The Turtle Triathlete

Manila Marathon 2019 - a come back attempt after almost four decades since it was first held. 1982 was the inaugural year of the Metro Manila International Marathon. The original course started at the Quirino Grandstand and took the runners through Roxas Blvd all the way to the Coastal Road for the first u-turn. They then turned right on Buendia and another right along Ayala Avenue where they hang a left when they hit EDSA. They ran through EDSA and made their way to Ortigas Ave for the next u-turn. They traced their route back to Buendia and turning right immediately when they reach Roxas Blvd. The 42-km race finished back at the Quirino Grandstand. The inaugural race was won by an East German,  Waldemar Cierpinski  with a time of 2:14:27. I have not dreamed of even attempting a full marathon and I wasn't planning to sign up for one in the near future. So we won't be talking about the 2019 version the 42-km event, instead I'll recap the 21km event that I joined....

Sprint triathlons are the best. It is hard enough because of the blistering pace that you need to maintain throughout the race but short enough that you'll still have the energy to enjoy the post-race activities. Although a short race, it doesn't lack in competitiveness. Some seasoned triathletes still join these Sprint races as part of their training or they just want to race -- like me 😊 One of the premier organizers in Manila, Bike King Philippines, holds some of the well-organized and exciting multi-sport races. Last June 9, 2019 was their annual short distance race in Vermosa Sports Hub, the Vermosa Sprint Tri. Team Banayad Family I initially planned to sit this race out and just document the race through videos and pictures of my wife and the kids. Instead, I did a last minute registration and made it a family event. This is the first event where all of us are racing. Usually, my wife and I would join a race and the the kids taking pictures or the other way ar...