Road to Kona

Got this invite from the tri mailing list. It’s a send-off party for Ani de Leon, who’s going to the Ironman Championships in Kona in October, the Holy Grail of triathlons.

She’s the first Filipino to qualify for Kona by topping her age group in Ironman Langkawi. This is quite a feat as they only get the top finishers (or top 3) in each of the age groups in the 26 or so qualifying Ironman races around the world.

The first time I learned about triathlon was when I read about the Hawaii Ironman in a Reader’s Digest article when I was a kid. I couldn’t possibly imagine how it was possible to do such a grueling activity. Somehow through the years it was always at the back of my mind, such that when I first heard about the local triathlons being organized I jumped in at the first opportunity.

Several sprint and standard triathlons later, I have a better appreciation for the Ironman distance: it really is quite unattainable for me! Not that it’s beyond reach, but for now what fits on my mind is the half Ironman distance and I’m quite happy just to be able to do it.

For now, I’ll be rooting for Ani as she carries all our aspirations of being an Ironman in Kona