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ABOUT ME |
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I never imagined that I would one day pursue becoming a professional triathlete. As a young woman growing up in the Philippines, where it is still uncommon in many places for females to be riding bikes, and where the sport of triathlon is even more unfamiliar, you would understand why 'pro athlete' was not on my list of career options.
I have always been active, and I enjoy trying new things. As a Sports Science student at the University of the Philippines, I joined the dragon boat team and made many friends who would ride their bikes to commute to school. I borrowed a bike from my dad, who is a recreational cyclist, and started riding as well. Looking back at my daily mileage then, plus the weight of a backpack of books and wet clothes, and the stress of traffic and pollution, it now makes perfect sense that I gravitated towards triathlon! It's just so much more civilized than navigating the streets of Metro Manila and transitioning between dragon boat training and attending classes.
As a first-timer in a super sprint tri in 2007, I dove headfirst and signed up for every duathlon and triathlon in the greater Luzon area. These days, even if I attempt to do the same, it would be physically impossible. In just over a few years, triathlon in the Philippines skyrocketed from having 150 participants in the country's most popular half iron distance tri, to selling out 2,500 slots in 20 minutes for the 2014 Ironman 70.3 in Cebu.
Along with, and because of, this tremendous growth in the sport, I was able to develop from clueless newbie to professional triathlete. I was exposed to a higher level of competition, coaching, and training, and was granted more support from sponsors, the media, and both the local and international tri community. These factors, plus blood, sweat, tears, laughter, love, friendship, and family, all contributed to creating the unique situation in which I find myself today - being the only Filipina racing professionally for non-drafting triathlons around the world.
The Philippine calendar now boasts of two Ironman 70.3 races, two 5150 and Xterra events, and two ITU Asian Cup races, and a huge number of local races. These events attract thousands of triathletes and tourists, among them world champions and legends of the sport. This is incredibly remarkable given the small and young triathlon population in the country.
So on this site I share my story, in the hopes of empowering other Philippine triathletes to compete at the pro level. And ultimately, to move you to excel and enjoy in your own journey in sport and in life.
Thank you for following my adventures! Post a comment or send me a message - I would love to share in yours!
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Congrats on reaching this part of a quite lengthy About page! Let me end it with a bit of trivia:
The person responsible for my knowledge that a swim-bike-run sport actually existed was my high school prom date, whom I had a huge secret crush on.
He happened to be one of the top junior triathletes in the country then, but now he's quite famous for being that guy in the rain.
I can't find a prom pic of us, probably because I made sure they were all destroyed. This one is from a party in 2008. And please don't ask me to explain my outfit, because I can't.
I have always been active, and I enjoy trying new things. As a Sports Science student at the University of the Philippines, I joined the dragon boat team and made many friends who would ride their bikes to commute to school. I borrowed a bike from my dad, who is a recreational cyclist, and started riding as well. Looking back at my daily mileage then, plus the weight of a backpack of books and wet clothes, and the stress of traffic and pollution, it now makes perfect sense that I gravitated towards triathlon! It's just so much more civilized than navigating the streets of Metro Manila and transitioning between dragon boat training and attending classes.
As a first-timer in a super sprint tri in 2007, I dove headfirst and signed up for every duathlon and triathlon in the greater Luzon area. These days, even if I attempt to do the same, it would be physically impossible. In just over a few years, triathlon in the Philippines skyrocketed from having 150 participants in the country's most popular half iron distance tri, to selling out 2,500 slots in 20 minutes for the 2014 Ironman 70.3 in Cebu.
Along with, and because of, this tremendous growth in the sport, I was able to develop from clueless newbie to professional triathlete. I was exposed to a higher level of competition, coaching, and training, and was granted more support from sponsors, the media, and both the local and international tri community. These factors, plus blood, sweat, tears, laughter, love, friendship, and family, all contributed to creating the unique situation in which I find myself today - being the only Filipina racing professionally for non-drafting triathlons around the world.
The Philippine calendar now boasts of two Ironman 70.3 races, two 5150 and Xterra events, and two ITU Asian Cup races, and a huge number of local races. These events attract thousands of triathletes and tourists, among them world champions and legends of the sport. This is incredibly remarkable given the small and young triathlon population in the country.
So on this site I share my story, in the hopes of empowering other Philippine triathletes to compete at the pro level. And ultimately, to move you to excel and enjoy in your own journey in sport and in life.
Thank you for following my adventures! Post a comment or send me a message - I would love to share in yours!
--------
Congrats on reaching this part of a quite lengthy About page! Let me end it with a bit of trivia:
The person responsible for my knowledge that a swim-bike-run sport actually existed was my high school prom date, whom I had a huge secret crush on.
He happened to be one of the top junior triathletes in the country then, but now he's quite famous for being that guy in the rain.
I can't find a prom pic of us, probably because I made sure they were all destroyed. This one is from a party in 2008. And please don't ask me to explain my outfit, because I can't.
