Tracking a triathlon

Ah, to be a child again. To have un-jaded eyes that still see things innocently, and always in the best light. To have a strong pair of lungs which have yet to taste the evil, addictive power of nicotine. To have limbs that still work as advertised, free of the daily stresses of urban combat. In short, to be 8-year-old Tonton Dumaguit of Los Baños, who has just passed me on the last steep hill of the 40-km bike run of the Speedo/TLP International Triathlon Challenge 2K2.

"Tara na po! Kaya mo iyan!" yelled the kid as he sped off into the distance while I was still summoning whatever reserves I have left to re-mount my bike and get it over with. "It" being a lung-bursting 1.5-km swim, followed by a quad-ripping 40-km bike run, concluded by a knee-busting 10-km run on a mix of dirt and asphalt in the roads of scenic Anilao in Batangas. Several months of semi-serious training had now come to this, to being left behind by someone a third my age.

Competitors could either enter as solo participants or as a relay team of two or three. With no illusions about the sheer physical preparation required to finish solo, we decided to enter in the relay class: two teams of three each. One would be an all-female team, mine would be composed of two guys and one girl.

Due to several embarrassing, moments by the other guy, he shall remain faceless and nameless for now. He wouldn’t like it if I told you he swam head-on into an armada of cramp-inducing jellyfish, would he? Or that he actually bled in the water like a shark’s wet dream after planting his foot on a vicious sea urchin... or getting bitten by a reef shark, whichever story you’ll believe. But triathlons are about personal triumphs whether you win or lose, about the sweet thrill of mental, physical, and spiritual conquest. At the very least, it’s a good excuse to borrow a Ford Explorer Sport Trac.

The Sport Trac isn’t new anymore. Since its introduction a year or two ago, the hybrid SUV-pickup truck has conquered many a trendy gimmick place or swanky resort with its chiseled good looks and can-do image. But can it really function as a sweet compromise between the passenger space and comfort of a mid-size SUV, and the versatility and go-anywhere spirit of a pickup truck?

Bring it and they will come, and so four lovely lady friends piled into the rear bench for the trip without complaint. Well, it was either the bench or the pickup bed. Sport Tracs are available with the steel, fold-out bed cargo cage. Fold down the tailgate, roll out the cage, and voila(!), two 26-inch mountain bikes can fit standing up with no danger of rolling off.

Unfortunately, the unit didn’t have this smart and simple piece of engineering. To fit our two teams’ bikes, we had to remove the foldable, hard tonneau cover (three able-bodied people can do this with a minimum of huffing and puffing), and remove the bikes’ front tires so they could fit with the tailgate up. One large cooler, two spare bike tires, and about 10 gym bags also fit in the bed.

With six people on board and all that cargo, the Sport Trac’s 205 hp, 4.0 liter V6 and 5-speed automatic drivetrain could move in and out of traffic with acceptable alacrity. Only the open stretch of the STAR tollway exposed the Ford’s chunky aerodynamics, limiting terminal velocity to a breathless 120-130 kph. All 4x4 Sport Tracs come with a power moonroof, fog lamps, and a power rear window to go with all the other "power" stuff like door locks and mirrors. An overhead console with a temperature gauge constantly reminded us that it was a withering 380 Celsius outside as we sweated and scorched ourselves on the standard leather upholstery. Leather is not the best material to sit on after having a truck bake under the sun for four hours.

Four-wheel drive is, on the other hand, invaluable when the road turns all slippery and screwy. The Sport Trac’s hi-tech 4WD system is controlled by a simple rotary dial on the dash you twist to select 2WD, 4WD-High, or 4WD-Low. We’ll bet the owner of a 4x2 Chevy Suburban wished he had the same thing as he struggled for traction on the dirt road sections of Anilao, clogging up traffic for about 15 minutes.

Among the SUVs and pickups of the local Ford lineup, the Sport Trac has the best compromise in ride and handling: 16-inch tires, front SLAs and torsion bars and rear leaf springs deliver a firm and slightly bumpy ride. Attack the zigzag hairpins and switchbacks going to Anilao and moderate roll and tire squeal between 50-and 60 kph warn you that it’s best to do that sort of stuff in a proper car.

But back to the event. My swimmer valiantly swam 750 meters before finally giving up, no doubt wishing he’d been given more than a week to prepare for his ordeal (I’d requested him as a last minute substitute for another swimmer who’d backed out). He will, of course, proudly declare that he swam back to shore on his own power... considering plenty of other competitors had to be fished out of the water by race marshals.

Two hours of biking up and down the hills of Anilao followed. 65 kph doesn’t seem like much until you do it on a bike hurtling downhill with nothing to protect you but your helmet in case you can’t make that next hairpin. Then on to the 10-km run on asphalt and dirt trails, which teammate Divine Masinsin tackled in about an hour and a half. Our other companions–the team of Rheea Hermoso, Rica Fernandez, and Randee Gabriel–won 3rd place in the Women’s Relay division. More than 200 participants competed this year. Incidentally, 8-year–old Tonton Dumaguit finished the triathlon in four hours, nine minutes, and five seconds... all on his own. Definitely something to think about on the drive home. — The Ford Explorer Sport Trac is priced at P1.299M for the 4x2, and P1.550M for the 4x4.