What made you join Ironman and how did it change your life?

I have always been amazed reading about friends and personalities who have joined and completed an Ironman Triathlon. Seeing their transformation as they go through the grueling training, strict  regimen and  the discipline  that comes with it to become fit to endure the race with a bonus of looking healthy is the best gift one can give one’s self.  Here are some Ironman triathletes as they tell what made them join the Ironman and  stay inspired as they share with us the positive changes it has made in their lives.

Kim Atienza, TV host

My triathlon started after my stroke in August 2010 with a slow walk as daily rehab therapy. The slow walk became a run, I eventually added biking for cross training. Eventually my workouts became running, biking and swimming. With a TV career, I hardly have a social life and personal quiet time. My triathlon training gives me both, my tri group members are my closest friends and I also get to meditate and think a lot doing workouts alone.

Erwan Huessaff, businessman, Esquire Philippines food editor/food blogger, thefatkidinside.com

Triathlon taught me discipline and making sure that my workouts are as important as work or eating. They need to be scheduled on my calendar and given just as much importance so that I don’t feel like I can cancel them on a whim or because I don’t feel like it.

Engineer Francis Miguel, chief finance officer - AIM Global Inc., team manager AIM Global Triathlon Team

I started to train and race in 2012 after a push from my tri mentor BRZ Zaldua. The desire to finish each race for me is a celebration of hard work, patience, pain and recovery during training in pursuit of good health. Fitness is the direct result of this and not the other way around. The key here is to go one step at a time and enjoy every moment of it and you too can finish the race!

Joseph Michael Palisoc, actuarial analyst, Pru Life UK, 2014 Ironman World Championship participant

I joined Ironman because I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle and to prove that with perseverance and dedication, nothing is impossible.  Through my training and racing Ironman races, I have learned to maximize the use of my time.  I live one day at a time, not worrying about future events that I cannot control, but never losing focus on the bigger picture.  The bigger picture now includes the “Three Pinoys Race Kona for Bantayan” fundraising project and has given more meaning to this possibly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Isabelle Daza, actress, TV host, commercial model

I’ve always been athletic and into sports, but I wanted to give myself another challenge. So I decided to sign up for my first 70.3 Ironman in August 2013 in Cebu. I wanted to see if I had it in me to do all the three disciplines well. Training for triathlons has changed my life because it taught me that with enough hard work and discipline I can reach my goals. More than competing with other triathletes it is really a competition within yourself. You have to push yourself to your maximum. Most people think that triathlon is all physical. You have to be “built” for it. But the most difficult part actually is the mental aspect. You have to wake up every day at 5 a.m. and psych yourself, knowing that you will be training hard and suffering this morning.

Gem Padilla, entrepreneur

A full Ironman distance race was not on  my bucket list. I just couldn’t imagine myself swimming 3.9 kilometers, biking 180 kilometers, and running a full marathon of 42.2 kilometers in one go.  I was truly happy with the short-distance races and content doing just up to a half-Ironman distance which is the Ironman 70.3 (like the one we have every year in Cebu). And honestly, regardless of distance, I’m still called a “triathlete” anyway. My husband convinced me to join the Ironman New Zealand 2013. The training was grueling, time consuming, and mentally challenging. Making sure that my body could take me to the finish line was the motivation. And I did it!  My last two kilometers was electrifying. Even with the thunderous cheer by the crowd, all I could hear was the announcement saying “You are an “Ironman.” Ironman has given me a reason to test my limits. It also gave me a new understanding of pain and has helped me redefine the meaning of “insurmountable.”

Joey Barretto Misolas, Full Ironman Malaysia 2014 finisher

I am very passionate about triathlon and I love how it disciplines me. Three  sports combined into one race event is fun and a sheer challenge because it tests your physical and mental toughness and shapes your character as well, i.e., perseverance to complete the race against great odds. I have been in this sport for seven years now as a member of the UPLB Trantados Triathlon Club and it is my goal to become? a full-fledged Ironman by completing the 3.8 km. swim, 180 km. bike and 42.2 km. run in 17 hours. During the race event, when ?my physical and mental abilities were almost giving up, the spirit took charge giving me?a second wind to push forward and finish the race. Ironman strengthens my relationship with my teammates, friends, workmates and family who provided support from training to competition.

William Veto, New York attorney, 2014 Ironman World Championship participant

The ability to compete in triathlon races, Ironman in particular, for me, is God-given.  Training and racing Ironman have been a validation of my faith, taught to me by my family and reinforced by my Ateneo education.  As I race triathlon for His greater glory, I try not to worry about the things I cannot control and make the best of the situation I have been given.  I use the knowledge while training and racing a triathlon to become a better person and to help others to have a positive life experience.  The “Three Pinoys Race Kona for Bantayan” fundraising project is an example of making the best of my triathlon experience.

Ignatius Gadric Chusenfu, VP, New Wealth Investment, 2014 Ironman World Championship participant

 Five years ago, I felt unhealthy due to some weight issues and personal vices. I decided to take up cycling since I was unhappy and disgusted at myself then.  I also started swimming because my joints would hurt on some days. As I lost weight, I also took up running. A year after that, I was able to finish my first triathlon race.  The rest, as they say, is history. Triathlon has given my life more direction, with each race becoming a spiritual journey. The sport has taught me to celebrate life and made me grateful for the blessings that God has given me.  “Three Pinoys Race Kona for Bantayan” fundraising project reminds me that there is also more to triathlon than just swimming, cycling and running.

Antonio G. de Rosas, president and CEO, Pru Life UK

Although I did triathlon back in the ‘90s, I had to stop when I was assigned overseas.  When I moved back in the Philippines, I started cycling and started racing short and long distances since 2012.  Triathlon has made me a more well-rounded individual — I also engage in karate, motorcycles, piano and drums, among others.