After winning the recent Singapore Duathlon National Championship, members of the Standard Insurance Duathlon Team will be dealing with the high-intensity workouts in Subic Freeport Zone, which serves as their peak training for the 30th Southeast Asian Games in November.
The team, led by Monica Torres, the fastest Filipina in Cobra Ironman 70.3 for six straight years, will be trained under Triathlon Association of the Philippine’s coaching program with coach Melvin Fausto and coach Bernie Llantada.
Members of the team are top-caliber duathlon runner Joey de los Reyes; Pauline Fornea, a former national triathlete; Bohol’s Emmanuel Commendador; Baguio City’s Jarwyn Banatao; the country’s top male duathlete Robeno Javier, and veteran campaigners John Topia and Jarwyn Banatao, according to businessman-sportsman Ernesto “Judes” Echauz, Group Chairman of Standard Insurance.
Fornea, a top triathlete with the US Naval Academy’s Triathlon team, and Torres, are a formidable combination for Standard Insurance’s women’s duathlon team.
Fornea’s training and competition program, designed by their team coach, has focused on duathlon to prepare her for the SEA Games.
“We are confident that the team can win a duathlon medal in this year’s SEA Games,” Echauz said. The Standard Insurance duathlon team will represent the Philippines at the Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 SEA Games, where the event will make a comeback since being held in Thailand in 2007.
Subic will be the hub for duathlon, triathlon, open water swimming, modern pentathlon, sailing, windsurfing, karatedo, sepak takraw, beach handball, beach volleyball, canoe, kayak, traditional boat race/dragon boat, chess, muay, pencak silat, table tennis, and weightlifting.
The national team recently dominated the Singapore Duathlon National Championship with Commendador and Torres as men and women champions in the elite divisions.
Placing 2nd and 3rd are Delos Reyes and Javier, respectively. Fourth and fifth are Topia and Banatao, respectively.
The Singapore Duathlon 2019 is one of Singapore’s Premier Multi-sport events.
Coach Fausto said the athletes will have to put in a weekly training load of 20 to 30 hours and undergo frequent fitness assessments.
“Even duathlon events will be held in Subic, we still have to familiarize the route and intensely train our athletes,” Fausto said.
With the support of the Philippine Sports Commission, they have launched a performance program for duathlon to prepare the team for Sea Games, he added.
