Lisa Bentley's Blog entry from 8/24/09

Update From Philippines

The past week has been unlike anything we have ever experienced. We have been so well taken care of and we have felt so much kindness. If you want the most genuine warmth and hospitality, world class race management, sunshine, beaches and heat, then Philippines must be your next holiday/triathlon destination. Dave and I have been here for about a week and every night I sit down and write our daily adventures and life impacting moments just so that I don’t forget anything. We were invited here to assist Lance Watson with the Lifesport training camps – the first one for the Polo Tri Club was based in Manila and the second one was based here, at the race site, at Cam Sur.

We left Canada on Tuesday and we arrived in Manila on Thursday about 24 hours later. It was the quickest arrival, custom clearing, picking up bags that we have ever done – we touched down at 4:40 a.m. and we were out the door by 5:10 a.m. with a little necklace of flowers around our necks as our first taste of Filipino hospitality. Moments later, we were having tea with our host – Fred Uytengsu – the brainchild of the Cobra Philippines 70.3 event. We had a full day planned – first breakfast with Fred and his wife Kerri and then off to swim at the Polo Tri Club then visiting a museum and lunch with more of our host athletes from the Polo Tri Team and then a little water run to get my legs functioning after the big trip, dinner, a massage and then bed! Now, keep in mind, that 6 a.m. Manila time is 6 p.m. Ontario time and so if you do the math…lunch at 1 p.m. was like 1 a.m. and my eyes were a little heavy!! The sushi kept me very awake but I certainly was struggling to stay awake by 3 p.m. But I did manage a 60 minute water run and some fun pool time with Fred and Kerri’s daughter, Kayla. Dinner was a huge struggle so you can just imagine how much I slept during the 8 p.m. massage! When I got off of the massage table at 9 p.m., I told Dave that I think she forgot my left leg and my quads! Nope – they still had the slippery residue of massage oil – which means that I must have been fast asleep.

Friday morning came quickly because Dave and I were wide awake at 2 a.m. but managed to stay horizontal until 4 a.m. By 6 a.m., we were spinning through the village on our bikes with Andy, another talented Polo Tri Team member. Then I was off to do a killer treadmill workout with Kerri at Gold’s Gym. I was one great big puddle by the end of the session and I was quite a sight to the poor staff. I think they thought I was from another planet because they wanted to do a photograph with the entire staff before I left. Meanwhile, Cameron Brown – 8-time IM New Zealand Champion arrived and now our team was complete – Lance, Dave, Cam and myself. After a quick recovery hour and then off for a swim, it was time to prepare for the start of our first camp with the Polo Tri Club. We kicked it off with a little chat – I did a bit of a motivational slide show and then Lance laid out the weekend and spoke about race preparation. A beautiful dinner capped off our official day one!

The camp continued on Saturday with an instructional bike ride on a loop on a closed road in a nearby park – cycling in Manila is a challenge but the Polo Team makes it happen by either having rides with escort drivers or riding on this closed loop every weekday morning from 5:30-7:30 a.m. On the weekend, we received  special permission to use the road from 7:30 – 10:30 a.m.  It was the perfect loop for the athletes to gain technical insight on cornering and bike handling from Lance and Dave and to practise high cadence and big gear work with Cam and me. We finished off with a set of hard bike intervals and once again, we were all reduced to little puddles of sweat! The heat here is unlike anything I have ever experienced – on average it is about 34 degrees Celsius each day but apparently the ‘feel’ temp is more like 45 degrees Celsius!

On the drive home from the ride, we stopped by a United States World War II memorial cemetery. There were thousands of little white crosses paying tribute to the soldiers and there was a beautiful display of names carved into the walls of the building.

On the drive home from the ride, we stopped by a United States World War II memorial cemetery. There were thousands of little white crosses paying tribute to the soldiers and there was a beautiful display of names carved into the walls of the building. There is a lot of history here in Philippines and we are definitely learning something new each day. We finished off the day with a swim session and discussion and then dinner and a social.

Our final day was a run focus day back at the Polo Tri Club. It was another hot one but we taught some great running technique tips and did a tough session on their 1 km gravel running track. I did a quick session on water running which offered some relief from all of our sweating during the run session. Brunch, photos and question and answer ended our camp but the camp atmosphere will continue at the race site since every single member of the Polo Tri Team is racing in the 70.3.

Cam and I finished up the day with a 3 hour trainer ride which was the hottest I have ever felt in my life!  I just kept telling myself that taper starts on Monday and we pushed through and got it done.

And now the authentic adventure began. The next day, we woke up at 4 a.m. for our 6:15 a.m. domestic flight to the race site. Following with the supreme efficiency of life here, the driver took our bags first, checked us in and then we followed about 45 minutes later. We met him there, he took us through all the security lines with our baggage tags and boarding passes in hand and off we went to Naga – a 40 minute flight. When we landed, we were treated to an incredible welcome There was a live band and dancers waiting. We thought this was just the normal greeting for arriving passengers but then we saw that they were holding a banner saying “Welcome to Naga – David Cracknell, Cameron Brown, Lance Watson, Lisa Bentley” – it was amazing!  We were greeted by our new hosts here – Marife and Joseph – and they had someone fetch our luggage while we took the van to the race hotel at Cam Sur.

We had breakfast at Cam Sur and had a little swim and then we boarded a helicopter!  The Governor was sending us to a remote island for 2 days – “to unwind”!  Yes, we had been working pretty hard as coaches and athletes while in Manila – but we hardly needed an escape to an uninhabited island!  Ok, so adventure number one was the helicopter ride – unbelievable! The views were amazing!  Our pilot was Canadian – how crazy is that? He came to Philippines for an adventure and the Governor hired him to fly for him.  It was a 30 min ride to the island of Caramoan. We were the only ones there – you cannot run or bike here – the beach is about 200-300 meters long but I am not about to run back and forth for an hour!  The resort on Caramoan is not even open. The Governor owns it and he brought staff in to take care of us while we were there. There was about 10 staff taking care of us!  We each had a little hut facing the water!  It was very beautiful. There was no internet and no television. It is totally remote!  Each day, they would bring our food in by boat from the nearby island of Gota, about 5 minutes away.

Survivor is being filmed on the islands surrounding Caramoan.  So here is how it works. The challenges that the survivor contestants do are on the different islands around here and their camps are on other islands. So on our first day, we took the boat to go hike to see some caves and when we arrived, we saw the obstacle course which is used in the immunity challenges on Survivor!  On Tuesday, we took a boat  to Gota to do a run (more on that later) and when we were done they told us we had to leave because the Survivor competitors were coming to do some challenges. The filming crew is staying on Gota.  Later, we went for another boat ride and we saw one of the camps set up with the team flag and we stopped at another island where Dave and Cam hiked up to a filming tower and found another challenge set up!  So that is how remote it is here – they host Survivor for several different broadcasts. I think they have filmed the French version and now they are filming the Serbian one.  Those overhead shots they show of the islands are really true – that is exactly what it looks like! Lush, tropical, dangerous, untouched and remote!

On Tuesday, Cam and I were taken by boat to do our run on Gota. We had a chaperone – of course – who followed on a motor bike. It was the most spectacular run I have ever done in my life because I saw the raw and pure life of an island in Philippines. We ran by pigs and water buffalos and little dogs. We saw the most beautiful little school children walking to school yelling ‘hi’ and putting out there hands for a high-5!  Picture the happiest little children with big smiles on their faces – that is what I got to see – they were so beautiful!  We saw their schools and their homes – they were all little huts – no running water, no electricity, no video games, no Wii – but everyone looked happy!  We saw children climbing up the sides of a bridge – so high up – like monkeys. We saw a man riding a bike with about a dozen fish freshly caught swinging from his handlebars. We saw the shops – not like we see at home – little huts that are barely standing – but there was life there – it was a busy little town!  Two people even yelled “Ironman” as we ran!  Keep in mind – there are no televisions here and these people maybe will never see another pair of white people in their lives again – and certainly not two people crazy enough to be running and sweating on purpose. One little boy even  ran with us for about 100 meters – and he stayed ahead of us!  It was legendary!

After breakfast, we went for a boat ride to visit some of the other islands. On our way back, we jumped out of the boat and swam to our beach. It took about 40 minutes but we were all scared. I was scared of jelly fish – I saw so many as I was swimming and I didn’t want to get stung. So I hopped onto Cam Brown’s feet as we swam and stayed as close as I could. I was terrified!  Days later, we would see scenes from Survivor (French version) and we saw the island that we swam from and one of the islands we swam to en route to Caramoan!

On Wednesday, we snuck in one more run on Gota and that way Lance and Dave were both able to come and share in our experience and take some pictures! The helicopter picked us up after the run and by 10 a.m., we were back in Cam Sur at the race site!

On Monday, when we left, there was only a slight hint of the approaching race but by Wednesday when we returned, the venue had really taken shape and looked amazing. The food, VIP, sponsor and finish line tents were all up and look awesome. The run from swim to swim was already carpeted (yes we swim 1200 m in one lake and then 700 meters in another one). There were shuttles from one hotel to another. There were meals so that the athletes did not have to leave the race venue searching for food. There are donut, hamburger and hot dog kiosks already set up for quick snacks. There is a welcoming committee at the lobby and posters listing the events for the day.  Yes, this event is the utmost in professionalism! There were little signs draped overhead across the streets welcoming us to town. It is so special to feel welcomed when we are far from home.  There were welcome bags for each athlete when they checked in with a towel and little booklets with the facts about Naga (the surrounding town) and the race course. These are the little details that are so nice for athletes to have.

We managed to get out for a bike ride at 11 a.m. with a driver following us for safety. It was a very nice ride – the people in the villages were waving and very excited to see us. The turnaround is at the ocean and we will all have to be careful not to jump in the ocean to cool off down there – it will be tempting.  When we got back from our ride, we had a beautiful lunch served by Melos – the race organizers have brought in the staff and food from a restaurant in Manila to ensure that the athletes are well fed. Pretty amazing.  Princess Galura – Princess is her first name – has been our key contact here in Cam Sur and she has taken care of us with a big open heart.

Thursday was the start of the next Lifesport Training Camp. Dave and I snuck in a quick bike ride at 5:30 a.m. to try to avoid some of the local traffic and then we were off to our first camp session. I did a motivational slide show again for our new group of athletes and gave them some mental ammunition for their big race day. I went for a pool swim while the group ran and then we had some nice relaxation time, dinner with the training camp athletes and a massage.

Friday was the first day Cam and I did not organize to do any training together and there I was, out running on the run course and when I stopped to loosen my laces and Cam came by. It has been so fantastic having Cameron as my training partner for the past week. Together, we are the “Killer B’s” – get it – Brown and Bentley!!!  That was our nickname on Tri Dubai. The run course is very similar to our special run in Gota and that will be my personal motivation for success. I know that my heart will be filled with such happy thoughts and with that sort of fuel, I will run at my best!

Once the training was done, our day was a reunion day with our new friends from the Polo Tri Club. They are such a special group of people and we feel like adopted members of the team!

At lunch, we met the Governor of Cam Sur – Governor L Ray. His name is everywhere in Cam Sur and he is an incredibly dynamic man. He loves sport and he has resurrected Cam Sur from being the poorest province in Philippines to being the 10^th richest in just 4 years!  He supports Ironman triathlon 100%. He has had roads paved and re-paved. He has had the man-made lakes pristine. He has shut the roads for our race so that we can cycle traffic free! He is so proud of Cam Sur and he has extended every ounce of hospitality to all of us visitors – more than any human could possibly absorb!

We followed lunch with a television interview and then a press conference. Just before the welcome party, I found the race organizing committee celebrating a Catholic Mass upstairs in one of the little meeting rooms. I joined them for this special mass and now I have so many wonderful blessings for a terrific race experience.

The welcome party was spectacular. There was an opening dance performance which seemed just like Cirque du Soleil.

And now, today, is Saturday – the day before our big celebration race day!!  My health has been pretty good for a few days. I finished my last dose of antibiotics on Monday and life was good until yesterday when my cough developed once again. My compressor that allows me to do my breathing therapy is not working – I used a voltage adaptor but for some reason, it will not work so I have been 10 days without my saline solution therapy. Fingers crossed that I will finally be able to race moderately healthy for the first time this year!!!

Dave is racing as well, although I am encouraging him to ‘participate’ and not to race. He has the talent to go quite hard and fast but his fitness is a little bit behind and I fear that he will end up hurting himself and not enjoying the day at all.

This has been the most amazing life experience we have had. Our hearts are so full right now of so much kindness and love and we are so much richer for all of the new friends that we can now call family!

For more photos click on the photo below or go to the gallery page!