Before You Click Register | An Ironman 70.3 Philippines Asia-Pacific Championship Open Letter

You know registration for the much awaited 2016 Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines Asia-Pacific Championship is just around the corner when everyone you know in the triathlon community is talking about it. Unless you’re living on Mars, the registration is set to open on October 1, 2015 (and slots will run out fast!) at exactly 8am. But before you click register, especially if you’re a newbie, we hope you take to heart our short open letter.

Dear SBR.ph Nation,

Registration for the 2016 Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines Asia-Pacific Championship (and other 2016 Sunrise Events races) is fast approaching.
Excited? We’re sure you are. Who wouldn’t, right? It’s the one of the best Ironman 70.3 races in the world.
And we have it here in our home soil.
We’re super excited about it as well. Not to mention that it’s gonna be an Asia-Pacific Championship.

But before you click register, we just want to remind you about a couple of things.
PLEASE TRAIN FOR IT.
DO NOT SUCCUMB TO PEER PRESSURE.
RESPECT THE DISTANCE AND GET ENOUGH TRAINING AND RACING MILEAGE IN YOUR LEGS.

It’s one thing to finish triathlon races (up to the Olympic distance) without any training.
But a half-ironman is totally a different animal. 
Don’t sign up just because it’s cool and everyone’s doing it.
Your time will come. Sign up because you know you are ready for it.

Sure, there are cases when some first timers (you probably know some) were able to finish it very minimal training.
Trust us, they got lucky.
We all know what happened this year.
An open water half-ironman race is always the greatest equalizer.

Triathlon is a dangerous sport. A couple of years ago, we used to call the 70.3 the ultimate truth serum.
There are no miracles, there are no short cuts. 
If you trained properly for it, you will finish (and probably set a p.r., if you’re lucky).
But if you don’t, you will most likely get a DNF or suffer A LOT on the run.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re proud that you took the first step (signing up).
But registering for a race alone won’t get you to the finish line.
You will suffer. And when you’re finally training – you will swim, bike, and run, countless times… for MONTHS.
Honestly? You will train for so many hours for what is basically a 6-8 hour race (for the average ones).

There will come a time when none of it would make any sense. 
Why are you doing this?
That’s the question no triathlete could ever answer with a straight face.
Say buh-bye to your weekends too. Going out on a Friday? Go home early because you have an early Saturday ride.

But if ever you do sign up, we (SBR.ph) will be there to guide you every step of the way.
You can count on that. Nothing’s sweeter than finishing your first 70.3.
We will hold your hand and give you all the information that you will ever need.
But you have to make sure that you do your part.

Remember, make (triathlon) it fun.
Make it a lifestyle, make it something that you’ll want keep on doing.. ’till you’re 70.
Yes, we’re fans of Ed Sheeran. :)
Turn it into something that you’ll want to keep on doing for the rest of your life.

We’ve been there and done that.
And what we found out that the sport of triathlon is all about longetivity. 
How many athletes have you seen go too fast, only to get burned out in the end?
There are lots of ’em. Burn out is real and it happens. See that less than 6 month old super bike up for sale?

So for the final time, if ever you do sign up..
We ask you to respect the distance, train for it, and enjoy the journey.
Have fun and like what we always say, BE A NEWBIE.
See you in 2016!

GOOD LUCK.

Regards,

CDG / SBR.ph

Note : Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines Asia-Pacific Championship logo is owned by Sunrise Events and the WTC. Absolutely no copyright infringement intended.

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