Me, Triathlete? Ironman?
(as printed in the IM Pinas 2002
programme)
About a year ago, I made a choice to enter a world that was different from my own.
My body took a beating, as I was initiated into something that I never thought would be such a big part of me Triathlon.
I decided to join my first triathlon, the 2001 Half-Ironman, only a week before
the race. They say ignorance is bliss? I must've been the most blissful person in the world! I didn't have
my own bike; I had to borrow a bike that was in fashion in 1985. The last time I ran 5-k was in a fun-run when I was
around 10 years old. And I don't think being in the ocean 6 months earlier while on a surfboard counts as swim experience.
With the odds stacked against me, I still finished the race, and earned the respect of triathletes, people that I held in
such high regard.
Since then, I have competed in various races and activities related to the three
disciplines of triathlon. Until now, I try my best to earn my stripes to be called a Triathlete, but something lingered
in my mind. I've done a half-ironman, will I ever be an Ironman? For me, the thought of achieving something like
this was like dangling candy in front of a baby. It's hard enough trying to be a triathlete, what more an Ironman?
I remember running my first marathon several months ago, and the starting gun had
gone off at a time of day which I would still be out partying, had it been one year before. That marathon was a grueling
experience, and it's only one-third of the elusive Ironman distance. In the 80's it was a time that any athlete, sports
enthusiast, and dozens of couch potatoes (admit it!) dreamed of running a marathon. Now, it's an Ironman.
People ask me why we compete in triathlon, or why try to cross the daunting distances
of an Ironman. I could never give a straight answer. Maybe its an extension of our lives, to try and achieve something
that other people can't. To be set apart from everyone else, and create an identity that's truly yours. To get
that five minutes of glory, which will last you a lifetime. To finish a race, that will dwarf everything you have ever
done in your life. Finding the drive to push yourself, to break down stereotypes and your own personal walls.
There could be so many big reasons to do an Ironman, or it could be as simple as finishing something that's so damn hard.
So, after all the days of waking up at 4:30AM to start my morning workout, and
making sure I finish work in time to train in the late afternoon or evening. The nights of sleeping before 10PM, to
make sure I get enough sleep for the next day. After all the sacrifices made by my family, my friends, my loved ones,
and all the people around me, to try understand why I am doing this to myself. After all the blood, sweat, and tears
that has poured out of my body. And after all the races where I competed, won, lost, fell, and rose from despair.
I hesitantly feel that I finally deserve to be called a Triathlete. Now the question remains, can I earn the right to
be called an Ironman.
