Share your #KwentongTriSeries! Are you an Aquaman? a Duaman? or a Triman? Whether you finished just one or did all three, we want to hear YOUR story. Tell us your motivation for joining. Tell us your why. Email your story at [email protected]. Don’t forget to attach pictures as well! #KwentongAquaman #KwentongDuaman #KwentongTriman.
Ken Icaro, the not-so-serious athlete who’s been dabbling in multisports since 2015. He’s the guy who convinced his then-girlfriend, now-wife, to join him in relay races, ensuring she didn’t get bored waiting around. But life happened, and Ken took a break due to work and the pandemic. Fast forward to early 2022, and he was back in action! What got him going? It all started with his beloved bike and a quest to conquer his mental and physical limits in triathlons.
I’ve been doing multisports since 2015 and have registered to different organizers of aquathlon, duathlon, and triathlon. Casual athlete lang aiming to improve myself physically and mentally. Nung nasa 20s pa kami ni ex-gf ko, na wife ko na ngayon, hinikayat ko rin sya sumali. Relay kami almost every event, siya sa 1st leg, tapos ako sa succeeding para hindi naman sya kawawa maghintay nang matagal tuwing solo race lang ako hehe.
Come 2018, medyo nagkatamaran due to work loads and by 2020, COVID pandemic naman kaya lalong tinamad. Dumating pa sa point na ibebenta ko na dapat tri bike ko pero buti wala pong bumili hehe. Our health deteriorated, palaging nakaupo, very minimal exercise, mabilis hingalin at mapagod, at most specially umabot po ako sa overweight bmi na dati ay sobrang payat hehe.
By early 2022, nung patapos na pandemic, I forced myself na kailangan ko na bumalik sa active lifestyle. My first motivation was my bike. Sabi ko sa sarili ko sayang naman ‘to kung nakatambak lang, gamitin ko na lang ulit. Nag-start sa palit chain, bartape, repaint c/o teban, etc. Hanggang nauwi po sa upgrade ng carbon wheelset within 2 years haha! I know many can relate, pero when you look at your most loved bike, kahit nakadisplay lang sa bahay, ang sarap sa feeling at titigan for appreciation at nakakagaan ng loob. Lalo kapag sinakyan mo na. Minsan kapag nakikita ako ni misis na nakatitig sa bike, magagalit bigla sabay sabi “o ano nanaman ang ia-upgrade mo dyan?” Hehe
My 2nd inspiration was my health. Physically, I want to reach my normal bmi again. And most importantly, my mental health. For me, triathlon is not just a physical sport but also a test of your mental toughness. No matter what your distance is, super sprint, sprint, olympic, half or full ironman, it will always be a mental game on the run part. After you swam and exhausted your arms, after your bike leg and drained your legs, you will still have to run or even walk a certain distance and overcome your brain telling you to stop and quit. It’s when you reach that point, endured the pain, and finished the race, that you can tell yourself – you are strong, physically and mentally, no matter how slow or fast your pace is.
I hope many people try and learn from this sport. I give my respect and salute to all the participants specially the slower ones na nakasabay ko. They did not give up and finished the race at their own pace. This is what I like about this organizer, SBRPH. I try to register on a triathlon event a tleast once a year since I returned last 2022 and by far swimbikerunph is the best organizer in terms of planning, location and route selection, food allocation, product partnership, raffles, and most importantly, no cut offs! Race at your own pace. I want to complete the series next year, if our schedule permits.
I also want to thank God for giving me the strength to finish the race and my wife for fully supporting me on this hobby.
-ken i.