SNN Special Report: Corregidor Aquathlon

Boy Abunda: Good evening, welcome to the Sports News Ngayon.

Kris Aquino: Good evening Boy. I am so excited ngayon, kasi we have guest aquathletes today. You know me naman, Boy. Eversince I got married to James, I have been sports-oriented na.

(Boy to himself: Krissy, hindi ba nagsimula ang sports interest mo with Alvin Patrimonio?)

Kris: Ok Boy, we have here with us participants of the recently concluded 1st Corregidor Aquathon held last October 10, 2009 as well as their supporters. Let us start off with Ellen, the cute lady with long hair in black swimsuit. What are you wearing? Parang red carpet question yata yon?

Ellen: Good evening, Ms. Kris, Tito Boy. I am Ellen, first-time aquathlete. This suit I am wearing, where I won the Best in Swimwear in the last Sheerwill Aquathlon Cup (SWAC), is actually made by Speedo for aquathletes or triathletes. It is called a tri-suit.

Kris: Boy, look at her one-piece swimsuit oh. It looks like the 60s swimsuit, which extends to her thighs, only it is more fashion compared to the 60s version.

Boy: Correct ka dyan, Krissy. Anyway, Ellen, you mentioned you are a first-time aquathlon. What drew you into the sport? What is an aquathlon anyway?

Ellen: Aquathlon is a form of multi-sport where you do a combination of swimming and running. In the Corregidor Aquathlon, we were required to do a 400-m ocean swim, 7K run on hilly roads, and a final 400-m ocean swim. What drew me into the sport? Actually it started with my good friend Raff. He always wanted to try aquathlon. Being a good friend, I supported him. We have been running for more than a year now, when we would hear/learn about aquathlon.

Boy: Totoo ba ito, Raff? You have a good friend in Ellen here then.

Raff: Yes, in a way ako nga ang humila kay Ellen sa aquathlon. I wanted to learn swimming so much I enrolled in Total Immersion even if it is expensive. I ended up passing on what I learned to Ellen and other friends Pepsi and Carina.

Pepsi: Totoo yan, Tito Boy, Ate Krissy. Si Raff ang swim coach ko. He was strict, firm and gentle with us. In a matter of weeks we learned to swim confidently enough to join the aquathlon.

Carina: I agree. Raff also taught me. In the next aquathlon event, sasali na ako for sure. In the meantime, photographer ako and support to friends.

Ellen: Naku Tito Boy, addict yan si Raff. Days before the race sinuyod niya ang Speedo stores sa BHS, Glorietta at pati sa SM Makati at Cinderella para bilhin one particular model of swim trunks. He ended up finding his right model and size in Speedo Trinoma.

Raff: Sabi kasi ni Jonas invest daw ako in tri-shorts, kaya ayan ubos ang race fee money ko, at cup noodles ako for a month.

Kris: Pero ang parang Best in Swimwear sa inyo ngayon ay si Running Diva. Divang-diva ang dating! What are you wearing RD? It looks expensive. With your asymmetric haircut and little black dress, err suit pala, you look like the Star of the Night.

RD: (Blushing) Thanks Kris. Actually, I got this from Arena. By God's grace I was able to register for the race and secure for myself this tri-suit.

Kris: It really looks expensive, RD. I like! Look Tito Boy, oh!

Boy: How about the guys? What are they wearing? You are Ziggy, right? (looks at Ziggy from head to foot) Where did you score that racy, I meant, race suit?

Ziggy: Na-conscious naman ako doon, Tito Boy, pero daghang salamat. I am a member of Sugbu Triathlon, a group of triathletes from Cebu. Our group had this made for forum members.

(James to Rico: Ano ba itong line of questioning dito sa SNN. Panay tungkol sa damit. Tanda mo tinanong kita before race kung ayos lang kung isuot ko itong Transtion One upper jersey ko.)

(Rico to James: Ayos naman sagot ko, di ba? Oks lang yan tingnan sa 'yo. Yung Epic upper jersey ko, pag sinuot ko, para akong bochog na guppy or butete. Baka di rin ako makahinga, kaya topless at tri-shorts muna ako. Actually, running shorts ito ng Mizuno! Overexposed na kasi sa previous aquathlon photos yung Speedo at Arena swim shorts ko. Haha!)

Kris: Wait, wait. I noticed this interview is becoming a fashion editorial na. Let's go back to showbiz sports. Who are the newbies ba and the intermediate aquathletes, and how did you fare in the race? So we know na it's the first time for running buddies Ellen and Raff. Let's ask Glen. You look shy but I bet you are fast, right?

Glen: Good evening Miss Kris. I am one of the newbies actually. Medyo ok naman ako sa takbo. Nakapag-ultra trail run na ako at nanalo na rin minsan sa short distance in a small race, pero first time ko ito sa aquathlon. Actually kinakabahan pa rin ako until race start. But after the swim, nakabawi ako ng husto sa run. I think I came behind Ziggy and Ian.

Kris: Wow, come from behind. Nice. How about you Mitch?

Mitch: Yes, Kris, it was my first. Nahila lang ako ng kaibigan kong si Jonas. Ayos naman race performance ko. Enjoy ako dito. :-)

Kris: How about you Jonas? You look serious and competitive, and well-tanned. You must be outdoors always and doing this for a while.

Jonas: Actually Kris, it was also my first. I may have joined a sprint triathlon in Subic before, but officially the Corregidor event is my first aquathlon and second taste of the open water under race conditions. Unlike the deep but calm Subic bay, the waves near the Corregidor recreational beach was strong and high during the race. Matatangay ka talaga. It was a challenge for everyone - newbies and experienced swimmers alike.

Pepsi: It was also my first, Ate Kris. I actually registered as participant on the last day for registration, but only decided to race it when I figured out that the swim depth is manageable naman. Raff did a good job of teaching me, but I need pa confidence in open water swim. Eh carry naman pala ang swim, so Go! Pero kakaloka yung waves. Medyo cadillac-lakad ako in some swim parts, at groggy after the final swim, pero wagi, wagi ang olive-skinned beauty ko sa aquathlon na ito. Yes, I did it!

Kris: How about you, James? I like you na because you have the same name as my hubby and baby. You are also chinito. If you are not outdoors as much you would have been fairer. I would have mistaken you as a Korean telenovela actor, but with your tan now mas mukha ka nang Vietnamese farmer. By the way, your white jersey looks good on you. Pwede ka nang huminga...

James: Haha Kris, lab na rin kita....Seriously, first ko rin ito. The weekend before I was supposed to do my first triathlon but it got postponed because of the storm warning. Hopefully next year I can do a Half-Ironman like your friends Anthony Pangilinan and Tessa Prieto-Valdes. Pamatay yung waves at hirap nung hills, pero sa awa ng Diyos natapos naman ako ng may ngiti.

Boy: Pakinggan naman natin si Ian. Anong masasabi mo sa race performance mo? Wagi rin ba ito tulad ng kay Pepsi?

Ian: Hello Boy at good evening sa mga viewers. Good evening na rin sa people listening/watching thru podcast, TFC or Bombo Radyo. I understand this interview is also cross-posted via Sheerwill's blog. Magandang gabi sa inyong lahat. While I am at it, i-plug ko na rin ang aking blog: Seabiskwit.

Ian: Yes, Tito Boy, ok naman ang aking performance. Grabe yung alon at ang tarik ng hills pero nakaya namin. Suwerte kasi I ended up 5th among males and 8th overall. Not bad, bi ba Boy, considering I am also doing bit roles in Dahil Meron Isang Ikaw, and like Raymart, Ryan and Gerard, lumusong rin ako sa baha. My only training was carrying my young son out of the floodwater. But we are ok, as we say in showbiz/sports, the show/race must go on.

Boy: Ok, let's go back to Ziggy. Our researchers said when you were younger, you moonlighted as a lifeguard in the posh Shangri-la Mactan. So you were like David Hasselhoff in Baywatch? Hoff na hoff ang dating! Did that experience help you land that silver medal?

Ziggy: Yes, Boy, best memories of my young life! Haha! Correction lang, Boy, I am so much younger than David Hasselhoff. Anyway, the brief stint made me very comfortable with the sea and its waves. In Cebu, I developed a feel for the water and regularly practiced sighting or the art of seeing/knowing where you are heading, an important skill in swimming through open water. Boy, how I enjoyed the sights on the beach! Haha! By the way, I share this medal with my SWAC friends and Sugbu Triathlon co-members.

Ziggy: And correction lang Ian, Tito Boy, it is actually me who played a bit role in Dahil Meron Isang Ikaw. Check out the tall, dark man who kidnapped Christine Hermosa when she was a baby and who harass Chin-chin Gutierrez, that screen image certainly looks like me!

Boy: How about your Rico aka Sheerwill? How did you fare in the race?

Rico: Wow, Boy, it was quite an experience. Like I always say, the fun starts at the beginning of the journey, not just the race itself. The series of simulations we did for this race not only physically and mentally prepared us for the main event, but also bonded as a group. In the race I must admit I got shocked a bit that I had had so much difficulty in the first round swim. From Camaya I learned the hard way that swimming across the wave line and away from/towards the shore is easier through breaststroke. I tried the same thing in Corregidor but in turned out that swimming along the wave line and parallel to the shore is better done free-style or crawl. I frog-kicked and breaststroked, but I was just tossed and played with by the waves. The hills were also a killer on The Rock, and at one point of seemingly endless downhill I wanted to quit because of the tremendous pressure on my right foot, but I persevered and finished it by sheer will as I usually do.

Rico: My brightest spot in an otherwise challenging race was when I free-styled my way through 2-feet high waves in the second round swim. I could have stood up and walked like what a few did, but I swam through all those waves. I front-sighted and kept an eye on the buoy line just like in training. I am an Aquarian I reminded myself, and water is my element. I need not fight the waves, I only have to find my way through them. I swam through the chaos of the waves. Find my way I did. Always have, always will. It may take time, but it gets done. By sheer will, by God's grace.

Kris: Aawww....You know what Rico, I may not be a runner, but I follow your blog. Where do those thoughts come from? And how do you manage to write them that way?

Rico: Haha, Kris...parang di tayo college batchmates. If I enrolled in Ateneo, we would probably be classmates, maybe even friends...Where do the thoughts come from? The words? Simple. From running, cycling, swimming. From subjecting myself through these physical feats and coming out of it a much better person. Try it.

Boy: Like Kris, I am also a fan, Sheerwill...But let me ask the whole group? What' s next for you guys and gals?

Everyone: More aquathlons! More aquathletes!

Ateneo? Speedo? Camaya? SWAC 3,4,5 ?

The water beckons to all would be aquathletes

Photos by Carina Manansala, future aquathlete