Some couples just love doing things together, be it as simple as parenting, shopping for groceries or going on trips.
But Jeremy and Ylang-ylang (Parial) Jordan don’t just stop there. They take their partnership several notches higher by being each other’s sporting buddy. This one couple makes it a point to train in the same sports together, and compete together.
When they’re in their day jobs running a construction company, Jeremy and Ylang-ylang appear as your ordinary hardworking mom-and-pop businessmen. But when they’re in their sports attires for running, cycling, or swimming, one easily notices they play hard, too.
Among the Dumaguete runners, Jeremy and Ylang were the first husband-and-wife team to venture into becoming triathletes, with Ylang placing 2nd in the Speedo National Age-Group Triathlon held in April this year.
For the next three months, the couple joined the Subic International Triathlon Olympic Distance in May, the NegOr Sprint Triathlon in June in the town of San Jose where Ylang grabbed 3rd place, the JCI Iloilo Triathlon, and the Durano Triathlon Cup in July in Cebu.
“Finishing each triathlon race was always rewarding; finishing at the top was just a bonus,” said Ylang, 27.
Their most recent feat was finishing the International Ironman 70.3 Triathlon (1.9K swimming, 90K cycling, 21K running) in Camarines Sur. Ylang was just five minutes short of her sub7 (below seven hours) desired time. “We biked under heavy rains then by the time I was running, we were battling with the heat of the sun; I was just trying to avoid having cramps which slowed down my target running pace,” Ylang said.
Jeremy, on the other hand, planned to finish two hours before the cut-off time of 8.5 hours, but almost felt like giving up during the race when he realized he had mistakenly picked someone else’s pair of cleats (bike shoes). He biked all 90K anyway, and eventually crossed the finish line in 5:54 hours, even 36 minutes shaved off his desired time.
They knew finishing the 70.3-mile Ironman race wasn’t going to be easy. They followed a 16-week strict training regimen: work on each of the disciplines (swim-bike-run) three times a week, do one long distance per discipline in a week, and, as practicing Baptists, rest on the Sabbath.
A typical week would find them biking 55 minutes on Monday; swimming 1,500 meters then running seven or 10K on Tuesday and Thursday; biking 40 minutes on Wednesday and 80K on Friday; and running 20K then swimming 2,200 meters on Saturday.
“Joining other triathlon races prior to CamSur Ironman helped us a lot. After every race, we would bring home with us many lessons that we apply on the next race,” said Ylang.
She added: “We opted for a simple training program since it’s easier to measure and monitor our progress in a plan that has lots of repetitions. Also, it’s less mentally-stressful and best suited for newbies like us.”
The had been bikers and runners before they became swimmers. “Swimming for us has been the toughest since we could even barely stay afloat,” recalls Ylang, and advises aspiring triathletes to take one-on-one swim lessons, like they did with swim coach Nick Jorolan.
For the bike-run disciplines, she said they got tips from the Dumaguete Amateur Roadrunners & Striders (DARS), fellow triathletes, and from the 22O Triathlon Magazine. Otherwise, trainings wouldn’t come cheap; one would need to shell out a huge amount for personalized training programs, tri coaches, or tri training camps.
Because one needs six days a week to complete the tri training, it was a hard decision to make as they knew they had to balance it with their business and spending time with their toddlers. “I learned how to delegate business tasks, and to trust our employees,” said Jeremy.
So amidst the physical strain and business time lost, why even bother? “It was the simple fact that we wanted to be Ironman 70.3 finishers which we believed would be a God-given opportunity, an enjoyable experience, a great achievement,” said Ylang.
Jeremy recounted watching a touching video on YouTube that showed what great lengths a father would go to show love for his son by finishing the Ironman together.
Jeremy, 31, added that his brother-in-law Oscar Margen Jr. and local endurance runner Pio “Piololo” Salvador have been his inspiration to do triathlon. Salvador is 62 and completed Ironman Camsur previously.
To allow time for work, they bike early mornings with the Oriental Negros Bikers (ONe Bikers), swim in mid-afternoon, and run with DARS at night.
The Jordan couple, now members of the Triathlon Association in the Island of Negros (TrAIN), did not, however, become athletes overnight. They had been competitive mountain bikers the last three years, riding their bikes on trails or the road twice a week, and doing a long ride on the weekend.
Ylang was Negros National MTB Challenge champion in both duatlon and cross-country categories in November 2010.
A year after, they started joining duathlons (run-bike-run) organized by Foundation University. Early this year, DARS invited the ONe Bikers group to their morning and night runs twice a week. “It was the DARS runners who taught us to find joy in running; eventually, we, too, got addicted to it,” recalls Ylang.
In triathlons, Ylang said, you compete with no one but yourself; beating your own personal time in every race. “During the race, aside from telling my mind that I can do it, I just kept on praying — and it kept me going.”
Jeremy added: “And when you cross the finish line, the feeling is simply overwhelming because all the training and sacrifices have paid off. It’s fulfilling.”
The Jordans encourage their fellow athletes in Triathlon Oriental Negros (Tri ONe) and other runners in the Province to train as well for triathlons. Jeremy advised, “You must have the passion to do it, train well, be disciplined — and have fun.”
