Monday, November 12, 2007
Personal accounts - Punta Fuego Tri
From: Ricardo Ledesma
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 2:52:19 PM
Unquestionably the hardest triathlon I have witnessed.
Just check out eventual winner Mark Candelaria's winning time....i think 3:04 something, about 45mins off his regular Oly time. And, the gap widdens with the mortal age groupers who finisher an hour or more than their Oly time.The smell of burning clutch in the early morning as the vehicles unloaded riders & bikes in the central should be a clear indication of how hard it was for the machines, what more human power.
It was just brutal.
The race started at 9am, sounded good in the beginning as the wake up call would be 6-7am instead of 4-5 for a 7am start.But the BOP's would realize later on it wasn't good after all. Everyone would be running in the heat two hours later than they normally run.
The swim went well, some waves & a perimiter swim line that ran perpendicular to the lane.
Thats where all the pleasantries ended.
The bike course' grade on the climbs was hors' categorie in not one but several sections. It was pure carnage everywhere, from the starting line to the many sections on the bike course...cyclist pushing their bikes up the climb. Imagine doing that for about 25-50 meters uphill with your cleats on.
I measured 250m of climbing each leg. With 4 laps or 8 legs, thats a total of 2000m worth of climbing. Aray.
Right when you exit T1, I counted only 11 who rode their bikes and did not push (don't know how many joined). Its interesting to note that all the triathletes mashed and stood on the pedals, while relay cyclists were spinning easily (low heart rate at this point?). The leaders Mark Candelaria, Hiro & Leo Oracion powered up the opening hill, as you could hear grunts, curses, laughter and some metal crashing sounds echoing in the tree covered zigzag. The girls though climbed in a smooth seated style, Nina, Joyette & most notably Kay who had an incredible bike split. It was your decision as a cyclist, weak on the climbs....go kamikaze on the downhill at the risk of overshooting some sections.
Several spills on the road. I heard about a broken fork, damaged carbon rims (from excessive braking) and lots of loose headsets that surface when braking downhill.
The run was no different, I doubt very much if a participant did not walk at all. If you are familiar with the Tali/Punta area... the run turnaround passed the bridge beside the river in Nasugbu...down below. There a re very few flat sections for your run legs to recover. Either you were running uphill or stopping your legs from over striding downhill (also very hard on the shins).
Leaving the venue early, going to our place in Mayamaya (4.8k away), packing up and driving home, I still went passed runners who were yet to get to the killer hills, and it was already 2pm and very very hot.To all who braved and finished this race, my hats off to you. A very proud accomplishment to your palmares. Can it get any harder than this..I doubt very much.
If this event comes around next year, you're up to a challenge and you want to and see how strong a cyclist/runner you really are...testing how long you can bear the pain before dismounting to push your bike....sign up for this race.The venue is beautiful, hosting was great...just a lot of climbing.
Sharing the pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ledcamp/TerrazaTriathlon/
From: Paul Hilario
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 6:24 PM
Here's the Olympic equation of the story.
TdPF sprint x 2 = ?1.5 + ?T1 + ($%**^$#!!!)40 + ?T2 +(&*#($&^Q!!)10 + ? ? ?!!!
I first saw the course when we arrived at around 7am from Los Baños. Although other tri friends have scouted the area weeks before I was not prepared for what I was about to see. Alfred is right. It was an Oh My God! moment. I haven't even seen the rest of the course I only saw the first km going down to T1. The car was nose diving and twisting down to T1. That time I already knew that it would be extremely difficult but I told myself that at least I have to try.
I saw the cog sets of some participants they where humongous!
Anyway, on with the show!
SWIM
A prayer was led (everybody needed that) followed by introductions, speeches and your usual Kodak moments.
Swim was counterclockwise with two safety buoy lines (for TdPF swim guests) intersecting the swim course. The swim was quite uneventful more like the calm before the storm. I exited the water and took my sweet time going to T1. I took my leisurely time also pouring fresh water on me from a big drum before entering T1.
T1
Quite amazingly, T1 was so relaxed. Nobody was rushing to get on their bikes. A friend has a video of people at T1 taking their time, wiping their face, eating, taking a few drinks and leisurely putting on their bike shoes and/or rubber shoes. He remarked Is this a race? It was sort of like everybody's last reprieve before the impending execution.
At first I wanted to bring my slippers but decided I'd walk barefoot or with my bike shoes on if it comes to that (remember I haven't tried the course yet). I was still optimistic I can remain on the saddle.
BIKE - OUT
I rode my bike right out of T1. Some were already walking their bikes up.
First 100m Heart rate check I was still doing okay using 34-27.
Next 50m Heart rate steadily increasing already. Cadence down.
Next 100m Standing up now with each effort getting harder and harder. Up ahead I saw people walking/pushing their bikes.
With gladness in my heart (which was about to explode) the choice was laid before my eyes. Cleats out. Time to push. Time to walk.
Halfway up near the first rotonda the grade eases out permitting riders to mount and grind out the last half km or so towards the TdPF entrance/exit gate.
Out of the gate was the beginning of penitence for the next 39 km.
The route was a series of twisting uphill and downhills. Some downhill portions were screaming fast! I only reached 60kph but I know some athletes were near 80kph. SCARY! I got stung by an insect (I think it was a bee) during one of those downhill sprints and boy did it hurt! My speed plus that stinger was a bad combination. In some portions of the road, there were loose gravel and very sharp downhill turns that necessitated that you ride with extreme care to the point of almost burning out your brake pads. But screaming down the hills was the easy part. The series of uphills going to the turnaround was difficult but doable in the saddle but I could only manage about 6kph at some point. At the turn-around point was an aid station. Sponge bath, water, and encouragement were overflowing.
BIKE BACK
The bike back was the hardest part of the bike course. Remember those 60 to 80km downhills? That is equivalent to 3 to 4kph uphill WALK for me.
I've got the course mapped out.
I ride to the turnaround point with pride on the saddle.
After riding back for about 3km, I get off the bike for a looong walk.
Ride for about 300m.
Dismount when my heart and muscles can't function properly again.
Walk uphill again until about 400m to the turnaround point.
Ride again to the turnaround point.
1 round and 3 to go!!!!! I think I'm gonna faint.
But I wasn't lonely while walking. I've got plenty of company. The strongest bikers in the race were muscling up the hills INCREDIBLE!! ! I am especially amazed with Maris Balatibat (1st place overall - women). There were several times we were together during climbs but she always remained in the saddle. Talk about determination and grit.
There were several more people who didn't walk during the bike course. This alone was an achievement by itself.
During the bike, many cars, jeepneys and trucks passed by. Some drivers and passengers were smiling at the ant-like procession of bikes being pushed. I'm positive some of them would have thought us crazy. At one point I overheard some resident spectators talking near the side road (yes, at 5kph you can hear everything). They knew exactly how many loops we were doing and the person telling the story was motioning with his hands as if describing a roller coaster ride. This was exactly what it was.
Leo Oracion and Mark Candelaria were the only ones who averaged more than 20kph. I only averaged a paltry 14kph. That is how tough that bike course was.
T2
Going down to T2 was a cinch. The hard part was keeping a good grip of your brakes to keep from accelerating too much else you'll crash if you get out of control. Again, everybody was extra methodical at T2. The organizers should allow a masseuse in the transition area next time hehe.
RUN
The run este mostly walk pala was made even harder because it was approaching midday. The race started at a little over 9AM and the weather was totally sunny. I would have wished for a cloudy day. The heat was scorching your skin and draining every ounce of moisture from you.
Out of T2 was the same torturous climb to the TdPF exit. Found some flat areas where I could jog a bit but because of exhaustion was actually just doing a walking pace. It was much easier out of the gate. Downhill we go for about a kilometer and then off to a series of long rolling hills until the turn around point.
I kept a wet sponge (from an aid station just outside the TdPF gate) in my trisuit to squeeze from time to time. The sun was bearing down on all participants. I could actually see mirages on the top of the road in the distance. I was walking up the hills and trying to recover lost time by running down.
Several times I attempted to run up but my legs were really tired and additional exertion was painful. So I was resigned to walk for all eternity (hmm sounds like a bad curse).
When I saw a sign Terrazas de Punta Fuego 1 KM I felt relieved and actually joyful. One more kilometer to go! But that 1 km was all uphill. It felt like the longest 1 km in my life.
Arriving at the main gate is not a time of jubilation - you turn right first to enter another gate across the main gate. And here my eyes popped. There was one more freaking hill!!!!!!!! !!!!!!! This one was steep, long and no shade to shield you. But it did have its perks. It was windy and had the best view in the entire run course. It was the prime area if you were looking for real estate. The turn around was a rotonda which was more like a lanai up in the mountains. The view was really breathtaking. I would have taken more time to do sightseeing but I was eager to finish I was hungry already and getting goose bumps all over. I ran all the way down that hill across the road into the main gate descended with less care down to the finish line. Oh what a relief it was to finish!
I saw Mon Marchan seated near the finish line chute I couldn't help myself just had to give him the old 1-2 in jest ala Manny Pacquaio!
This was not a race it was penitence and I am free of sin and happy.
Thanks to the organizers TRAP, LandCo, the support groups and the helpful aids for making this journey more pleasant.
Mon is right THIS IS THE HARDEST triathlon in the Philippines to date. Comparing finishing times with the O2 is deceiving. Yes, it will take you longer to finish O2 but you need that extra mental toughness, strength, will, heart and lung power to conquer the Terrazas de Punta Fuego triathlon.
Congratulations to all who dared!!! Next year ulet?
.