Dumaguetenos Glenn Gonzalez, Salve sisters Leendy and Olive represent Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental in the Xterra Triathlon World Championship to be held Sunday in Maui, Hawaii (3am Sunday, Philippine time).
The three swimmers-bikers-runners of Triathlon Oriental Negros (TriONe) will be competing with about 800 other professional and amateur triathletes from 29 countries. They will do 1.5 kilometers of rough swim, 32 kms. of bike in the West Maui Mountains, and do a 10-km trail run.
Leendy and Olive, who did intense training in Negros Oriental, and Glenn in Hongkong, will be challenged with the rough sea of Kapalua which has various surf breaks; weaving through portions of the bike trail that is only wide enough for the handlebars and which has hundred foot drop-offs on either side; and running up to 700 ft. high where they get a view of the Pacific, and ending with a calf-busting sandy beach run.
Olive said she is thankful to Wilbert Laurecio who taught her speed training in the run leg, Dumaguete Mayor Chiquiting Sagarbarria, and Eva Rose Repollo-Washburn of the SU Alumni Aloha Chapter. For her part, Leendy said they are fortunate to have had a coach for each discipline. For their training, they would swim three to four kilometers of drills, sprints, and endurance training. They would also bike three to four times a week (uphill to Pulangbato or to Ticala in Valencia, trails to Ata-ata in Sibulan, and road to Malatapay in Zamboanguita). For the run leg, they would run almost everyday doing speedworks (usually 400meter x 10 sprints), endurance (30-45 min. time trial runs), and strength training (on their stairs, uphills, with core exercises). “I was multi-tasking everyday, inserting training between work schedules,” said Leendy, who teaches Nursing at Silliman. She expressed gratitude to Tata Gonzalez for her “all-out support with their bikes and gears”, other sports enthusiasts, all who participated in the fund raising run, Mayor Sagarbarria for the financial support, Swim coach Nino Pinero, run coach Wilbert Laurecio, and bike coach Dugo Ovas “for their time, and for pushing us to the limits just to get out the best in us”.
Meanwhile, Glenn in Hongkong trained mostly off-road, doing trail running and mountain-biking. He said his hardest “training” for the Maui world championship was completing the 226 Bohol Full Iron Distance. He said he is thankful for the Padyakers for constantly inspiring him. He said he only wishes he can continue racing until he’s 75, and still have good health.
The three triathletes said they wish that government and the private sector can provide more support for promising triathletes in the local scene. Olive will compete in age group 20-24; Leendy in age group 30-34; and Glenn Gonzalez in age group 45-49. (Photos by Tata Gonzalez)
