5150 Course Preview

 

The Century Tuna 5150 Triathlon  is one of the most challenging races this year. Being a standard distance triathlon, it consists of a 1.5km Swim, 40km bike, and 10km run; however, what sets it apart is the level of difficulty involved. Despite the expensive price tag of $150 (I signed up initially at $180), I know this is going to be another epic and memorable race. Other races of this distance simply come up short when compared to this; the organizers really pulled all the stops to make this something out of the ordinary.

The first leg is a point-to-point swim from the Grande Island ferry dock to All Hands Beach. The swim start is several hundred meters deep; one has the option of either doing a treading start or starting from the walkway near the shore. I highly recommend starting in the water as starting from the shore puts you at a huge disadvantage; not only would one have to dive during gun start, you'd also need to swim out several hundred meters towards the real start line. Moreover, it gives you a Kona-esque feel; another aspect of this race that makes it so notable. To those who aren't that comfortable with treading, perhaps this link would help. It's not that difficult as long as you relax and practice it several times before race day.

The bike course is definitely the most exciting portion of this race. Coming out of transition 1, there's a short warmup along NCT road towards the airport; I highly recommend to start firing up your legs for this as the next phase would be the airport runway. During the race last year, the organizers had this Timex Challenge (Fastest Runway Split). If you want to have a good race overall, I recommend not shooting for this; save your legs, the next parts of the race will be a lot more difficult.

Out of the airport road, Subit racers would be familiar with the route leading towards Ocean Adventure; however, just before Morong Gate, racers turn right into the IDESS loop. This is one very technical portion of the race where passing is discouraged; roads are twisty, narrow, and fast! Watch out for tight turns, cracked pavement, and loose sand/gravel. I suggest dropping to a light gear for this part as it makes acceleration out of the turns easier. The final part of the loop is a hard climb where the burning heat of the sun greatly adds to its difficulty. After IDESS, one would need to make his/her way back to the airport. Take this time to let your legs recover and prepare for the infamous Tarlac Road.

Tarlac road is the winding and steep climb towards Crownpeak and Forest Hills. Turn right from Argonaut Highway, and you're immediately greeted by a gradient of around 6-7%. Drop down to the small chainring and a light gear; it's going to be a long climb. Once you "finally" reach the top, make your way through the roads near CUBI (make sure you watch out for signs and don't get lost).

Photo Credit: DrivingExperiences.co.uk

Even if I've raced it several times, the downhill road opposite Tarlac (Aparri Road) still scares me quite a bit. There are several sweeping turns near Tree Top Adventure are something to watch out for. My best advice for this is to brake and scrub off some speed before the turn, take the outer portion of the lane (make sure there are no oncoming vehicles though), put your inner leg up, lean into the chicane, clip the apex, and let your momentum carry you towards the outside. Do not make any sharp adjustments and merely feather the brakes; hard braking and sudden line corrections might cause you to lose traction. Once you reach the bottom, relax a bit, the hardest parts are over, it's time to find a good rhythm on the way to the Subic Exhibition Center, where transition 2 is located.

 

T2 is located well within the Subic Exhibition Center; this is where the Expo Center, race briefing /dinner, and race awarding/brunch takes place (unless they moved it for 2013). One thing I noticed out of T2 last year, was the immense heat. This area isn't very shaded so you really feel the intense rays of the sun. Take the first portion easy; the exhaust from the vehicles together with the ambient heat from the asphalt is challenging in itself. The organizers learned from last year's mistakes; instead of turning left towards Rizal Highway, the route traverses Argonaut Highway first before turning into Causeway Road. I hope this remedies the traffic deadlock we caused last year; we got our share of horns and cusses from irate motorists.

Most of the run course takes place in the Subic Golf Course. To say the least, it was full of turns and quite hilly! Aid stations were spaced out quite well which one should take advantage of to avoid dehydration and subsequent cramping. Despite the challenging terrain, the golf course is a good venue as it provides a refreshing atmosphere and scenery. On the way back, it's mostly downhill towards the Exhibition Center. If you don't feel exhausted by this point, it just means you didn't go hard enough. Once you pass Petron, there's roughly a kilometer to go before you reach the finish line. zip up your tri suit, fix your race bib, and practice your finish line smile; you've just completed one of the most difficult races in the Philippines.

Photos Grabbed from: Century Tuna 5150