Anthony Pangilinan writes about his NYC Marathon experience on his website. Congratulations Anthony!!!
http://www.anthonypangilinan.com.ph/2011/11/going-the-distance/
Monthly Archives: November 2011
NY MARATHON RACE REPORT: ANTHONY PANGILINAN
Posted in RACE REPORT, Running
Tagged Anthony Pangilinan, NY Marathon, NYC Marathon
POWERMAN MALAYSIA RACE REPORT: AUGUST BENEDICTO
First run 4km nakasabay ako sa lead pack pagkatapos noon naiwan na ako at nag break-away na yung seven. Kasama dun si Rabeno at Carlo. Pagkatapos sa last 3km inabot ko si Carlo at kasabay ko na si Sharom ng Malaysia. Sa transition ako yung naghahabol kasama yung dalawa at inabot ko na noong 25km sa bike sina Rabeno. Si Rabeno dumikit na sa likuran ko at di na siya pumalit. Ang sabi ko, malapit lang yung pang-apat, kaso ayaw niya pumalit dahil nag-re-reserve ng mabuti para sa last run. Na-warning pa siya dahil sa pagtutok sa akin. Inisip ko na lang magka-team kami kaya inubos ko na ang lakas ko sa bike para makalayo sa mga nilampasan ko.
Results for Filipino Athletes:
Rabeno Javier, 5th/ August Benedicto, 6th/ Carlo Pedregoza, 9th/ Mirasol Abad 5th Overall Female
Posted in Duathlon, RACE REPORT
IM 70.3 TAIWAN RACE REPORT: DAN BROWN
The race venue for this race was Kenting, on the southern tip ofTaiwan. This is a very pretty place with mountains and clear ocean water. It is always nice to do a pre race swim and see marine life down there! There is a lot of wind here as it on the coast but the temps are a balmy 26-27 degrees which is perfect. I stayed at the Yoho hotel, the race official hotel. It is a sprawling resort style hotel on the beach which was great for pre race preparation, resting and a super brunch buffet!
Race day dawned perfect weather. The sky had a fantastic mix of reds and oranges which made for a great start. I lined up with the other 13 pro athletes at the start line at 6.30 and we got underway some 20 mins before the rest of the 1300 other athletes. Apparently the biggest ever triathlon field inTaiwan.
The wetsuit swim went ok but I spent most of the time alone. An unfortunate part of racing with only a small amount of people! No draft to be had here unfortunately for my swim time.
Onto the bike and I was off on the 90km bike which contained a ‘bit of everything’. There was 2 climbs, some very fast downhill sections @ 75+ km/h and a lot of wind. Once again I was cycling along for most parts but it was ok and scenic especially the coastal sections.
I passed 3 other athletes on the bike leg and I felt surprisingly good on the second lap. I finished with 2.21 on clock so a good time for riding alone on this sort of ‘strength’ oriented course.
By the time of the run the temps were heating up and my goal for the race was really just to get my run back together and finish strongly considering all the back trouble I have had the past year! From 5-15k I actually ran really well. I was using all aid stations to walk and get in lots of coke and just focused on letting the ‘urge’ to stop go away time and time again. I got to about 16k when things started to go downhill but got a lot of confidence out of this race and finished in a respectable 9th position male pro. I have 15-20 mins improvement still in my run so am excited to put it all together next year!
The race was really well organised and run. Kudos to Renny Ling and his Ironman team. I was really looked after well and will be back next year with Ani to race again no doubt. The area is a superb destination race for individuals and families and a is a real honest test of endurance.
ASIAN TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 RACE REPORT: NIKKO HUELGAS
Here in Shandori Hotel, Taiwan.
Had a good swim that gave me a bike pack of 6 athletes. With that, we managed to get all of the other athletes in front of us, collecting about 5 athletes that had built a fast chase pack to try to get the 4 Japanese who were leading the bike by 1min 30secs.
Unfortunately, we didn’t reach them, so they really had a great breakaway…. Tacticians huh…
We managed to get to t2 by 1:28mins, so that left us to a time above 2 hours in over-all.
4 loops in the run, including a 100m hill that would help me with a breakaway in the last loop which I did after having 2 athletes with me all throughout the 10km run.
Swim was long, bike was fast, and run was a bit long. Total time, 2:09
Japan got 1st to 4th place
Kazakstan got 5 and 6
Then me…7th over-all
Posted in RACE REPORT, Triathlon
THE NEXT STEP TRI COACHING UPDATES, JUNE 16
The Next Step Tri Camp has just landed in Bacolod for the Next Step Tri Series Camp 3. We are looking forward to a full 3 days of training and lectures for our triathlon friends here in Bacolod. The first 2 camps have been a success and we hope to continue the growth of these events.
Details and testimonials of the camps etc. can be found @ www.thenextsteptricamp.com
The Next Step Tri Series Camp 4 will be in Subic on July 8, 9 and 10 and the focus will be on Camsur IM 70.3 and the specific training needed to achieve your goals for the event. The camp will likely be a sellout so we all look forward to a great camp then!
Next Step coaching welcomes team Hammer and Team Tribe for coaching in Subic Bay in the coming weeks as many of the athletes prepare for The Triking Long Course Event on July 17.
Philippine National Team athletes will begin their preparations for Singapore ITU Asian Cup race on May 30.
All the best to Next Step athletes competing in the next few weeks:
Australian athletes Simon MacDonald and Lauren Edwards will compete in the Gold Coast marathon.
Singapore athlete Andy Lordianto will tackle the Ironman Korea.
All the best to these athletes!
THE NEXT STEP TRI IS NOW ON TWITTER!
Please follow us at: http://twitter.com/#!/thenextsteptri
Posted in ATHLETE UPDATES
2011 SUBIC BAY ITU TRIATHLON PHI NATIONAL TEAM RACE REPORT
The Philippine National team competed in the Subic Bay ITU Asian cup triathlon event on April 30 and May 1.
On April 30 the Junior Elite male race was held and Epoy Jurolan competed in this competition. It was held over the format of a sprint distance. After surveying the results of the last 2 years I saw that the competition is of a high standard in this race and that a very competitive bike time would have to be achieved to win this race. The previous year Epoy had not placed in the top 10 overall. The plan for this year was for Epoy to push the bike as best as he could. We as a team have done a lot of biking and I think this helped to propel him to an excellent 2nd place overall with the fastest bike split. His run at 4 min p/k showed a lot of improvement as well. I think he put together a very smart and focused race.
The next race for the weekend was the women’s elite race and the team had LC Langit and Kim Mangrobang racing. Kim is only 19 years old and in the U23 division but raced in the elite division.
The field for this year was very strong with a host of Australian, Japanese and European girls competing. LC and Kim worked together during the swim and came out of the water together. They both missed a very strong group of girls who went on to ride together and put in a very strong lead before the run leg. The 2 PHI girls both biked together and hit the transition together to start the run. Kim had a very strong bike ride which showed huge improvement and reflected her focused training the past 3 months. She was also able to put together a solid run off the bike. Kim (2.22) and a (1.16) bike time has a very strong stand alone run and I think when her times for running off the bike and her times for stand alone run get closer together she will go a lot faster.
LC did not perform to her best potential today which was reflected in her slow bike time. She is most definitely capable of a much faster split than on the day. She was well prepared but was very flat on the day. This was a shame but I expect her to carry on her training form and to excell in races in the near future. I think perhaps she might have felt some pressure also as this is a home race and she also had family watching and some considerable expectation. This will be something to work on in the future no doubt.
On the Sunday the men’s race was held and the PHI was represented by Nikko Huelgas and Neil Catiil. Nikkohas had very little preparation this year as he has been studying and has only been in the training camp for 3 weeks. The bike leg isNikko’s weakest leg so I basically putNikkothrough a stack of bike orientated training as I could into his programme and I think it paid off well in this race. I did not hold high hopes for a solid performance from him given the prep but he once again showed a lot of fight in this race coming out of the water well and with a small but strong group of bikers. He was surprisingly able to hang in his bike group and then run a solid 37 low min time to finish a strong 2.03.30. I was surprised at his quality overall time after 3 weeks of training and wonder what could become of this young man given a long and continuous build of full time specific training.
Neil has been in very good shape coming into this race and I expected a fast swim fast bike and competitive run from him. Neil did not push hard enough in the swim and was well back from the leaders at the end of this leg. He subsequently had to cycle by himself and this is very difficult when competing in a draft legal format. His bike time was good but not outstanding and he finished with a strong run and a 2.05.15 time. Neil needs to really take his race pace swimming to a higher level which can reflect his overall improvement in his pool swim times this year. He still underachieves on race day in the area which is most important. It is as much a mental obstacle to be overcome as much as anything else. Once he believes more in his ability in the water then his overall times will lower by a big margin. He will get there if he persists and his results will be v diff if this is achieved.
I was very happy overall with Epoy, Kim andNikko’s results. Neil had a solid race and LC can and will achieve better results than this.
For the future I think the bike and run training are going very well, but improvement must be made in the swimming and on the mental side of racing. International experience and a stronger swim squad would also help to improve this. A higher quality of nutrition would also improve strength, body composition and improve overall energy levels.
Posted in RACE REPORT, Triathlon
SUBIC INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON RACE REPORT: MELVIN WONG
Pre-Race
Did the weekend just fly past in a wink? I was pumped up for a great weekend @Subic(my fav place since i clinched 2009 Asian Duathlon Age Group Champs 2 yrs ago). The flight seemed long (3hrs) but the drive was even longer. Aircon broke down halfway through the ride to Subic Freeport and it didn’t help with 4 koreans, 2 aussies and another irish dude (and Carol plus mr balwant singh) on board the seemingly tiny bus!
Met Dan and Ani @ Travellers’ Hotel for race pack collection before heading to my nice apartment along Antipolo street in Subic Homes. Really appreciate Dan’s help together with Fitness First for allowing me a chance to race for them. Wayne, Paolo, Patrick, Anton, Marc, Doray, Rizzo, Stella, Pat, Marichu (is this how you spell it?), Raffi and many more fitness first folks – A great fun bunch to be with!
After a short intro to the swim start and part of the bike course, I was all set for a nice race @ Subic Triathlon. Of cos, I felt motivated with the ladies putting up a great show on sat.
Swim
I had a short and sweet warm-up in the waters. nice and warm. And alot of shoulder rotation / dynamic warm-up to get the arms ready. Whistle blew and off we went. I positioned myself nicely to just about a tangent of the front pack and getting some draft. I felt confident when I was still within contact with the first pack till the first turn around point. Thereafter, I just followed an athlete infront of me for the 2nd loop. All was good and under control. I felt more confident of my swim than inMekongand it clearly showed in terms of confidence of exiting the waters. I clocked 25’57 (may have included transition). Thought I could lower abit more on the time but not too bothered by it.
Bike
I took dan’s advice on not going out too hard in the first 14-15km. I pop in a gel after securing my shoes on. All this while my HR is still pretty much controlled (unlike some other races when I had to catch a group just in front of me and HR just sky-rocketed!) I was just going up moderately and trying to spin it up like how I would clear the rolling hills on my long rides rather than grinding it out on my big gears. My cadence quickly brought me up to the leaders of the age group and just after the U-turn, I think I reeled in most of the age groupers in front of me and probably out in the lead. Big Gear it was as I cruised along the return slopes of the Ocean Adventure down towards to main Rizal highway. However, an athlete from Team Camsur (Benjaman Rana) came by just before we hit the cobbled section of the route and he was grinding out those big gears. We rode together for awhile before I told myself to focus on my race and keeping a rhythm instead of smashing myself. August came along side me, really pushing the pace as we approached the rizal highway. From then, it was clearly established that it was going to be a tough running race! As I rode towards the end of the highway making the left turn, heading towards the transition, i could not see august in front of me anymore. I approached the first junction and all I was facing were a row of cones and a security guard standing in the middle of the lane. I shouted to him on whether I should go straight (risk hitting him) or turn left. I decided to turn left (wrong move) when he just smiled at me. Eventually, I found that I did not pass by the transition area and realized that i have taken a wrong route! What a bummer! Nonetheless, I wasnt going to let this affect me. I joined back into the eventual route after asking another security guard on the directions. Then I just time trialled myself the last 10km. My legs took a sting from the initial hilly course and I could not sustain the big gear. I played around with the gears and got onto the small chainring but maintain high cadence. Surprised to still see 38-40kmph on this gear combination.
Run
The 2nd time i entered the boardwalk area was with many other age groups and when I was approaching T2, I knew I made the wrong turn but decided to carry on. The lead bike followed me as I ran for the first 700m myself before being joined by August and Benjamin. We ran together for the next 3 laps, each one taking turns to put in surges along the way. In the last lap, he put in one decisive surge just 200m before the finishing lane area and my legs had nothing left. The heat was a major factor and i did not take in alot of fluids along the bike. Eventually, I finished about a min behind Benjamin with August close on my heels. I knew that it was probably irrelevant as I made the wrong turn but it was definitely a great training session (lots of lessons learnt). Abit worried on pulling Team Fitness First down with my DQ but am so delighted when they won it eventually! Great Stuff to the folks @ Fitness First!
Lessons Learnt:
1. Keep head position still in the water and maintain flat horizontal position. I used to look around every 2-3 strokes which may be the reason why i got no rhythm in the open water swim.
2. Not to be affected or worried when im passed on the bike. I know the bike is my weak link at the moment but if i can maintain good form without smashing myself, I am set for a better run.
3. In times like making a wrong turn, think positive and carry on with the race until the end. Never know what may happen.
4. Learnt to run in a group and respond / react to surges without absolutely killing myself.
MEKONG RIVER TRIATHLON FESTIVAL RACE REPORT: MELVIN WONG
Dear Friends,
I am sitting back at my chair, enjoying the music and work that is in front of my screen while typing this. It sure wasn’t anything like that in Chiang Rai, Thailand just 10 days ago. There was a moment of “zoning out” and “lost” in those moments when my hotel was rocking due to the earthquake measured 6.9 magnitude, about 70km away from the epicentre. This happened on 24 March (Thurs) at about 10pm. My roommate and I hesitated for awhile before rushing out, only to be greeted by the rest of the hotel guests, visibly shocked, assembling outside the hotel lobby. The 45mins of loitering around the carpark outside Siam Triangle Hotel seemed like a long time. I was pretty tired but I guess clearance is needed before we returned to our rooms. Tremors were felt the 2nd time later in the night and the “transition run” was executed again. Surely not something that was welcomed just hours before the Duathlon race.
Asian Duathlon Champs
Everyone was talking about their quake encounters. The athletes at River Hill hotel all camped at the massage room / lobby just in case there is a recurrance. Even the french athlete at my hotel brought his bike and case down to sleep at the open air carpark. That was the fear that comes with the earthquake.
Run was a quick affair, buillding it up slowly and pushing it alittle on the 2nd of the 2 loop course. It was definitely more than 10km but am glad to finish just under 36mins.
Bike was an intense affair of 8 loops (like a crit race and definitely around 42km). Nothing spectacular unless you are a big fan of criterium racing. The real test came in running off the bike. Legs never felt good (more like metallic lead) but just hung on for a 4th place finish.
Mekong River ITU Asian Cup Triathlon
We had saturday off and that was so welcoming. Definitely enjoying the 100 Baht Massages, great food and a ride towards the Golden Triangle.
Mekong River never felt so cold with waters hovering at 19 degrees. Air temperature was around 20-21 degrees and we were shivering on the ferry boat towards the swim start. My swim was slightly better but still, my arms are still “frozen” by just battling with the cold waters.
My calves were thawing as I hopped on my bike for the first lap of 8 laps. It was either unusually windy for a while or my mind was just playing tricks, my rear wheel was kinda wobbly. I managed to ride with the 2nd pack of elites for most of the time before putting on a late surge in the run trying to catch up. I put almost everything I had on the run and came away with a 4th place finish.
The weekend of racing allowed me to understand how my body reacts to different environmental factors and definitely a great experience. It has been a great first quarter and im looking forward to greater challenges ahead in 2011.
I will make a trip to Subic for the triathlon on 1 May. (So now Rick will be almost be my friend!)
Below is a round-up of my races over the 1st Quarter 2011.
- SAA Cross-Country – 4th
- Singapore Duathlon – 1st
- Swift / Akira Cross-Country Relay – 1st
- Singapore Biathlon – 6th
- NTUC U-RUN – 2nd
- Asian Duathlon Championships – 4th
- MekongRiver International Triathlon – 4th
ASIAN DUATHLON AND AQUATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS, MEKONG RIVER TRIATHLON 2011 RACE REPORT
This year’s race was held in Chiang Saen–about 45 mins drive from Chang Rai. Our team arrived wed night and we had an easy day with time spent registering and listening to the race brief e.t.c. The night, however, was a different situation as around 9pm we experienced a 7.0 earthquake and it shook us all up a little. Our TV was thown across the room. I have the funny vision of Coach Rick running down the hotel steps still pulling up his pants. Sorry mate! There were aftershocks all night so most people either slept out in the street or in the massage room on the first floor. An easier getaway than the 4th! These quakes continued for the next few days.
After a sleepless night we arrived Friday morning race day for the Duathlon. Conditions were great for the event with a little wind and cloud cover to keep the heat down. The run course was a little long and the bike was measured at 42.7k. This year’s field was very strong and the depth showed up in the results. There were the 2 best Japanese athletes competing, 2 aussies and the eventual winner, who was from Slovenia. The PHI boys performed very well and we ended up with Rabeno as Bronze medalist, August 4th , Neil 6th and Carlo 7th.
I was very happy with the effort from Rabeno and particularly August who showed great fight, especially during the second run portion. All boys especially Carlo still lacked a little strength on the bike and this is where the work needs to continue with the boys this year. If they are behind in run 1 then they miss the opportunity to ride in a draft legal situation with the lead cyclists, and hence end with a faster bike split. Our team tactics worked well with Jeff sheltering Robeno during the cycle leg.
The race was a good experience for the athletes up against some very strong international competitors that is for sure.
During the afternoon LC performed very well in the Aquathlon coming in 1st overall elite female in the Asian Aquathlon Championships. This was a good result for her. During the run leg she had 3 other girls within 30 metres at the finish stretch but toughed it out to the finish.
To cap the weekend off Neil came in 8th place male elite with a 2.02 in the Sunday Olympic Distance Triathlon. He continues to improve his swim and his prospects are very good for the year.
Regards,
Coach Dan Brown
