Remembering Cory and preparing for Ironman

We were occupied with activities connected with the first death anniversary of President Corazon C. Aquino on Sunday and Monday.

 First was the Sunday mass celebrated by Bishop Soc Villegas and the unveiling of the marker commemorating the role of the St. Benilde Gymnasium at La Salle Green Hills in providing sanctuary to the NAMFREL in the 1986 presidential elections, to freedom loving Filipinos and for being the venue for the wake of the late President Cory.

On Monday, at 8 a.m., we had a tree planting ceremony at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club (WWGCC). Admirers of President Cory, officials and staff of WWGCC and members of the national cycling team planted 76 molave, narra and golden shower trees in the 115-hectare golf course, to commemorate the late President’s 76 years on earth.

 At 1 p.m., I joined Nonito Donaire in his call on President Noynoy Aquino. Two hours later, I spoke at a forum at De La Salle on Sen. Ninoy Aquino and President Cory. To round off my day, I appeared on ANC’s Talkback with Tina Monzon-Palma at 7 p.m. 

We had an early start and were exhausted by the time we got to ANC. Those two days of remembering two of the world’s greatest democracy icons were truly fulfilling. I don’t mind doing it again...and again and again.

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I had an enjoyable conversation with Camarines Sur Governor L-Ray Villafuerte during the birthday celebration of Jayke Joson, close associate of Manny Pacquiao.

I told Villafuerte that Camarines Sur has done a good job of promoting sports-eco(logy) -tourism by simply taking advantage of Bicol’s natural resources and breathtaking beauty.   

Later I would find out that Camarines Sur is the venue of the Ironman Camsur (IMCAMSUR) triathlon competition scheduled for Aug. 22. One of the teams in the competitions is Polo Tri. How the Polo Tri team came about is a story by itself. It is a story of combining technology with aesthetics.

Polo Tri, with more than 60 athletes in its lineup, is the Philippines’ first and largest triathlon team. It is sponsored by Oakley, an eyewear company renowned for both cutting edge technology and stylish look. The company is globally recognized for its lifetime sponsorship of ex-triathlete, cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong and other world-class triathletes like Craig Alexander and Ryosuke Yamamoto. 

Not content with choosing just one local triathlete, the organization took the unprecedented step of sponsoring more than 60 athletes thus becoming the latest 2010 sponsor of the Polo Tri Team. The members will, naturally, be sporting custom Oakley eyewear in team colors in the latest styles (Jawbone, Flak and Radar) in IMCAMSUR. When asked the rationale behind the company’s sponsorship of Polo Tri, the organization’s president, Ramesh Dargani, said that the “company and its brand associate themselves only with the best in the sport and Polo Tri is the best and we support them with the best products we can offer.”

Dargani refers to the team’s impressive showing at local races and sheer number of races joined by its members in Subic, Alabang Animo, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland, Florida, Canada and New Zealand.

Founded almost 10 years ago by businessman and sports patron Fred Uytengsu, David Charlton and Rune Stroem, Polo Tri was a pioneer in triathlon racing, constantly updating its members through clinics of Lifesport, the leading triathlon coaching company in the world.

Oakley’s team of choice also has a wealth of in-house talent with members like former swimming Olympian Guy Concepcion and ex-professional cyclist Kris Allison. Other members are professionals like Stroem, who currently holds the record for fastest Full Ironman distance of 10 hours and 15 minutes, IMCAMSUR 09 podium finishers led by Noy Jopson, Amanda Carpo, Fiona Ottiger and Bea Locsin.

Interestingly, these athletes lead dual lives for not only do they work out like professional athletes but also successfully cope with full time careers. More than half the team own businesses or work 40-hour day jobs and a handful are captains of industry: Uytengsu, Fernando Zobel, David Charlton, Albert Altura and Ernie Lopez. Certainly, managing multi-million peso businesses, having quality family time and finishing at the top of their respective age groups is no mean feat. Anyone challenged with doing all these requires the best technique and gear available.

Dargani believes that Oakley offers the “best eye protection on earth” using “Plutonite”, a proprietary synthetic material. Wearers no longer have to worry about distortions that magnify like prescription lenses and in some cases bend light so objects aren’t really where you see them. Obviously, this can be dangerous in high-speed situations like when you are on a bike careening down a hill at 50-60 kph per hour.