2009 – Page 21 – Cebu Sports Blog by John Pages

The Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore: Part 2

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Forty eight hours ago in this same box that you’re reading, I wrote about Anthony Regis. He’s a swimmer-turned-cyclist-turned-runner who, last September, joined the Singapore Ironman 70.3. That’s a grueling event where you swim 1.9 kms., bike 90 kms., then, when your body is downtrodden and all-wearied, you run another 21,000 meters.

In that triathlon’s first leg—the swim—Anton dove into the Singapore waters to swim freestyle beside 1,400 other triathletes. He finished the 1.9K swim in 52 minutes. Here’s his account of the next stage…

Anton Regis remembers the Ironman 70.3

Few people can swim 1.9 kms. Few people can bike 90 kms.—roughly the distance from Cebu City to Bogo. Few people can run, unaided by car or tricycle and with nothing on the feet but socks and rubber shoes, the length of 21 kms. How about finishing not one, not two—but all three? Not one today, one sport tomorrow and another on Thursday—but one after the other? Back to back to back?

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Anton Regis has accomplished that. Aged 29 and, for three years now, delightedly-living with his wife Zie (they have a four-month-old baby named Zoe Angelou), Anton works as a Software Development Engineer at the NCR Cebu Development Center at the I.T. Park. That’s his day job. His passion? On Sundays? During days off when he has free time to pedal, swim freestyle and jog?

Singapore Ironman 70.3 Photos

To view all of Anton’s pictures, click here.

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A sales pitch for baseball and softball

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What a shot! Jesse smashing a picture-perfect hit

Thanks to Jesse Bernad, these two sports involving mitts, shortstops, bats, ground balls, and a playing field called a diamond—is back. A star pitcher at the UP Cebu College, Jesse opened “Fastball Batting Cages” at the Aboitiz Sports Field (at the reclamation area, beside Makro) last November to fulfill his lifelong goal of constructing a “Field of Dreams.” Since then, hundreds have trooped to swing, to throw and to score homeruns in a real softball game on a real baseball diamond.

Two days ago, Jesse sent an email. Tackling the WBC, the state of the game in Cebu and his plans for summer, here’s Mr. Bernad:

Baseball and Softball photos

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Cebu Marathon 2010

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It’s all set and running! Scheduled during the nice-sounding date of 01-10-10—that’s Jan. 10, 2010—is a grand event that’s long-time coming: THE CEBU MARATHON. By “marathon,” I mean the full 42 kms. (For some, any run, even a 5K Fun Run, is, at times, called a marathon.) Why the early announcement? Because covering 42,195 meters by foot is laborious, effortful and takes time. Organized by the Cebu Executive Runners Club headed by president Jesse Taborada, this is a spectacle that runners ought to join.

Nimrod Quiñones

Congratulations to one of my closest friends in sports: Nimrod Lebumfacil Quiñones. The Managing Editor of The Freeman, Nimrod’s heart, bloodline and brain cells are all wired to utter one word, “sports.”

Last week, NLQ celebrated his 20th year in sports-writing, a feat that nobody in Cebu can surpass—and very few, I’m sure, nationwide, can match. In our Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC) Yahoo e-groups two days ago, Nimrod was deluged with congratulatory emails from his fellow writers. The reason? Almost all of us can trace our beginnings to Nimrod.

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Nimrod (with camera) with Ed Hayco, Marian Baring and Goldie Lebumfacil

Tonio Aboitiz asks: Swim 6.4 kms.

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Mention the name “Marathon” and what definition comes to mind? Long-distance road-running that stretches as far as 42 kms., right? Right. Well, there’s another type of marathon that you probably haven’t heard of. This time, it’s not on the asphalted road—but on this vast God-given resource that occupies 71 percent of the earth’s surface: Water.

“Open sea marathon” is its name and, in our country of 7,107 islands, it’s the only event that exists—and it’s right here in Cebu.

Jose Antonio Aboitiz, a member of Cebu’s most respected business family, started this project last year. The 2nd Olango Challenge, it’s called, and yes, at first thought, it’s an intimidating mission: to swim, amidst the open waters along Mactan, the distance of 6,400 meters.