By Alex Vidal
"Listen, do you want to know a secret?" BEATLES
ABS-CBN Pinoy Big Brothers celebrity edition entry Rudy Fernandez of Ajuy, Iloilo was supposed to highlight with a bikathon dubbed "Cycle of Hope" the World Hospice Day 2006 celebration spearheaded by the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) Hospice Care Foundation held at the Jaro Plaza very recently.
During the final briefing attended by Fernadez, 60; WVMC Hospice Care Foundation president Dr. Annabelle Pabiona-de Guzman, ABS-CBN regional marketing manager Desiree Bretaña, and senior reporter John Sapio of Aksyon Radyo, among other staff members of the foundation last October 4 at the WVMC, it was agreed that Fernandez would be assisted by the Iloilo Cycling Association (ICA) headed as president by Greg Palmes for his own safety "on a voluntary basis."
The one-legged Fernandez said he would use the occasion to establish a record which is a requirement for his participation in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii next year.
Ironman Triathlon was established in 1978 after a number of able athletes debated on who are the physically superior athletes: swimmers, bikers or runners? Finally, a race was proposed to settle the argument: a grueling contest requiring a 2.4-mile roughwater swim, a 112-mile bike race and a 26.2-mile marathon.
FIRST IRON MAN
Fifteen men participated in the first-ever event, and 12 completed the race. With a finishing time of 11 hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds, Gordon Haller was christened the world’s first "Ironman."
At that time, race organizers expected that the event would eventually grow to include between 100 and 200 participants. Today, upwards of 50,000 athletes from 50-plus countries (and all 50 U.S. states) competed to simply qualify for the Ironman Triathlon. While 10 volunteers assisted with the 1978 event, today’s triathlon requires more than 5,000 volunteers.
The average Ironman triathlete, we’re told, spends 18 to 24 hours each week training for this event. A typical week might include seven miles of swimming, 225 miles of cycling and 48 miles of running. Many competitors also cross-train with weight training, yoga and other exercises.Still, of the 50,000 hopefuls, only 1,500 are selected to participate in the annual event.
Held each October, the Ironman Triathlon World Championship has became one of the world’s most prestigious endurance events. Tens of thousands of spectators line the home stretch, and nearly five million more watch the event unfolding on TV. The first-place winner receives a check for $100,000.
At that time, race organizers expected that the event would eventually grow to include between 100 and 200 participants. Today, upwards of 50,000 athletes from 50-plus countries (and all 50 U.S. states) competed to simply qualify for the Ironman Triathlon. While 10 volunteers assisted with the 1978 event, today’s triathlon requires more than 5,000 volunteers.
The average Ironman triathlete, we’re told, spends 18 to 24 hours each week training for this event. A typical week might include seven miles of swimming, 225 miles of cycling and 48 miles of running. Many competitors also cross-train with weight training, yoga and other exercises.Still, of the 50,000 hopefuls, only 1,500 are selected to participate in the annual event.
Held each October, the Ironman Triathlon World Championship has became one of the world’s most prestigious endurance events. Tens of thousands of spectators line the home stretch, and nearly five million more watch the event unfolding on TV. The first-place winner receives a check for $100,000.
MAN VERSUS NATURE
"Man-versus-nature" has became a signature component of the triathlon. The average temperatures on race day ranges from 82 to 95 degrees, with humidity hovering around 90 percent. Crosswinds on sections of the bike course can gust as high as 60 miles per hour. The worldwide popularity of the Ironman Triathlon has so tremendously increased that a scaled-down version of the event was added to the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. In April 2007, Honolulu will serve as a host site of the U.S. Olympic Trials for the triathlon event, which includes a 1,500-meter swim, a 25-mile bike ride and 6.25-mile run.
Meanwhile, a fun run from the Central Philippine University (CPU) Promenade in Jaro, Iloilo City up to Jaro Plaza kicked off the World Hospice celebration on October 7 in Iloilo City followed by a blood donation program in Jaro Plaza.
Hospice is the care of terminally ill patients and the celebration was dedicated especially for the patients, stressed Dr. De Guzman. Fun Run participants are asked to shell out a P100 registration fee which entitled them to free snacks and freebies. The amount raised in the Fun Run went to the care of terminally ill patients in the WVSU.
De Guzman said, their "foundation is also spearheading a fund-raising campaign for the building of the P28-million Hopice and Family Center which is expected to be finished in the second quarter next year." Fernandez will attempt to hold a record-braking bikathon around the plaza for 24 hours.
According to Fernandez, only his endurance and not his speed in the Jaro Plaza bikathon would be the requirement in the Ironman competition but he must not rest more than five times during the 24-hour odyssey.
‘MANY DEMANDS’
The night before Fernandez’s scheduled bikathon, I received a text message from Ms. Bretaña informing that the foundation had canceled the bikathon in the eleventh hour. Ms. Bretaña had earlier expressed concern for Fernandez’s safety even if the bikathon would be held only inside the Jaro Plaza. She offered no other reason why the foundation had called off the bikathon.The following day (October 6, the supposed schedule of the canceled bikathon), I got another text message this time from a member of the board of director of the foundation who requested strict anonymity.
The message said it was Dr. De Guzman who decided to cancel Fernandez’s event "because they have so many demands that we cannot meet." The director said "Fernandez and his manager (unnamed) were asking something which were not part of our agreement earlier."Team Fernandez allegedly demanded that the foundation should pay the PCA bikers who will assist him, among other expenses.
"We already gave him P2,500 cash and two brand new tires for his bicycle but there was no agreement that we would also shoulder the expenses of his back up team because the foundation has no funds for it," said the director. Nevertheless, Fernandez still showed up during the October 7 fun run and blood donation program in the Jaro covered gym. His presence was warmly acknowledged by the foundation.
"There was no bitterness on his face and all’s well that ended well," said the director.Here’s the complete list of officers of the WVMC Hospice Care Foundation: Dr. Mae Lynn Mioten-Acebuque (secretary), Fr. Ilde Tagamolila (treasurer); Dr. Jose Mari C. Fermin, Anita Baylon, Nida Celeste, Dr. Mariano Hembra, Dr. Pepe Sullano, Dr. Wilfredo Pulido, Fr. Dioscoro Villasis (Board of Directors). /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com
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