This is a terribly delayed post (1 year late!!!), but I had this half written out and then totally lost track of it. This was the last race I did before getting pregnant so this post definitely brings back a lot of memories! I cannot wait until I get back to that start line. 

The months seem to fly by and it’s already time for the 2nd race of the season!! This race will be the last race for me before the wedding in August, but for some strange reason I went into it feeling a little indifferent and unexcited. My training for this race was not as smooth as I had wanted. My bike was broken after coming back from Davao, the derailer had run its course. Unfortunately for me, since my bike was an older model, we were unable to just replace the broken parts and we had to get an entire new system and cassette for the wheel. This was a hefty replacement and also took some time to fix, meaning I lost over 2 weeks of training on my bike. Apart from that, I also had a weekend trip to Chengdu, so that also affected my training. In addition, I started strength training with a personal trainer with workouts that specifically target muscles used for triathlon, but I had felt fatigued and was not sure whether the results were showing yet. I trained as much as I could given the circumstances, but overall was not as confident as I would like to be going into a race.

We had a big group of Tritons going to this race, which is always a fun time. On Thursday, we flew into Busan. Then, after shoving our faces with Krispy Kreme, we got onto a bus to take us to Goseong – the land of the dinosaurs. We started getting a little worried when we realized that our hotel was on the top of a mountain with a golf course… maybe there will be cabs and race shuttles to get us up and down? We got dropped at the top of the hill and after a lot of sign language and broken Korean, finally got the keys to our rooms. Getting to dinner was another adventure, I think none of us had anticipated how “in the middle of nowhere” this place was. After more sign language, we were able to call some cabs that took about 20 minutes to arrive. We were starting to get quite worried about the transportation for the race weekend. After enjoying a delicious feast, half of us walked back up to the hotel after giving up on cabs, while the other half got lucky and got driven home by the restaurant’s owner (so kind!).

On Friday, some folks checked out part of the race course and came back saying it was very technical with lots of sharp turns. The bike course had been changed last minute. The initial course only had one u-turn, the new one had 6! The bike leg has always been my weakest leg and while I have been training hard on my bike-trainer to become stronger, I have also stopped for the most part riding outside, which means I have hardly practiced my bike handling skills. Hearing that the new course was challenging and had 6 u-turns made me very anxious, but I had to remind myself that I have done this many times before and if I stayed calm and confident, I would have no problems.

The difficulty of the bike course continued to stay on my mind the entire day. But regardless of how I felt, race day was still quickly approaching and I could either let this eat me up, or get over it and face the challenge. I practiced some sharp turns and u-turns at the hotel parking lot and felt a little better. Soon it was time for bed and I drifted off into a deep slumber.

Race morning! We were delighted to see our booked cabs at our doorstep at the appointed time (we were worried after all the transportation issues and things lost in translation previously). We hustled into the cabs and got to transition to handle some race morning items such as bottles, bike computers, and checking bike tires. When transition closed, we were directed into a courtyard to do a fun little warm-up to music… definitely a first in a race! There was no opportunity to get into the water for a proper swim warm-up, which sucked. Maybe the race organizers thought the musical warm-up would be more helpful (not really).

In the blink of an eye, it was GO TIME. I always had problems with sighting, causing me to swim extra distance, so I was going to make sure that I was swimming with the buoy lines on my side the entire time to guide me. The swim was brutal with people thrashing around and I got a elbow in the face at some point. Another frustrating thing was that lots of people were cheating. I saw numerous people grabbing the buoy lines and pulling themselves forward. I screamed at a few of them to stop, but soon had to focus on my own race. I felt great on the swim and was mostly able to swim along the buoy line without loosing too much direction. It was a rough swim with a lot of arms and legs everywhere and people trying to swim on top of me, but I checked my Garmin when I got out and was thrilled to see that I had gotten a PB.

T1 was pretty smooth and now it was time for the dreaded bike course! Everything was going smoothly and I was relieved to see how wide the first u-turn was. Just to be extra cautious, I slowed down and really took my time with the u-turn. I was shocked when I heard someone behind me go “hurry up there Triton” (my tri suit has my club name on it) and whipped my head around to tell the asshole who hustled me to just pass me if he was in such a rush. I was PISSED. It is good practice to slow down during a u-Turn and if someone is trying to take their time the last thing you should do is to try and rush them. If this jerk was so fast, why was he behind me in the first place? After spending some time thinking about what a douchebag he was, I got back into my zone and focused on my riding.

This bike course was definitely one of the most technical ones I’ve ever been on with lots of sharp turns and hidden corners. There were volunteers everywhere with signs to make sure you didn’t get lost and also to warn you of upcoming turns. All the u-turns ended up being super wide, which was great, and I was zipping down a downhill when suddenly my pedals locked! My chain was stuck!! I was in a bit of a panic since I was going at a decent pace but I tried my best to stop before I was going too fast and I was able to unclip safely and get off my bike. Annoyingly, it was clear that tons of people were drafting right behind me because I heard a lot of panicked shouts and a bunch of local Korean racers zoomed by, narrowly missing me. If they had been at the official distance of 12 meters, they would have been far enough away from me and there would be no issue at all. Luckily there was a volunteer nearby who helped me with my chain and off I went! Apart from the drafting, a lot of local Korean athletes were also breaking the rules by passing me on both the left and right side. They are only supposed to pass on my left side, because we rode on the right side of the road. This was incredibly dangerous and once again I had to scream at some people (they seemed confused and did apologize, but it was just dangerous and scary). Another annoying thing that happened was when I was going through a water station, some person wasn’t looking at where he was going and went into my lane. To avoid him, I biked into a cone but luckily did not fall off my bike. Overall, the bike leg was much better than I expected and I did not have any major issues amidst all the anxiety and fears from the night before! I was really happy that I completed such a technical course and achieved a very decent time.

I am always relieved to get off my bike and get into the run leg, because that is where I do my best. The run was described as 3 loops of a “flat course” which was a total LIE. After dropping off our bike, we had to run up a steep hill to get to the beginning of the loop. My legs felt pretty heavy and it was also starting to get a little warm. My legs started to get into the groove of things once I got into the loop, but I was shocked to realize that it started with a huge hill… Once you got to the top of the hill you turn around and you get a nice downhill, but this meant you had to do the hill 3 times! I have no idea in what world the organizers thought this course constituted as a flat course. Even though the course elevation was unexpected, my legs felt powerful and I was able to pound up that hill with lots of energy! I felt amazing and it was probably one of the best runs I’ve ever done in my racing career. I felt ecstatic and as always it was amazing to see Jerry cheering for me at different parts of the course.

After the final loop I revved up my energy even more and sprinted towards the finish line. I was so happy to find out that I had a PB again after Davao at 6 hours and 9 minutes! I am getting closer and closer to my goal to getting a sub 6 Half Ironman time and I cannot wait until the next race (even though I will later find out that I will be taking a break to make a baby!).

The race was actually great and the volunteers were super helpful, but the lack of transportation was quite difficult and I also felt that the course description was very inaccurate. It is the first time they held a race here, so maybe they are still trying to work things out. The level of cheating and breaking of the rules from local Korean athletes were also incredibly frustrating and it was something that many of my teammates reflected in our Ironman Feedback Form. I did not see this on the run, but one of my teammates said that people were cutting corners and circling back before completing the loop. One of the things I hate the most is people who cheat and are not honest. If you are going to compete in a race, don’t you want your results to reflect how you truly performed? I hope that these athletes will learn that importance of integrity and also for race officials to be much more strict and alert so that these things do not occur again. These rules were emphasized during the race briefings, so no one should be confused about it. However, it is also a new sport in that town, so maybe people don’t take it seriously or lack some type of understanding. I definitely don’t have a problem screaming at people who break the rules, but I also don’t think it is my job to do that.

In the end I was extremely pleased with my result and even though we had some issues with transportation and cheaters, it was another awesome race with my Triton teammates!

6 months ago, I did something I never thought I would do: I signed up for a full ironman. Those few months flew by and I now found myself in Busselton, the same location where Jerry did his full 4 years ago.

We arrived to Perth on Thursday night and drove 2.5 hours to Busselton. We arrived at around 2 am and quickly went to bed. The next day, I attended an amazing event hosted by Women For Tri, an initiative that aims to increase women’s participation in triathlons. We had a q+a session with some badass female professional triathletes and also heard the inspirational stories from multi-time breast cancer survivors, coma patients, and physically handicapped competitors. I left the event feeling more moved and inspired than ever.

The next day was a busy day of last minute bike maintenance and bike and gear bags check in. Jerry signed up for the 70.3 super last minute so we also had to get some nutrition and bottles for him. It was so crazy to me that tomorrow was finally going to be the big day. Months and months of training had led to this moment and I was filled with excitement and nerves.

My race started at 6:45 but Jerry’s 70.3 started at 5:20, so we woke up together and made our way to the race start. I was still feeling quite calm but once Jerry took off, the nerves started. Luckily there were many friendly people who I chatted with, including one older lady who has done 10 Ironmans! The line was swiftly moving forward and it was time to go!

The swim course had been altered because of multiple shark-related cancellations. Instead of swimming around the jetty, the swim course is now a two-lap course that goes under the jetty. I was hoping I could draft someone but people around me were either too slow or too fast! The water was crystal clear and I soon settled into my own rhythm. Unfortunately one of my goggles was super foggy but I was unable to fix that and just used one eye to sight. I think my sighting was quite decent except for one leg of the swim where I kept loosing the buoys! The swim did not feel that long at all and I felt great coming out of the water going into T1 (but I found out I swam an extra 300 meters later)!

I ran out of the tent only to remember that I didn’t put sunscreen on! This was a huge mistake because the sun was incredibly strong and I would soon turn into a lobster.

Now it was time for the bike course! The bike has always been my weakest discipline and I have vivid memories of numerous competitors whizzing past me on previous races. Preparing for this race, I spent countless hours on my trainer and followed a strict training plan. I was not going to let this be my weakness again. All that hard work paid off – I felt amazing on the bike. I was blitzing by and my legs felt like they were moving on their own. I was even passing lots of other athletes! Now I know how it feels.

Unfortunately I had a silly fall in the first loop (two loop course) of the bike course. I went to the aid station for sunscreen, then slipped on my handlebars getting back on the bike. I finished the first loop and unfortunately had a bad fall in the second loop as well because of a tight u-turn with a downhill. The second fall really rattled me and my hands and knees had chunks of skin missing and were throbbing with pain. However, I reminded myself of how well I had been doing and how I could not let this slow me down now. I had 2-3 more u-turns after this, and the fall definitely made me nervous as I approached them, but I took a deep breath, focused, and got to T2 without another mishap.

Now it was time for a “little run”, as some people like to joke. The run was a 4-loop course and I was surprised by how smooth and strong my run was after swimming and biking. I did not feel like I had even done those things and I was energetically running down the road. For the first 17 or so km, my pace was from 6:10-6:45 and I was absolutely shocked. I felt like I could go on forever. However, soon my knees started to hurt and my pace slowed down. I was worried that this was the beginning of the end.

However, I kept checking my Garmin and made sure that I was not letting myself slow down too much. We received a lap band after the completion of each loop and I was so jealous of the people who were already getting their band for lap 4. I could not believe that I still had 2 more loops to go. However, the crowd was so incredible and I could not stop smiling and giving high fives to the sweet kids who came to cheer us on. Many people in the crowd made comments about how much I was smiling and it made me even happier and run faster. I started to feel impatient as the skies turned dark and winds started to pick up, CAN WE END THIS ALREADY? At times I was completely shocked by the sheer time it took for this race. I had been racing for over 13 hours by now and the 4 loops run course was starting to take a heavy toll on me mentally.

Finally it was time for the last loop! I suddenly got a surge of power and started speeding past everyone on the road. While there was still around 10 km to go, not something I could sprint, I had a crazy boost of power and my eyes were firmly on the prize. As I made the turn, I could see the finish line with blasting music and flashing lights. It was the most incredible feeling in the world. The cheers and clapping of the crowd filled the air and as I sprinted past the finish line, I heard those 4 magical words – YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

 

Chatter about attending the World Championship happened pretty early on. I knew that a large number of people from the Tritons were going but I did not really give it much thought until Jerry qualified in Taitung. I really wasn’t expecting it at all, but was exhilarated when I nabbed that qualifying slot in my race in Jeju! Jerry and I were initially planning to go back to Burning Man… but getting a chance to participate in the World Championship was just too good to pass up.

For those who do not know about the qualifying process, a number of 70.3 races have a set amount of slots for participation in the World Championships. For regular races, anyone can sign up and race, but for the World Champs, you can only attend if you qualify. You do this by being the first ranked athlete in your age group. If this athlete does not want it, the slot rolls down to the next athlete. I was lucky to have gotten my slot at 4th place!

I’ve always done ok in the races in Asia, but I knew that the World Champs would be a whole new ball game. I did feel a little nervous, knowing that I would be stacked up against the strongest athletes around the world, but also super excited!

The race was in Port Elizabeth in South Africa and there were over 20 Tritons attending. We arrived on Tuesday and the women would race first on Saturday and the men on Sunday. The weather was glorious! Beautiful sunny skies and cold brisk air. A few of us went on a super luxe overnight safari before the race and for a second it made me forget what we were here for! Once we got back, it was back to business.

We went to the Parade of Nations and I really did not have any idea what this was. I thought that it was a show but then I found out we were actually the ones in it! Athletes from each country found their flag and walked down a specific route to cheering crowds. I found myself filled with so much Hong Kong pride!

Strangely, I did not feel too much of pre-race nerves. I was nervous in Taitung because it was my first half ironman, and nervous for Jeju because of the horrible weather and the race guide saying the bike course was “tough”. For this race, I just wanted to have fun and enjoy the race! Luckily I did not know how horribly difficult the bike course was going to be because that would have sent me over the edge! After a pasta dinner, Jerry and I went back to our room where we watched an episode of The Office and went to bed.

Race morning! NOW the race jitters are setting in! The weather was beautiful and sunny and I really liked how I was starting at around 8 am… none of that horrible pitch black 4 am wake up like other races. I went to watch the other women start and had some down time where I rested in the sand before my time to get in line. In each age wave, 10 athletes started every 15 seconds and you run down the beach into the waves… so epic!

The water was pretty cold, and my face and extremities felt quite chilly for the first few minutes but I soon settled into a good pace. The age group with blue caps started after me and soon I was being overtaken by some of them! However, I stayed with my own rhythm and also made sure that I was sighting frequently. I felt pretty out of breath as I ran out of the water and Jerry ran alongside me to T1… best cheerleader ever.

My legs felt pretty tired as I got on the bike and the first few km were brutal. I do not remember it being so hard when I did the practice ride but noticed that it was much more windy. Soon I was faced with some grueling hills and then some super fast downhills. Unfortunately, I knew that downhills also meant more uphills on the way back! I even saw one girl get off her bike and walk it up the hill. While I was slow, I was glad that I did not have to do that. The ground was also super bumpy and I wasn’t able to stay in the aero position as much as I would have liked. I was also riding with a new saddle (I know I know) and it was definitely not the best of times. The scenery was actually insanely gorgeous but I was only able to glance quickly before focusing again on the ride. Luckily the 2nd half was much faster and I was very happy to finally hop off the bike into T2!

The run is a 2 loop course and it was awesome! The volunteers were dancing and cheering every time you ran past them and the local supporters were also amazing! I loved hearing the “GO LADIES” and “Keep smiling, you’re doing great!”. Athletes were also really supportive and ladies around me would say words of encouragement. It was such a great atmosphere and while the sun was blazing hot I could not stop smiling. As always, Jerry was there during various segments of the run course to cheer me on with tons of wooping and high fives.

In usual races I do try and get top 3, but for this race, I really was just trying not to be the last one in my age group!! Two girls with bib numbers for my age group sped past me but I slowly built up speed and passed them. For the last couple of km, I made sure to really push it because I knew that I would be so annoyed with myself if I was passed in the last segment of the race!

Finaaallllyy I see the finish line! This race was brutal and I don’t think I’ve ever been more happy to see the finish line. What an experience! The bike course was definitely unexpectedly hard but I was glad that I got to push myself on that course. I feel so lucky to be able to participate in the World Champs and to compete with the best from all around the world after just doing triathlons for one year (and half ironmans for only 6 months!) It was so humbling to race alongside such badass and strong women, and it definitely inspires me to train harder. It was also amazing to see physically challenged athletes and athletes who are over 70 years old competing! It really goes to show that “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE” (I’ve been brainwashed by the race briefing) and that I have no excuse to slack off.

The next day was the boys time to race! I wasn’t sure about the male and female separate race days but it was actually quite a lot of fun. I loved the whole “Girl Power” and women encouraging each other vibe on the first day and now I could be a dedicated cheerleader for Jerry on his day. Jerry got stung with a jellyfish on his face during the swim but powered through like a champ and finished at an excellent time.

Every time I do a race, I am filled with so many emotions. How lucky am I to be healthy and to have the ability to do this amazing sport! And to be able to share this passion with someone I love and also with great friends and teammates. Everyone from the Tritons did so well, particularly Toby who is insane and got 7th place in his age group! Also Damian, who had a very scary health issue but did not let that get in his way and smashed this race. You can read more about his story here. Each race is different but I always leave feeling fulfilled but hungry for more. I never would have thought that I would be attending the World Championship… but I got the slot, trained hard, and gave it all I got!

Next up is the FULL IRONMAN so I know I have some work to do!

The last few months after Taitung did not pan out as expected. I was hoping that I would have a reasonable period of serious training and be stronger and faster for the next race. Instead, I ended up traveling a ton and also had few bouts of illness. From March to July I went to Hawaii, South of France, Amsterdam, and Amsterdam again! While I tried to fit in some workouts during these trips, I definitely drank and ate more than I trained… the random episodes of sickness also left me feeling fatigued and frustrated.

I was not feeling prepared at all as the race came closer and closer but decided that I would do it anyways to keep the momentum up. Jerry and I packed up my stuff and went to bed as we had a 1:55 pm flight the next day.

At around 10 am, Jerry called me and said “We have an issue.” Apparently our flight was at 1:55 am (last night)!!! He said that his secretary was seeing if there were any availability for tonight, which means we would get in at noon on Saturday. Thoughts starting swarming in my head… I was already feeling unprepared, and now we will be taking a brutal night flight where I would get around 4 hours of sleep and arrive in the middle of the day for check in. Jerry, being the calm and rational one, sent me a supportive email listing out the pros and cons of both options. After thinking it over, I decided that we would still go. It is a little stressful, but it is still super doable and I should not give up on this race just yet!

As expected, the flight was super exhausting as we flew to Pusan from Hong Kong in around 3-4 hours. We luckily were able to grab an earlier flight from Pusan to Jeju but the dumb car rental would not let us get our car earlier. After some grumpy waiting, we grabbed our car (which was in the carpark the entire time anyways!) and drove to the race resort.

We started laughing nervously when we saw the crashing waves in the ocean and saw the trees around us sway dangerously against the strong winds. How was I to race in this weather? The Jeju race group chat was abuzz with messages about the possibility of shortening the swim and also the bike course.

In the end, it was announced that the swim would be shorted to only 500 m in the harbor and that no disk wheels were allowed in the bike course due to strong winds. We weren’t able to check in our bikes either because the winds were blowing everything down. We were told to check in our bikes early tomorrow morning before the start of the race. With so many changes and uncertain weather conditions, I went to bed incredibly nervous and had a hard time sleeping.

Ready or not… it’s race time! I took my bike to the check in area and had to rack it the other way because the winds were blowing it side to side.

There wasn’t a swim warm up so the first 100 meters felt incredibly sluggish and I lost my breath quickly. Luckily I quickly got into the flow soon and the rest of the swim felt great. The buoys were also much closer together and I was able to sight much better than all my previous races! Let’s hope that this is a trend that will carry onto the future races!

I felt great coming out of the water and hurried off to T1. I was most worried about the bike with the strong wind and rain. The first 10-15 km felt great, my legs were going smoothly and I was whizzing through. But then suddenly there was some uphills… then some more uphills. The hills were not super steep, but the sheer number of them made it a difficult and long climb. The rain also started pelting down and at times I could hardly keep my eyes opened even with the screen on my helmet. I was hardly ever in aero position because I was always trying to stay secure on the bike amidst the winds. After the climb, it was a long downhill!

The bike is a 2 loop course so whatever suffering I endured in the first loop I had to do again. The uphill for the second loop actually felt better but I later realized that my pace was much slower… oops. Funny thing during the ride… there is one part where there is a pretty abrupt turn and as I approached it I heard a loud “STEPH!”. I screamed “WHAT” and zoomed off, and only realized a second later that it must have been Jerry. The poor guy probably ran to that pitstop in the rain only to get yelled at by me!

So happy to be done with the bike course! I almost fell while getting off the bike because my wrists were so stiff from grasping onto the handlebars to tightly… luckily I was able to pop off successfully.

The run is a 2 loops out and back. The first 1 km was a little painful because my body was quite sore from the bike course. I had not biked outside in ages and I could definitely feel the effects. My knees and lower back were so sore. My run felt a lot better soon and I was happy to see my teammates passing by on the run course. It got a little hotter during the run but the weather was still nice and breezy overall.

During the bike, I saw at least 4 people in my age group pass me. I knew that I was falling behind and was wondering whether I should keep a decent pace in the run and just to use it as training instead of trying to catch up. However, I suddenly saw one girl in front of me who was only one bib number away (so must be same age group!)… as I passed her, I started to regain hope and decided to push it a little bit more. Soon there was another girl in front of me that was also in my age group! I increased my speed and past her as well! This means that I may be in third place! While it is not guaranteed and their net time may still be faster than me… passing them both gave me a new jolt of energy. Each race is an opportunity to push yourself… I should give it my all and see what I can do.

Finally I see the finish line! The finish line for this race was great… a red carpet leading up to the finish. I heard the cheers of the Tritons and Jerry’s whooping. This was it! I do what I always do in races and sprinted towards the end. I like to leave it all behind and just end with a burst of speed. And just like that, it was done!

While the weather conditions were less than ideal, I must say I really enjoyed the race. I am particularly grateful to the race organizers who had to deal with so many last minute logistical changes to make sure all athletes were safe and also to the wonderful volunteers! There were so many cheerful and encouraging volunteers who stood in the wind and rain cheering for us and yelling “Fighting!” continuously. There are moments in triathlon where you’re like “F this why am I doing this”, but the uplifting and positive moments will always triumph and push you to sign up for the next one!

After taking a nice hot shower, it was time for the World Championship roll down. Jerry had qualified 3 months before in Taitung so it was time to see whether I would be attending as a participant or a cheerleader. I ended up with 4th place so there were a few people that needed to say NO so that I could go. Number 1 and Number 2 did not want it…. Number 3 took it but luckily my age group had one more slot!

I jumped up when I heard my name and ran up to the stage to claim my slot. This was SO exciting! I really would have never expected this when I first started doing triathlons – I just wanted to try something new and challenge myself, now I am heading to South Africa with my teammates and boyfriend to compete in the World Championships!

This had been a roller coaster weekend. There were times were I felt really uncertain and stressed, but in the end I am so glad that I decided to come and feel more motivated than ever! Some parts of the race were painful and I wish I could push more, but this is a good reminder of why training is so important and I am going to make sure that I am more disciplined in the future. After the race, my teammates and I had such much delicious Korean food and of course beer! I’ve said this once but I will say it again, it’s so wonderful to be surrounded by people who are not only strong athletes but also encouraging and positive people, they motivate me to be work harder and strive for a higher level. Being with a good team adds an entirely new level to racing and I can’t even begin to imagine how amazing South Africa will be! Lastly I could not thank my amazing boyfriend enough, he did not race this time but was the most dedicated bike mechanic, porter, cheerleader, and all around MVP.

It’s been a little more than a year since I started being a crazy triathlon person and the perfect time for a race recap of my first triathlon! It’s crazy to think how much has changed since this race. I moved back from New York to Hong Kong and was feeling pretty down. I was having lunch with a few friends on day and heard that they were thinking of doing a triathlon in November, I was super keen to try it out as well but that was around April and it did not make sense for me to wait 7 months for that race. I decided to do some research on my own and found a race in Subic Bay in June. No one else wanted to do it with me so I just signed up by myself! I was SO clueless back then, I still remember asking my friends whether the race provided bikes for the athletes LOL! After finding out that we had to get our own bikes, I scurried off to a bike shop to get a bike. Can we take some time to look at how many EXTRA things were on my bike?! Especially these ridiculous extra set of brakes in the middle. The bike shop was trying to be nice, but they seemed to think I was going for a ride in the park even though I specified it was for racing. Luckily… for my second race I had taken off a lot of random stuff from my bike and now I actually have a new bike.

I didn’t have a ton of time to train. I actually only rode the bike a few times outside and swam in the ocean once. I did a few brick workouts (run and bike) at the gym and also did a lot of hiit training. My parents were super concerned about me going alone to this race and asked me to look up some local clubs to see if anyone was also going. I was pretty casual about it and decided that it would be ok for me to just go by myself. Subic Bay was a little out of the way and you had to fly to Clark Airport and then a 1 hour car ride. I was ok taking a taxi but my parents insisted on booking a hotel van which I appreciated when I got there.

I had NO idea how to pack my bike and brought it back to the bike shop so they could put it in the box for me. I was hoping that I would be able to see how they took it apart and put it in the box but unfortunately they did not have time and said I just had to come and pick it up the next day. I had so much anxiety because I had no idea what they were going to do with the bike and poured over as many YouTube videos as possible.

Finally it was race time! After the one hour ride I arrived at my hotel and instantly started to open the box and attempt to put my bike together. I arrived on Saturday afternoon which means I do not have a ton of time to check in. I tried my best to put the bike together but could not figure out how to put on the front wheel…. I ended up going to the athlete check in and expo with the front wheel still off and just holding the bike up.  Luckily the bike mechanics helped me fix everything and I was ready to go! On the way I met another solo female triathlete named Jocelyn who lived in Abu Dhabi. She reminded me that the bike check in was closing soon and that I should probably go now! I told her it was my first race and she casually said she’s done only a few as well. However, I could not help but notice the multiple Ironman merchandise and suspected that she was pretty hardcore when she said she trains two times a week everyday!

After checking in all my stuff at transition I was ready to get back to the expo for the feast. I loaded my plate with lots of meats and some sweet spaghetti.. not sure if this is the best for me before the race but it tasted like kiddy heaven. After the meal, we went back to the hotel… I could definitely felt the nerves and excitement as I set my alarm for 4 am and went to bed.

Beautiful race morning!! The atmosphere is electric. That feeling when the gun goes off and you’re running towards the ocean is so exhilarating and hard to describe. The swim was pretty decent given that I had hardly practiced but the lack of practice really shows when I was getting out of the ocean to T1 and the bike. I was huffing and puffing quite a bit and the first segment of the bike course was also a little bit of an uphill. Suddenly it was pouring rain and I could hardly see anything. I tried to put my sunglasses on and almost took out a pro… whoops. The rain was plummeting down and it was getting pretty difficult. My contact suddenly was super painful in my eye and I tried to stop to fix it. Unfortunately I was unable to stop and instead slid hard into a large puddle in the ground and fell over. One of the workers quickly came to my aid and I was off again!

By the time it was the run, the rain had stopped and the sun was blazing hot. The run was a back and forth and felt like forever even though it was just 10 km! I passed by my hotel and I secretly thought of how nice it would be to just run to the lobby and pass out in the hotel. Obviously I did not do that but continued on and was so glad to see the turn around point! The final segment of the run is around a track which sucks because it just feels so much longer but once I see the finish line I started accelerating and boom I was done with my first triathlon!!

I was hooked. That was so much fun! There were a lot of little mistakes and areas of improvement, but I was more than happy with the experience. The transitions are so exciting where you are trying to move and change as fast as possible. You will also never be bored because you know there is another segment coming up soon. I also loved the camaraderie of the community, even though I traveled alone, I met a number of great people who I still keep in touch with now!

After the race, Jocelyn and I went to a local restaurant for a Philipino buffet feast! We both probably ate 3 huge plates of food and then we went to Krispy Kreme. I am so glad that I finally got out of my comfort zone and tried something I’ve always said I would do. Triathlons are now such a major part of my life and it would have never known if I just stayed where I was! It was definitely quite an adventure with me going by myself but I would not change a thing.

This was my first 70.3 after completing two Olympic distances and the first time racing with the Tritons. I initially contemplated going to the 70.3 in Colombo but was so glad that I picked Taitung because it ended up being the best weekend with some awesome teammates.

So much has changed since my first race! I was undertrained, went to Subic Bay by myself, hardly knew how to set up my bike, and was not confident enough for clipless pedals. Fast forward 9 months later and I was boarding the plane with a whole group of teammates, feeling excited and prepared for my first half ironman!

The flight was really short and before I knew it we were getting into the large bus that Lisa organized for everyone (Thanks Lisa!). We had decided to stay at the Taitung Suites, which came highly recommended by Tritons who had been to Taitung before. Everyone was pretty tired from the long bus ride so it was an early night in.

The next day we all went to registration then tested out our bikes to make sure everything was in order. Damo’s tire had a puncture and I found out that my gears were almost completely drained of battery. Luckily we realized all this before race day! We went to the race briefing where I was filled with anxiety when I heard that there would be multiple hairpin turns coming in and out of the bike course. I had crashed my bike in both previous races during tight u-turns so I was really nervous… Bedtime was at 8 pm and I drifted off to an uneasy sleep before being woken up by some fireworks and strange ice cream truck music in the middle of the night.

Suddenly it was race morning! Regardless of u-turn crashes or not… I was ready to take on the race. I sleepily put on my wetsuit and made my way to the lake. 10 minutes before start time, I ran into Mandy who suddenly asked, “Why are you wearing the wetsuit inside out?”… oh no! Luckily I was able to quickly tug and pull until the wetsuit was on properly and I had a few minutes to catch my breath before starting. The swim was a straightforward in and out of a manmade lake and I was fortunate to only come across 2-3 breast strokers. However, I kept gravitating towards the left and hit the buoys a few times, I definitely need to work on sighting and swimming in a straight line!

I got out of the water feeling great and started running towards the bike racks 600 m away. Some guy tried to jump over the racks and not run the full length but Margaret and I quickly yelled “CHEATER, YOU CAN’T DO THAT” and had an official chase that guy down. Not on our watch!

Onto the bike! I approached the funky hairpin turns and successfully went through all of them! I happily congratulated myself (I like to talk to myself during races) and felt confident for the rest of the bike leg. 20 km in I heard a clink noise as if something fell out. I hoped that it was not me and kept going. Around 40 km in I suddenly heard a strange flapping noise from my rear tire and then a loud POP. Everyone around me yelled out “Tired exploded!” (thank you captain obvious) and I stopped on the side of the road, my heart filled with dread. My tire was completely destroyed and two screws from my shoe were also missing. A friendly local couple and a policeman came up to me and asked whether I had a number I could call. I helplessly said I had no number but asked for them to try and find a volunteer. I sulkily stood on the road while hundreds of people zoomed passed me and was starting to wonder whether I would even finish the race. Suddenly a volunteer on a motorcycle came and told me that a bike tent was just around the corner!

My spirits soared after the bike mechanics said they could replace both my tire AND my shoes! Hope is not lost! While this entire ordeal took over 20 minutes, I was so grateful for their help and quickly got back on my bike to finish the race. The bike course had some long climbs but you were also greeted with gorgeous views of the ocean and then some super fast downhills. I was starting to feel the effect of the 90 km in the last 10 km and was ready to get off my bike.

Finally getting onto the run course! The run course consisted of 3 loops where you will get a yellow, blue, and pink band for each loop. The end of each loop is quite a tease as one exit is for “another loop” and the other one is “to the finish line”! I was hoping to maintain a 5:40 pace for the run but I completely underestimated how jello-y my legs would feel after the swim and bike. I was seriously wondering why I put myself through this and how horrible two more loops would be in this blazing sun… then I suddenly saw the smiling face of Jerry on the side of the road cheering me on and I got my head back in the game. I almost hugged the girl who gave me the final pink band and got that final gush of energy for the last loop. Finally I turned into the path that said “to the finish line”!!! I mustered up all my remaining energy and sprinted towards the finish… and just like that, I was done with my first 70.3!

This was such an incredible weekend and I was so happy to be surrounded by people who are not only strong athletes, but also fun loving and encouraging teammates. The World Championship roll-down after the race was really exciting because Toby, Sam, and Jerry got their slots to go to South Africa… it is going to be a Tritons party! The triathlon journey has been unbelievable and I am excited to continue training to be stronger and looking to either Subic Bay in June or Jeju in July for my next race!