A new challenge for Ironman

MANILA, Philippines - He swam the Guimaras Strait (in Iloilo) to Bacolod City, a distance of 24 kilometers, in eight hours; biked 240 kilometers from Iloilo City to Roxas City in 13 hours and ran 104 kilometers from Sara town to Iloilo City in three days.

He did all these, pushing the limit of physical endurance amazingly on one good leg, earning him the recognition as the ‘Iron man of Asia’.

Now Rodolfo “Rudy” Fernandez. will embark yet on another challenge as he competes in the prestigious 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii this weekend.

Rudy is listed in the physically challenged category where competitors will swim two kilometers aside from biking for 90 kilometers and running for 21 kilometers.

Rudy was a former national record holder in the mile (1,600 meters) before he lost his right leg (from above the knee) in an explosion that hit a movie house in Iloilo City in 1979. He woke up the next day to find his right leg amputated and his dream to compete in that year’s Hong Kong international competition shattered.

It took Rudy time to get over the trauma and the thought of not ever running again and even contemplated on taking his own life in the depth of depression,

“I had a gun in my mouth,” he said.

In 1986, The Philippine Band of Mercy fitted Rudy an artificial fiberglass leg. That same year Rudy, who was then working with the Western Institute of Technology in Iloilo City, drew some inspiration from watching Canadian cancer victim Terry Fox embarked on a Trans-Canada run to raise funds for cancer research.

After training for several weeks, Rudy started his odyssey, a 104-kilometer fund-raising run from Sara town to Iloilo City. The run took him six days, raising some P50,000 which was donated to persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Iloilo City.

In 1987, Rudy met Cebu’s marathon man Raffy Uytiepo, a race organizer, who became his friend and coach. Rudy and Uytiepo conducted several fund-raising runs and trained their sights to international marathons. In 1996, Rudy swam from Guimaras Strait to Bacolod City, covering the 24-km distance in eight hours. His swim was featured in the “Hero for Heroes” section of the Asian Reader’s Digest (1996 edition).

In 1998, he joined several triathlons including the Subic International Triathlon, Timex International Triathlon and the Everyman Triathlon series. In 2000, while preparing for the Sydney Paralympics, a van hit Rudy while he was cycling in Leganes town (20km from Iloilo). Rudy sustained a broken wrist, a fractured left leg and several deep cuts on his face. His doctors told him he will be out for at least a year.

In despair, with no money to pay for the surgery, Rudy said, “Buti pa namatay ako” (“I’m better off dead.”). But Uytiepo together with former Milo Marathon organizer Ron De los Reyes, started the “Run for Rudy,” a 5K fund-raising run in Subic and Manila.

The response was heart-warming. Noted sports personality like Paeng Nepomuceno, Elma Muros, Onyok Velasco took time out from their busy schedules to lend a hand.

Several corporations and even the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) donated funds. Even today, Rudy vividly remembers that day when people he doesn’t even know came out to help a one-legged athlete. “I’ll never forget that moment,” he said.

A few months after his operation, Rudy was back on the road. This time, he wanted to show his gratitude by helping The Iloilo Press Club in their “Hero for Heroes” cycling project. The 240-km cycling event took off from Camp Delgago in Iloilo City to Camp Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz. Rudy covered the distance in 13 hours. Most importantly, P200,000 was raised for the families of Iloilo infantrymen either killed or disabled in the Mindanao conflict.

In 2003, Rudy and Uytiepo ran in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. The following year, the duo chose to run in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. While running in Singapore, some screws attached to Rudy’s artificial leg gave way.

Uytiepo recalled that as they ran, Rudy was grimacing in pain. The loose screws caused Rudy’s right thigh to rub into the prosthetics causing laceration and bleeding. Uytiepo said they have to stop so he could help Rudy tighten the screws on his artificial leg.

As they agonized towards the finish line, Uytiepo recalled they drew the wild applause from spectators who have lined up the street to cheer the one-legged runner from the Philippines.

In 2005, Rudy joined television’s reality show Pinoy Big Brother and there earned the moniker “Ironman of Asia.”

 Now it’s on to Kona and the biggest challenge of his career.

 Rudy would like to thank Gabriel Boschi, the top honcho of Rudy Project, for his plane tickets, running gears, and endorsing his travel documents to be able to secure a US visa. He’d like to thank as well Gemma Pagsibingan of Timex, for the latest model of Ironman watch and for providing Isosport sports drink while he was training.