The Bellevue Resort 5i50 Bohol
The Bellevue Resort 5i50 Bohol – November 6, 2016
After a solid training block in Germany with some smaller races including some running and cycling events, I headed back to the Philippines mid-October in order to get acclimatize again and be ready for my next race, The Bellevue Resort 5i50 Bohol.
I was lucky my training buddy Riccardo from Croatia came to visit me and to race as well in Bohol. We had really good training sessions and I was feeling good leading up to the race. Unfortunately, just a few days into race week I got sick with fever and flu!!! I tried to work against it with some tea, kalamansi, ginger, honey and finally some medicine, but in the end had to accept that I would not be in perfect condition for the race.
Nevertheless, I was really happy to be able to travel to Bohol and to participate. As usual the short distance does not suit me as well as the 70.3 distance as I’m too slow in the swim, but the 5i50 are always great events and I was excited to race the Bohol course for the first time.
The Bellevue Resort is a beautiful hotel and a stunning location for a race. There were the usual pre-race activities like registration and Expo and it was nice to see so many familiar faces of the local and international triathlon community, including some of my ALASKA team mates!
I tried to get as much rest as possible before the race in order to recover. On race morning I felt ok and it was really comfortable to just get out of the room and walk to the close transition and swim start from the Bellevue Hotel.
We Filipino Elites started together with the Pro in the first wave. The swim was a one lap loop. I was behind in the beginning and had no chance to stay with some of the faster guys as it had been my plan. I ended up swimming with some other athletes but not at the pace I had aimed for.
Out off the water I was quick in T1 and on my bike. I wasn’t sure about the gap to the other elites but I knew that at least Paul and some of the good swimmers were in front of me. The bike course was flat and fast and it felt like it was almost too quick to go back to T2.
I started running and had no idea about the splits and how I was doing. It was a cloudy and cool morning and I was waiting for the sun to finally come out, as it helps me thive but it failed me this morning. After some time I knew I was running in 3rd and was hoping to be able to stay in this position. Only couple of 100m before the finish line, Emmanuel was running up to me and passing me! This time my legs failed me, I was not able to stay with him and lost the podium in the last meters. Congrats to Jorry, Paul and Emmanuel!!!
I was a little disappointed crossing the finish line but then summarized for myself that it wasn’t that bad. For Olympic distance and for just having recovered from the flu, it was still a solid performance.
With this on my mind, I really enjoyed the rest of the day and trip, spending time with my ALASKA family, some of the other athletes and pro and even having the chance to see some beautiful places in Bohol.
Overall, it was another awesome race weekend and a perfect event! Thanks to all my sponsors ALASKA, PMI, Brooks, TYR, Gu, Prudential Guarantee and Czar Manglicmot Family for their support, especially to my ALASKA Family and Sunrise Events for this race!
