Posts Tagged with: "Ironman"

For the past months since I turned 40, I’ve been feeling old.  I’ve been complaining to friends about how much longer it takes for me to recover from half marathons, how much harder it is to get out of bed if I don’t get my full 8 hours of sleep, and how much more weight training I need to do now just to keep the triceps from going all wiggly on me.  Then, I view Sister Madonna Buder’s video from the Nike Unlimited series and I’m speechless.

Sister Buder completed her first Ironman World Championship triathlon in Hawaii way back in 1985.  Get this… she was 65. At 75, she became the oldest woman to ever complete an Ironman triathlon. At 82, she set a world record as the oldest Ironman triathlon competitor. Today, at 86 years old, she has completed over 40 Ironman races thereby earning her the nickname “Iron Nun.” (more…)

Congratulations to Kuya Kim Atienza for being the new endorser of yurbuds!  I’m loving the copy above: “Don’t wait for inspiration. Become it.”

I think Kuya Kim’s story of suffering from a stroke a few years back and now being in the pink of health training for an Ironman truly embodies the yurbuds campaign.  He’s also one of the smartest and nicest local celebrities I know.  Keep on inspiring, Kuya Kim!

PRESS RELEASE – Ever since a stroke three years ago pushed “Kuya Kim” Atienza to pursue an active and healthy lifestyle, the man famous for delivering informative and entertaining weather reports and for co-hosting “Showtime” has been pursuing triathlon with a passion.

Now a veteran of several marathons and triathlons and currently gearing up for his first full Ironman this December, Kim Atienza’s hectic training schedule demands a level of performance that no ordinary gear can provide. This is why he recently made the decision to train exclusively with yurbuds, the sport earphone guaranteed to “never fall out” thanks to its twist-lock design.

Yurbuds’ pool of ambassadors includes Ironman World Champions Pete Jacobs, Chris McCormack, and Mirinda Carfrae, and local elite triathletes Nikko Huelgas, Ani de Leon-Brown, and Sandra Gonzalez, among others. The addition of Kim Atienza is yurbuds’ way of communicating its message to a mainstream audience in the hopes of inspiring them.

Gianina Dayrit, the Vice President of Cascos Inc, the exclusive distributor of yurbuds in the Philippines, says, “We are proud to welcome Kim Atienza as the newest product endorser of yurbuds in the Philippines. yurbuds is about athletes working hard, giving more, to achieve one’s personal best, and to never stop. We feel that Kim is the perfect example of an athlete who never stops pushing for personal excellence, and who inspires others to do the same.”

According to Kim, “I’ve tried so many earphones in the past, and most just slip out of my ears or get tangled when stored. yurbuds fit snugly, the wires are tangle-proof, and they look good as well. It also makes me run faster knowing it’s the same earphones Pete Jacobs uses! Whatever works, the mind is powerful especially in endurance sports!”

The top-selling sport earphone in the US, and fast gaining popularity in the Philippine market, yurbuds are known for their comfortable and secure fit, outstanding sound quality, and variety of models and colors to choose from.

When asked what kind of music he listens to while working out, Kim says “I like listening to reggae, 70’s rock like Led Zeppelin and America converted to 90rpm via an app I bought in the App Store”.

Kim’s yurbuds of choice are the Pete Jacobs Signature Series ITE-100, so named after the reigning Ironman World Champion and 2-time Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines Champion. Launched at the recent Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines, the Pete Jacobs Signature Series feature uniquely reflective, tangle-resistant Kevlar cords, premium sound quality and a 1-button microphone system with track and call control.

With “Kuya Kim” rocking along with yurbuds, expect him to #neverstop inspiring thousands of followers to stay fit and healthy whatever the weather!

Check out their line of athlete-inspired products at participating retailers, join the community with the Facebook page Cascos Inc., yurbudsph on Twitter and Instagram, and share your workouts with the Twitter hashtag #neverstop!

The best thing about being bull headed is that I rarely ever give in to peer pressure. I try something new only because I want to, not because everyone else is doing it.

That explains why, early in my childhood, when my cousins would practice for weeks and finally dance to “Frosty the Snowman” in front of our entire clan during Christmas parties, I would sit back with my older siblings content to watch from the sidelines with a naughty grin. As early as 8, I thought to myself: “In no way will I make a fool of myself that way.” Stubborn. Unyielding. And yes, I was a little party pooper.

In college, even when more than half of my groupmates started smoking, I never picked up a cigarette. Never held one in my hand, never even puffed. If it didn’t make sense to me, then I wouldn’t even experiment on it. Yup, I was the boring, square one in the group.

The past couple of days, everyone was off to Camsur for the Ironman 70.3. And I thought: “Who cares if everyone is going?”  A number of runner friends who couldn’t bike nor swim like me registered for the relay event to be in on the action. My thrifty self rationalized that it wouldn’t be wise to spend so much money to run a half marathon when I could easily run a half in Manila for free.

So, over the weekend, hubby and I, along with friends JunC, Mariel and JunB, covered 22k along the empty roads of Manila, where one used to spot dozens of runners and triathletes training. On Sunday, hubby and I took the kids out for a bike and scooter ride in the South where, as expected, the roads were free of the hardcore teams training together.

Everyone was in Camsur!  And, it was one of those rare times when I wished I was doing what everyone else was doing (Tri-ing) where everyone else was (Camsur). I thought of friends who were probably as nervous as hell the night before and were having the time of their lives on race day. I thought about the boys of Team Hammer racing in their new trisuits for the first time together. I dreamed of one day doing the same.

Don’t get me wrong. This had little to do with peer pressure, and more of…uhm…E-N-V-Y. How I wished I could have the courage to swim 2k and bike 90k before the half marathon. How I wished I could’ve been there with a crop of average people—executives, parents, entrepreneurs, students—who were challenging their bodies (and minds) to accomplish extraordinary things.

Aaaah, the seed of the Ironman 70.3 dream has been planted in my mind. And, it’ll take a year or two for me to see if I can make it come true.  In the meantime, this regretful, stubborn, party pooper will enjoy viewing all the Camsur photos on Facebook.

Congratulations to all the finishers of Camsur Ironman 70.3, especially to Team Hammer!

Last July 13, Monday, I was invited to the Timex Send-Off Party for its teams and individuals participating in the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Camsur on August 23, 2009.  (It was hard enough to accept the fact that I won’t be joining the relay for this, even tougher to see all these triathletes in one room all excited over this…sob sob)

I took the time out from work and braved the heavy rains and hellish traffic to arrive at the North Forbes Park, Makati an hour and a half late. By the time I entered the pavillion, almost all seats were filled and worse, I didn’t see a single familiar face. Fortunately, Harvie of Hammer Gel approached me, and together with his lovely wife Eizza, the three of us found the last empty table in the corner of the room, right in front of the stage.

Turns out I arrived at the perfect time. The program began, hosted by no less than ironwoman Ani de Leon and a deejay whose name escapes me at this point. A host of party games ensued where athletes such as Ernie Lopez, Chesca Carpo, Lara Parpan of Women’s Health, and even our good friend, Coach Rio, were made to sing, act, dance, and basically have fun onstage with Timex watches awarded to those who did it best. The luckiest person of the night was probably Will Ottiger, husband of Fiona of Polo Tri team, who said “Timeeeeeeex” the longest in one breath thereby winning for himself the Timex Expedition worth P30,000+ (I had just read a positive review about that watch online the night before so I was literally drooling when I saw it.)

– Coach Rio goes first in the game –

A brief yet inspiring video was shown about the history of Timex’s partnership with Ironman Triathlon. The Timex teams were also presented: Timex-RunRio, Timex Women’s Health, and two Timex-TMM teams as well as individual triathletes, Ani de Leon, Arland Macasieb, Nonoy Jopson, Leica Carpo and Tessa Prieto-Valdez. Each of them said a few words about their participation in the upcoming Ironman Triathlon.

– Nonoy Jopson, my batchmate and Pinoy who reached highest ever ranking among world’s triathletes, Boston0-finisher Leica Carpo, and David Charlton of David’s Salon –

– All the best to Timex Teams –

The event was a success and worth the long trip for me. I was in the presence of the country’s top triathletes, I came home with a new Timex watch, and I finally got to see Marc Nelson in the flesh!

Congratulations to Timex and best of luck to the Timex Teams, especially RunRio! Woohooo!

– We shall see each other again at Kenny’s Urban Run, Marc! –