5i50 Philippine-sanity! | A 5150 Preview
Ready for 5i50 Philippines? We are! Check out this awesome article by Coach Guy Concepcion, race director of 5150 Philippines. If this doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will! Register now before slots run out! See you guys there!
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5i50 Philippine-sanity!
By : Guy Concepcion
Author’s Note: Since I won’t be able to race 5i50 Philippines on June 24, 2012 at SBMA because I am the Race Director, the piece below is a fictional race report as if I actually did. It should give SBR.ph fans a feel of this brand new Olympic-distance Subic race route. Forgive me na lang that I wrote it as if I won! Haha.
Like most Filipino triathletes, I wondered why I would want to race in Subic again. I was there on a four-day bike event last year, and I didn’t want to suffer another Ocean Adventure climb. But the timing of the Century Tuna 5i50 Philippines was just right to prep me for the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu that I went ahead and signed up. Besides, 5i50 is an Ironman-owned brand so I knew it’ll be a high-quality event.
Swim (1.5km)
We’ve all driven, ridden, or run by the Hanjin port between All-Hands and Dungaree Beach, but how many of us have really swum there? The water was so clean and full of friendly sea life. And the view of the mountains and the sea was fantastic standing on the pier.
But I wasn’t there to just look at the sights. I wanted to perform at a high-level, especially to gauge how far along I was in my plan to do great in 70.3 Cebu. I was so focused on my race plan that I hardly noticed the over half-kilometer walk we did from T1 to the swim start. The walk included body marking so it was a smooth-flow from leaving my bike at transition to leaving my ‘tsinelas’ in a numbered-bag with a Century Tuna Superbod model/marshal.
We all got in the water for the mass water-start, waiting for the gun. The bay looked so festive with so many boats, kayaks, and yachts, some of them there just to watch the race. Apparently, the spectators heard the international pros were awesome swimmers, and would pull away from us age-groupers from the get-go. Well, my plan was to stick to their feet. It didn’t matter if these guys did triathlon for a living, and were much younger and lighter than me. I wanted to see if an old, fat guy can hang on for up to 18-minutes swimming without blowing up.
To my surprise (and delight), the draft and the current in our favor helped me stay within a fingernail’s length on Andy Pott’s toenails. When we got out of the beach at All-Hands (yes, it is a point-to-point swim), Andy Potts glanced at me with a dubious look, almost irritated. Who the hell is this guy? Did he cut across the buoys? I said thank you for the feet and I quickly said this is the last time you’ll see me.
T1
The swim-to-bike transition was just a short run from the sand to the cement. My transition was trouble-free, and it was especially nice because my friends were nearby cheering me on. I got on my bike and was ready to face the deadly climbs.
Bike (40km)
The route map, the race briefing, and the course reads couldn’t prepare me enough for how much climbing we would have to do. And those bastards who designed this course made it trickier by first tempting the uber-bikers with a never-before-done bike ride through the super-flat, super-smooth runway of the Subic International Airport! The organizers added a rabbit to chase with the “fastest airport split” award. I don’t know who won this, but I didn’t hear the end of the never-ending chatter about how fast everyone rode the runway. I bet the bike nuts would still be comparing their airport splits all the way till Cebu.
After exiting the airport, the climbing began. I could never get used to the Ocean Adventure climb, and it was particularly displeasing after seeing 60kph in my computer while on the runway, then suddenly I was reading 16. It took all the tricks I could muster to get up the mountain. Then I was so happy the course turned right earlier than the Ocean Adventure right turn. Woohoo! Downhill! The woohoo quickly turned to oh no. The IDESS loop was narrow and curvy. Then the IDESS loop climbed again, still narrow and curvy. Who designed these roads anyway? Maybe there should be a TTT Party-list to advocate laying roads that are always flat, wide, and straight in the entire Philippines.
I finally got out of the IDESS loop and rode back down to the airport, but no longer through the compound. It was the usual rough road above the airport that we’ve always taken, so I was thinking, hmmm, no more climbing like in most races once we pass through here. Not. The marshal said turn right on Tarlac. Crap. In World War II, there was the Death March from Bataan to Tarlac. In 5i50, there’s the Death Climb on Tarlac. Enough said.
My own water bottles and the hydration stations helped me. And to my surprise, I wasn’t getting reeled in like I normally do by the big boys of Philippine tri. I must not be such a bad climber after all. And when I saw my computer indicating almost 40-kilometers total distance, I kinda felt I was home free.
T2
The bike-to-run transition was at the Subic Bay Exhibition & Convention Center. There were bike catchers waiting to grab our bikes as we dismounted, plus marshals handed out our T2 bags, leading us to a changing area — very fast and efficient. I was ready to run.
Run (10km)
The run was towards the Subic golf course and back, running through the golf cart tracks. The route was scenic and shaded — two big pluses in any triathlon run.
I was feeling good. Spectators and friends found a way to find their spot along the run route to cheer us on. And Andy Potts did see me, but he was almost done with the run, I was just about to start. He shouted encouraging words and said the run was beautiful. How can that not boost you better than Gu?
I had done the training. I had enjoyed the moment. So as I ran back onto the convention center grounds, hearing the host and the cheering nearby, I picked up the tempo of my feet and let the hard-to-describe feeling of a 5i50 sink in as I crossed the finish line. I had a great race. But more important, I realized Subic had something new to give. So, just like the Knicks getting something unusual with Lin-sanity, I experienced something special with the Century Tuna 5i50 Philippines.
The end … till Cebu.
Post-script: Here’s hoping Andy Potts doesn’t get really pissed I used him in my story. But wouldn’t it be awesome if he joined our Philippine races?
Acknowledgments: Thank you to the ever-omnipresent Ricky Ledesma for the photographs. Thank you, Carlos, for posting this on SBRph. And thank you all for supporting Sunrise Events.
More Pictures of the Race Course :
From the SWIMBIKERUN Forum. Pictures by Makoy.
Swim
Bike
Run
When Makoy toured us on this course, parang wala sa Subic. After so many years racing in Subic, it has so much to offer in variety.
The airport segment of the bike course made my blood boil. Looking at the wind vane at the side of the tarmac,wind always blows parallel to the strip. Designed for the airplanes landing,its either a tailwind or a headwind…never a crosswind. This should bring out the most aero set-ups down to the helmet. A speed radar should be set-up at the tailwaind side to see the top speeds…..
What about climbing set ups for the Cat 4 hills, especially the Col de Tarlac?
super excited . thanks to guy concepcion for the walkthrough, feels like i am there already
Hi, i registered in this race even though i was still not prepared for the swim, still training on my own and hopefully become ready before june 24. i like your article and i feel more excited about this race because of this. thanks:)