Sheer Will Aquathlon Cup, 3/e.

If you try to check the meaning of the word will, you’ll be surprised of the various meanings of this pretty simple yet powerful word. In my readings, one dictionary defined it in 19 ways. This one is my favorite. Will ~ a fixed and persistent intent or purpose; “where there’s a will there’s a way. The nearest Filipino saying I could think of based on its definition is “pag gusto, may paraan; pag ayaw, maraming dahilan.”

Wave 1 swimmers.

The first simulation swim-run-swim held at the Army pool in Fort Bonifacio gave birth to two more aquathlon simulation events where one was recently held two days (Friday the 13th) before the Timex Run. Fresh from my first marathon stint the previous Sunday, I was so glad that Coach John allowed me to join this on a condition not to run fast. I agreed. The event was hosted by James a.k.a. Runma777, one of the participants of the 1st Aquathlon in Corregidor, as it coincided with his birthday celebration.

Wave 1 participants relaxing after the race.

There were two groups, namely, Wave 1 and Wave 2. Wave 1 is composed mainly of participants who have had experience racing in an aquathlon or triathlon or are just considered fast in terms of finishing time. The ladies were also in this group. Wave 2, on the other hand, is composed of newbies in the aquathlon world, with no race experience in an aquathlon or triathlon event. In other words, they wanted to experience what an aquathlon should be. They can do any tactics in swimming as long as they don’t walk in the pool. The event was dubbed as SWAC3, meaning, Sheer Will Aquathlon Cup, 3rd edition.

Before this event, I’ve known quite a number of the participants who, from zero experience in swimming to learning how to eventually swim, trained themselves in preparation for the simulation event. With the finisher’s medal as the motivator, they did prepare well for the occasion. And they had the will to do it inspite the odds. Amazing!

L-R: Birthday celebrant, James, Rico a.k.a. Sheer Will, yours truly, and Que, takbo.ph admin.

I had so much fun watching Wave 2 participants did their best to finish the race. It was also nice to see everybody’s happy faces as each received a finisher’s medal. As for me, I finished it even with zero mileage in swimming. To top it off, I garnered two medals, one for finishing the aquathlon simulation and the especially-made-PIM 42k-medal. I went home so happy with the success of the event. What a night!

Anyway, for a full recap, including race logistics and race results, please read the comprehensive Commissioner’s Race Report at Sheer Will‘s blog.

With that said, I salute takbo.ph runners, swimmers, marshals, cheerers, guests, la la la for a job well done.

Looking forward to SWAC4!