CamSur bet finishes tough Kona Ironman

MANILA, Philippines -  All Benjamin “JR” Raña Jr. ever dreamed of was for him to become a competitive cyclist. But the 25-year-old native of Pili, Camarines Sur, son to a plumber and a plain housewife, has gone way beyond his dreams.

Less than three years after he started competing in triathlons, JR, a member of the Camsur Tri Team, has broken into the elite circle of international triathletes -- finishers of the grueling Ford Ironman World Championship, also known as Kona Ironman, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Finishing at No. 941 overall among a field of close to 2,000, and 78th in the 25-29 age-group. JR clocked a decent time of 10:53:46, finishing the swim leg in 1:17:50, the bike leg in 5:26:30, and the run in 4:02:54. He was just 20 minutes behind veteran Filipino triathlete Noy Jopson.

The Kona Ironman is the ultimate race consisting of 3.86 km swim, 180.25 km bike and 41.195 km run. Ten other Filipinos finished last week’s race that is certainly not for the ordinary athlete.

His finish at the Kona Ironman can already be considered phenomenal, but what makes it truly amazing was that he was competing in a field of mostly veteran racers armed with the most modern and most expensive gadgetry.

Previous to the Kona Ironman, JR trained with his teammates in the CamSur Tri Team on four-year-old aluminum bikes, with no heart rate monitors, and only water and bananas for fuel instead of the highly advertised energy drinks and power gels.

It was only in the Kona Ironman that JR used a brand-new bike with a carbon fiber frame, newly purchased by Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte, who also paid for JR’s entry fee in the race.

The brand-new bike almost worked against him because he used it for the first time, during the race itself.

“Nanibago ako, doon ko na lang ginamay nung laro na (I wasn’t used to it, I familiarized myself with it during the race itself).”

And to top it all, he still wasn’t using a heart rate monitor, which for some reason, didn’t get to him in time for the race. Not that he seemed to mind.

“Nasanay na rin siguro ako na walang suot. Pinakiramdaman ko na lang mabuti yung katawan ko (Maybe I jut got used to not wearing one. I just try to sense what my body is feeling).”

Although he was ecstatic at JR’s feat, Gov. Villafuerte said he always knew the latter has what it takes to complete one of the world’s toughest triathlon under the scorching sun, in the bike and run stages that go through lava fields.

“Like all his teammates in the CamSur Tri Team, JR has the heart of a champion. He is usually underestimated because of his size (he is only 5’4”) and his humble demeanor, but make no mistake, he has the discipline, grit and determination required to be a top triathlete. You look at how he trains and how he races, he really embodies the ironman mantra that anything is possible,” said Villafuerte.

JR and his teammates are all products of Villafuerte’s CamSur Sports Development Program, which aims to produce topnotch athletes from the province who can compete in international sports events. The CamSur Tri Team was organized in 2009, right after the first Cobra Ironman Philippines 70.3 was held in Camarines Sur.

Strangely enough, while most of the racers regarded the heat as one of the biggest challenges, JR said that it was the wind that really made it difficult for him.

“Ang lamig ng hangin, halos hindi ako pinapawisan kaya parang nanghina ako. Pero nakabawi naman (The wind was cold, I was hardly sweating and it made me weak. But I was able to recover),” recalled JR, who added that he is still recovering from the race.

“Pahinga lang ng konti, tapos balik na ulit sa ensayo. Gusto kong magpatuloy lumaro habang bata pa ako (I will just rest for a while, then go back to training. I want to race while I’m still young),” JR said of his immediate plans.