Piolo Pascual conquers Camsur Ironman Triathlon

MANILA, Philippines - “I’m not the kind of person who runs away from something. I don’t think that way. Just face it, whatever it is, and then conquer it.”

— Piolo Pascual, actor and runner

This is exactly what Piolo Pascual did when he, along with swimmer Jenny Ty and cyclist Laurence Medenilla, together known as the Timex Team, competed against the world’s best triathletes in the much-celebrated Ironman Triathlon 70.3 Philippines held last Aug. 22, in Camsur.

Ever since its inception, the Ironman 70.3 series has become the fastest growing triathlon series in the world. Various events are held around the world, including Ironman Philippines, which qualify athletes for the Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida every November. Ironman 70.3 races consist of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13.1 mile run.

Through the rush and hardcore action, the first-time participants gave their best performances and clocked in at 5 hours, 52 minutes, 59 seconds, total team time which ranked them 9th in the Mixed Relay Category and 28th overall, among all relay teams.

Despite his busy work schedule and being constantly confronted by public scrutiny, speculation and sensationalism, Piolo was able to find time to get into running on top of other sports he dedicates his time to. In fact, he even trained under renowned running coach Rio dela Cruz who with him led the very first Timex Run last year. Piolo started running during the 2009 Timex Run. Timex originally wanted Piolo to run only 3k but he trained and upgraded to 10k. He finished his first 10k in less than 47 minutes. From there on, long-time runners have been setting a 10k finish goal or “sub-Piolo” or less than 47 minutes. “Sub-piolo” has become a famous term in the running community. The successful running event was followed by a string of other marathons such as ABS-CBN Foundation’s Run for the Pasig River and The Green Miles Run for an Eco-Smart Lifestyle, among others.

“I love living an active lifestyle. After working out in the gym, I run, then I swim, if there’s time I bike, then I eat, and if I still have time I play badminton. Even in my down time I’m always training. It doesn’t just take two weeks for me to prepare, it takes a long time. Every day if I see an hour window I put training into that. We can always find excuses not to but if you really want it, you’ll find time,” he said.

For the Ironman, Piolo trained thrice a week, doing different runs—long runs, tempo, zone, sprint. “I never thought I’d be doing sports and pushing myself to the limits. As an actor acting is my comfort zone. Doing my training is so different from what I’m used to. I motivate myself for personal reasons. I challenge myself to finish that course. I try not to think about being pressured because I’m a celebrity,” he said.

True enough, Piolo and his relay team were bonded for no other reason but the burning passion to outdo themselves and go beyond boundaries. Laurence who did the cycling leg of the race said, “PJ is into scuba diving and he usually does this at Balai Resort which I’m part owner of. We eventually got to know each other since we both enjoy the outdoors and sports. We are very passionate about living a healthy, active lifestyle, at the same time we want to constantly put ourselves to the test.” Along with other friends, he was then swayed by Piolo to get into running and then ventured into other sports which eventually led to triathlon.

“They are friends, whom I met from friends of friends. Jen is from La Salle, and she’s doing the swimming, and Laurence is doing the biking. I met them from the people I train with, so I know that they will make a good team”, Piolo adds.

Piolo, who has always been a proud part of the Timex family, who cheers and supports him in his career and on the race track, has only one advice to those who may already be runners and want to conquer a marathon or like him, a triathlon. “Never underestimate yourself. Always challenge yourself and that is the only time you will know just how much strength you have inside of you. You will be surprised at yourself, and in the end, you will know yourself better.”

Piolo says he’ll do a full 42-km marathon soon and vowing to do his first individual triathlon at the third international Ironman competition.

The limited-edition Ironman Philippines Commemorative Watch Ironman Sleek 50 Lap boasts a powerful combination of strong sport functionality and aerodynamic design for both comfort and performance. Having a 100-hour chronograph with lap or split in large digits, this high-power gear puts together essential features such as 50-lap memory recall for effortless review after workout. Dependable water resistance to 100m and an on-the-fly recall of lap or split, It also has three customizable alarms — daily, weekday, weekend, weekly options complemented by a two time zone settings mto make travel easy.

The Timex Ironman Philippines Commemorative Watches are distributed by Newtrends International Corp. and are available at selected Timex stores.