just to cheer a bunch of crazy people panting their lungs out. I read not long ago an inspiring article about triathlon.  It state:

"It's all about putting one determined foot in front of the other."

Indeed.  That was my mantra for this race - one determined foot in front of the other.

In the zone. [Photo: Official FinisherPix]

"Chocolat!" shouted some children.

I fingered my back pocket and found two strips of Clif Bloks still untouched.  I had 2km more to go and it was home-run all the way.  I threw them both the gels and the happy kids jumped and ran for them.  This was also one of my favourite parts of the event.  I finally found myself some rhythm, if I could even term it 'Zone', and listened to just my own panting as music.

Charles showing the difference between the 'Can' and the 'Cannot' [Photo: Salt Fin]

Charles AWA-ing towards the finishing. [Official FinisherPix]

One memorable moment was somewhere at the last 1km part.  One of the female marshalls on the route called out to me with all her intensity:

"Block the pain. BLOCK THE PAIN!"

Wow.  This encouragement really did the job. Block-The-Pain!  And just let my legs carry me home.

Even at the last 200m Stella was fully focussed. [Photo: Serene]

Jemmy showing the BEST way to pose on the last 200m, or anywhere.
[Photo: Serene]

"Dar, Dar!" Serene saw me at the last 200m. "You want me to run with you?"

"Dar! No need. I will cross myself!"

Raymond couldn't hide his joy 200m from the finishing, though he still
didn't know where he got overtaken on the run. [Photo: Serene]

And crossed the finishing line I did.  My timing was an improvement from last year's. And at the finishing line, I felt that I still had some petrol left in the tank.  That was the kind of sensation that I was hoping to emulate what Charles and Ann Kheen experienced in Busselton.

Fat fat cross the finishing line. [Photo: Official FinisherPix]

Annabel showing her true colours as an Ironman. [Photo: Serene]

Darric conserved too much energy such that at the end he had to resort to
doing jumps all the way to the finishing line. [Photo: Serene]

Such happiness in Kong Wan's face as he got ready to cross the line.
[Photo: Official FinisherPix]

"Didn't you all see the station with the massage cream and the therapists? I went in each time I came across them and had them massage my cramps away!" Kong Wan was so impressed.

I was pleased with my own performance.  Though nowhere close to what many of my stronger teammates achieved, I was satisfied.  The kerb side was inviting, sitting with my legs outstretched beside a couple of Pinoy racers.  We struck a conversation and he told me about the death in the swim leg.

[Photo: Chris]

The best way to have a photo taken at the end - with the children! [Photo: Chris]

As I sat, Chua Boon Keat walked towards me and we congratulated each other.  He did a great 7 hour 13 minutes.  Better than my timing.  He was really impressive.  Despite his being away from racing for a long time he still did a respectable timing.  Poh Chuan came soon after that.
Surprisingly a familiar figure plonked himself and sat beside me.  It was Lim Eng Khoon, my seasoned Ironman Doctor friend.

"Wah lau.. this was such a shitty race!" was his first words. "My swim was terrible, and my run was bad."

 I could understand his sentiment.  For a seasoned racer who does a 5 minute pace for a 21km run, he might have been not in form today.  I was sweaty and tired.  There was no sight of Serene.   Gerard, PL and Darric already started back towards their rooms.  The really great thing was the finishing point was a short walk to the Transition area.  Cirus, Stella and I strolled to grab our bikes and I found a happy Jemmy to take a wefie at the entrance to T1.  This fellow has already showered and was on his way to the post race meal area.

Jemmy had already showered and changed and ready to makan. [Photo: Jemmy]

Darric was clever.  By coming back to the transition earlier to collect his bike, he could go back and shower and rest.
[Photo: Jemmy]

"Alamak! I didn't know once they chopped on your wrist you can only enter once.  I tried to enter but they didn't allow me to until I gave them some excuse," laughed Jemmy later.

"Hey we still got to cycle 5km back to our hotel leh!" complained Cyrus and Stella.  That was quite true, what they said.  Man, I was really glad that my lazy bum didn't have to do that post race.

What my lazy and fatigued body could do was to slowly stumble back to the hotel room and sat in the shower bath, and let water run all over me.


POST RACE LECHON DINNER!

The participants.

Gerard really outdone himself.  His ex-nurse booked us a buffet dinner at this Marina Seaview restaurant and they prepared two specially roasted lechons for us - one spicy and one non-spicy.  A sumptuous reward well-deserved.  I didn't think anyone that evening would bat an eyelid grabbing second, third and fourth servings of the lechon with the crispy skin.

VIDEO: Cebu 09 - The End of Another 70.3

Everybody!

Conclusion

I think, for me, Cebu will always have a special place in my heart.  It is an unbeatable venue for a 70.3 - its warm climate, its waters, its relatively flat and fast bike leg.  Most of all, its people of all ages.  Their genuine service and genuine warmth make the race so much more enjoyable.
Will I go back to Cebu to race this 70.3 again?  My answer is an affirmative.  Compared to Putrajaya or Bintan, the weather though similar in many way, this Cebu race ranks several notches above because of Cebuano hospitality and great organisation, and great support from the local government.  But I will go back when I am better-trained.  Like my training partners always say:

TILL THE NEXT RACE!