Strength comes in all shapes and sizes

Last weekend marks one of the greatest accomplishments in Metafit Tri Team’s six year existence.

The team grabbed the ‘Best Team Performance’ in the sprint category of the Bellevue 5150 triathlon race held in Panglao, Bohol. The teams’ goal was always ‘to complete and not compete’ but we got a podium finish and we considered it a big bonus.

Co-captains and husband-wife tandem of Fritz and Zusette Co led the team’s campaign in Bohol along with Lemuel Co, Pimco Pimentel, Danny Loquias and Catherine “Kintoy” Acuña. Sadly, I wasn't able to join the team due to some prior commitment, but nevertheless they went on to the race with their respective family to have fun, enjoy the sun, sand, beach and sights of Bohol.

After the dust has settled, coach Zusette Co grab first place in her category, while Lemuel Co was able to snatch 2nd runner up in the 40-44 category as both Pimco Pimentel and Fritz Co finished 5th and 6th place in the 35-39 category, respectively.

But what surprised us was first time triathlon finisher Kintoy Acuña who managed to grab the first runner-up in her category in which she became the final anchor for the team in claiming the ‘Best Team Performance.’ Captain Fritz Co, for his part, said that the team didn’t even know that there was an award and they were surprised that they won it.

I had a long chat with Kintoy the other day and she shared to me her experience in her first triathlon.

At age 9, Kintoy learned swimming because she almost drowned. Instead of being afraid after that near-death experience, she made a promise to herself to be good at swimming by enrolling in a swim class every summer until she joined the University of San Carlos varsity team in high school.

It was that time that triathlon blossomed in Cebu and mostly all her varsity mates were already doing the sport. She wanted to join but suffered a knee injury in a soccer game.  Sadly, she wasn’t able to continue her swimming career in college as she focused her time on her studies as she took pharmacy course.

Kintoy had the chance to go back to her favorite sport last year with the help and guidance of Lem Co.She joined her first relay triathlon even during the 8080 San Remigio Triathlon in November.

During her campaign in Bohol, Kintoy suffered a bad case of diarrhea and vomited during the wee hours of Saturday but the team gave her support and made sure she had a proper hydration. Kintoy was determined to not make her months of preparations come to waste.

As a safety precaution, Kintoy took loperamide on race day. The swim leg was the easiest for Kintoy as she sets a time of 24 minutes which is the fastest time for our time. She struggled in the bike leg, but pushed hard in the 5K run.

When she arrived at the finish  line, the thought, sunk in “I survived! After 15 years of dreaming to be a triathlete, finally I am already living that dream.”

Kintoy further expressed that “It takes lots of sacrifice, motivation, hard work and support from your family especially from my husband Jan Fid Acuña.” She also thanked her teammates especially Don Dublin, Ryan Galo and Jeff Codino. 

For her, juggling three jobs and at the same time being hands on mom is no easy task. Triathlon really takes dedication, time management and commitment.

Kintoy added “Thank you to my Metafit family who were there every step of my Journey. Coach Lem Co, Fritz Co, Zusette Co, Pimco Pimentel, Marc Demoral and my Capt Danny Loquias.”