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Published: October 26th 2008
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This is coooool...aaaahhhh... The White Rock Triathlon 2008 was a long distance race equivalent to a half iron man distance. For a first-time half iron man race participant, this long distance race required thorough and intensive training in swimming, biking and running.
Going to the Race Event
For the first time, the allies (Bea, Abby, Rocky and I) had an opportunity to watch a half iron man race. The allies had to travel to Zambales and savor the beach and amenities at White Rock Beach Resort. I browsed through the resort's website and found their rooms satisfactory and comfortable, the pool enticing, and the beach inviting, though made up of gray sand. What fascinated me most was a picture of the vast lawn fronting the beach shore where one can lounge and enjoy a worthwhile massage or admire the beautiful mountains of Zambales.
I also had to browse through the
eXtribe (the group that handled the event) website to know some details of the race.
WHITE ROCK TRIATHLON SCHEDULE: FRIDAY Oct.3
** Registration(race packet distribution) and Bike/Transition Bags Check In
10:00am-12:00pm, 1:00pm-6:00pm, 8:00pm-9:00pm
** Race briefing -- 6:45pm We had to leave from Manila by 2:00pm and
White Rock Beach Resort pool
a water trampoline..yahooooo! hurdle the normal slow traffic through Quezon City. As recommended in the website, this was how to get to White Rock Resort
Travel through the world-class North Luzon Expressway(NLEX), and take the San Fernando Exit. Travel westward all the way to Dinalupihan, Bataan intersection. Go northward and take a left turn when you reach the TIPO road/Subic Freeport Expressway. Take the way to the Central Business District of the Freeport and find your way to the Kalaklan Gate. Upon reaching Kalaklan Gate, take a left passing through Bo. Barreto and take a short left upon reaching KM Post 134 where a TOTAL Gas Service Station is located. A Whiterock sign post is also clearly visible. The allies hit the road to NLEX and SCTeX instead. The road trip via SCTex, we would like to believe, was exciting as it was our first time to travel through this expressway in broad daylight. Although the road we traveled was considerably lengthy even with a consistent speed of 100 kph, the adult allies entertained themselves by the sight of the valleys abundant with tall grasses whose blossoms looked like floating clouds. The young ally made a funny remark that the SCTeX
road trip was like running on a treadmill with a monotonous view of grass fields.
Then suddenly, two parked cars loomed on us on the side of the road where men were staring on a large dead snake lying on the road. We passed by the commotion thinking the snake might still be alive. So be careful when driving along SCTeX, you might accidentally run over snakes as they are normally copious among tall grasses. Soon enough the tall grasses begin to thin out as we reached the entrance of the TIPO road. We reached the entrance of Subic Freeport approximately after 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Arriving at White Rock Beach Resort
White Rock Beach Resort is located in Subic province of Zambales, on the outskirt of Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The resort is about 18 kms from the Kalaklan Gate requiring us to pass through Subic Bay Freeport.
We hurriedly unloaded our belongings into our beach front room as we didn’t want to miss the sunset. By the time we got our cameras clicking, dusk appeared before us and the sunset never came. The allies, however, saw a serene beach darkened by the sun’s
Breakfast at White Rock
we love fruit looooops... sudden disappearance but slightly illuminated by the red orangish skies. The shoreline was occupied by several cabanas and wooden beach lounge chairs with white beach umbrellas. Colorful flags lined up the lawn behind these beach lounge chairs. We saw several buoys ready for tomorrow’s race and some triathletes had just finished practicing their mile swim.
Race Registration, Checking In and Briefing
While the allies were exploring, their triathlete was registering and checking in his bike and paraphernalia. Good thing the water backpack which he left in the room was safely put in by the allies onto the bike transition bag. Inside the briefing room, we saw familiar triathletes whom we admire for their earnest desire to compete in every triathlon race, succeed in finishing or even winning in each competition.
It would be a long day for the allies the next day so it was a dinner of chicken
adobo, eggs and noodle soup for them in the hotel room. Before sleeping, the allies had to make an action plan on how to situate themselves so they could take good photos of triathletes at their best in swimming, biking and running.
Whoa, the Race Day!
NLEX
Toll fees... WHITE ROCK TRIATHLON SCHEDULE: SATURDAY Oct.4 (Race Day!)
** Body Marking -- 5:00am to 6:15am
** Race Start -- 6:45am
** Race Ends -- 2:45pm
** Awards Banquet -- 6:30pm Rising early and preparing had become a routine on every race day. The allies would make quick showers, pack the cameras, load up a bag of chips, drinks and sweets.
It was an open water or ocean swim leg which was typical in a triathlon long distance race. Triathletes would line up along the shore, listen to the signal of the gun shot, wade through water current and plunge into the deep water. These series of actions was so fast that one had to be ready and steady holding the cameras while waiting for the opportune time to capture the best moment.
After 45 minutes of a 2km swim, our triathlete was finally winding up and ready for his next leg, the bike. Untired and raring to go, our triathlete bestowed a smile to an ally’s camera. A brief stay in the bike transition area gave the allies the chance to encourage their triathlete and slip in to his bag an important gadget, a mobile phone.
SCTeX
fastest way to go to Subic... Since it was a 91km road bike leg, which probably would take 3 to 4 hrs for a triathlete to pedal through, the allies’ next action step was to chow their morning meal. The dining room, which was just adjacent the transition area, was full of triathlete fans, supporters and enthusiasts. They were there to eat, wait and cheer for their hero to pass over to the next leg.
While the allies were waiting at a water station at Papagayo inn, they didn’t know then that their triathlete was having a bit of trouble. While the other allies stayed at the water station, I went back to White Rock Resort to hail our triathlete and inspire him to continue to his next leg, the run. It was the longest wait the allies have experienced. I was wondering where our triathlete was when suddenly my mobile phone rang. It was our triathlete relaying that he had a flash of dizziness after dismounting from his bike to take a rest and that he had to lie down on the road side. I told him to pause for awhile so he could recover and then resume his biking. After being able to
SCTeX View
white grass blossoms look like clouds floating on the valley... see a lot of triathletes transitioning and our triathlete was still nowhere in sight, the phone rang again. This time, he said that the doctor had advised him to stop for he was dehydrated due to the bout of flu he had two weeks ago. My heart sank upon hearing this judgment call from the doctor. He still went back to the transition area; finishing his last 20km bike. But then, our triathlete was declared not fit to finish the race.
The allies were unusually sad because it was the first time their triathlete did not finish a triathlon race. But all things work together for good; our triathlete had learned his lessons and that there are other races to finish.
Fun and Frolic at the Resort
After an eventful morning, the allies went frolicking at the beach and the pool. The water trampoline and water slides at the pool made their day while our triathlete had a shuteye. It was also a photo taking adventure for the allies.
Going Home from the Race
Lessons learned from race, we went home cheerful despite Dennis not finishing the race. We once again drove through the long
road of SCTeX and NLEX. This time, we amused ourselves from different cloud formations and recognized a crocodile, a baby, a duck, a helipcoter, a letter A and whole lot more.
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non-member comment
HURRAY :)
Hello! NICE PHOTOS! AWESOME TRIP!:)