PINOZ Magellan ‘Jun’ Padilla completed the Port Macquarie Ironman 70.3 Port Macquarie swim-bike-run race in 6hr 26min 6sec representing FilOz Triathlon Club recently.
By ROMMEL FARO
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It was not the easiest courses of the local Ironman circuit. The bike ride was a challenging climb up Matthew Flinders Drive.
Padilla’s entry kicked off with the 1.9km swim in the Hastings River, using the other competitors to guide him throughout so he did not spend too much time rounding the buoys.
He was out of the water in 42min :27sec.
The 90km, 2-lap bike leg was the toughest, according to Padilla.
He was averaging 30kph up to the 75km mark, when he hit the climbing section on Matthew Flinders Drive.
Padilla had to get off the bike and walk up the hill because he was starting to develop leg cramps.
Once he got to the top of the climb, it was a down-hill cruise, giving him time to recover for the run.
Padilla completed the bike ride in 3hr 16min 5sec.
The final leg of the race, a 21km run after completion of a hard bike ride, was daunting challenge to running at his intended 5-5:15 km/hr pace.
But Padilla knew it was just a matter of soldiering on to complete the race as every Ironman would do.
He battled cramps almost after every 2km of running until the 12km mark, where he managed to pick up the pace, albeit still slower than he would have liked.
He managed to surge in the last 2km to complete the run leg in 02:22:34.
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PICTURE:
Magallanes ‘Jun’ Padilla on his Ironman bike segment.
