Swimming for 1.9 kilometer, biking for 90 kilometers, and running for 21 kilometers are not easy feat individually—doing the three together is grueling.
But these ‘Ironmen’ prove that if you want something, no matter how physically and mentally exhausting, you can achieve it if you work hard enough.
Set realistic goals
Australian triathlete Tim Reed claimed his third Cobra Ironman 70.3 championship recently in Cebu. He finished the course in 3 hours, 45 minutes and seven seconds (3:54:07), besting a total of 2,762 triathletes from 52 countries.
Reed recovered from a challenging start in the swim stage, moving up front in the bike ride, and in the end, acing the run. The 32-year-old “three-peater” has won numerous triathlon events and was also the winner of the 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Championship title. He admits there’s a pressure on his shoulder every time he joins the competition.
“Every year, there’s a little bit more pressure to perform,” shares Reed. “I just try to keep it fun and enjoy what I’m doing, and thankful it worked out. It’s a really great feeling.”
The Aussie athlete shares that it took him a long time to get to where he is now, he started racing professionally in March 2010. “It takes a lot of years to reach your potential.”
But he emphasizes that progressing in the sport should be the priority of those trying out triathlon.
“Set realistic goals and slowly increasing training so you don’t get injured and you keep enjoying it. If you keep enjoying it, you can be in it for a long time.”
Commit to the sport
Lauren Lim only got into running two years ago, yet the up-and-coming sporting superstar finished the 1.9k swim-90k bike-21k run event at second place in 18-24 age group category.
When she finished her first 5k run with a time of 10:30, and finished the same distance again in under half the time of her first try, Lim decided to take running seriously.
She committed to training twice a week with Coach Titus Salazar, waking up at 4:00 am to make it to the track at 5:30 am, running and doing drills until 7:00 am.
For the Cobra Ironman 70.3, Lim joined other tri-races and dedicated most of her time to training when she’s not working or spending time with her family.
“I woke up really early to train, and also trained after work if possible.” she recalls.
Find your support group
Actor, and now pro athlete, Gerald Anderson was also in Cebu for the Ironman race. He joined with Team De Rosa, which made a splash placing 4th out of the 164 teams in the relay event.
Anderson, who recently achieved a milestone finishing the Los Angeles Marathon in California, took on the 90k bike leg traversing Mactan Newtown, the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, Cebu International Convention Center, Plaza Independencia, Cebu South Coastal Road Tunnel, the turnaround in Talisay City, and back to CICC.
“Pakiramdam ko lumalaban ako sa Tour De France with all the amazing spectators watching. They gave me energy whenever they saw me pass by,” he relates.
With several sporting achievements under his belt, 2017 is proving to be a banner year for Anderson.
“What pushes me to do my best in these sporting events is the love from the fans and my team who supported and trained with me,” he enthuses.
Get the right gear
Reed, Lim, and Anderson also credit their recent triumph to their footwear.
The champion used his favorite Saucony Kinvara 8, which has a full-length Everun topsole for enhanced energy return. Lim, meanwhile, took on the course in Skechers Go Run 4, whose M-Strike Technology promotes a midfoot strike for quicker toe-off and therefore, advanced speed. Anderson pedaled to the finish line in Skechers Performance shoes as well.
Choosing the right footwear is no small matter. Lim avers, “If you wear the wrong pair of shoes, it can destroy your feet and knees, give you shin splints, add to your injuries.”