MediCard holds HMO-powered triathlon
Adrenaline rushing. Sweat dripping. Eyes focused on breaking the record that waits at the track’s end. This is the goal shared by the racers who participated in the recently concluded MediCard Sprint Tri 2019 last Nov. 10 at the Fontana Leisure Club in Clark, Pampanga.
The event is the first HMO-powered triathlon in the country, which offered two options: the sprint and relay modes, meaning participants may take on the obstacles either as a sole soldier or as a group of two to four. The two modes both start with a 600m swim in the water park’s olympic size pool. Triathletes then covered a 20k bike course around Clark’s grounds. The race finished with a 5k run on the rolling paths of the resort.
With the official time 1:08:46, the sprint triathlon was dominated by teenager Richard Anson Navo of Team THE NEXT STEP TRI. He clocked in eight minutes and 49 seconds in swimming, 36 minutes and 56 seconds in biking, and 21 minutes and 14 seconds in running. At the end’s race, Navo stood atop the racers who participated in the event.
On the other hand, the relay mode was domineered by Team Ang. Participated by Levy, Grace, and Levy Ang, the team led their fellow competitors across the obstacles of the triathlon with eight minutes and 38 seconds in swimming, 38 minutes and 24 seconds in biking, and 28 minutes and 11 seconds in running. The entire team’s official time ran for one hour 18 minutes and 21 seconds.
MediCard’s president Dr. Nicky Montoya and chief operating officer Atty. Jon S. Montoya also graced the event.
An unending rAce
MediCard has always been one of the front-runners when it comes to providing for the medical needs of the Filipino people. To ensure that every Filipino has access to healthcare is the unending race that they are in, and this triathlon is one of the company’s many initiatives that advocates for the betterment of one’s health.
Medicard started back in 2018 with the goal of addressing the glaring rate of deaths in the Philippines. Two of the main causes of which are lung and heart related ailments, and triathlons run a full-body workout for those daring enough to participate.
Triathlons strengthen all the muscle groups in the body: swimming tones the upper body while cycling and running strengthens the lower body’s make-up.
The combination of the three legs in the race, when practiced regularly, helps chisel the physique of any individual as it burns excess fat and tissues by putting the body through a routine. Based on studies, it also helps lower blood pressure, prevents diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses, cancer, bone-related ailments, and obesity.
It has also been noted that regular triathletes, have healthier hearts and have a heart rate that is 17 percent below the average. Because of the training, their hearts have adapted to the strains of training that the effort required when faced with grueling errands.
According to the participants, they felt a dramatic change in their health, productivity, and overall performance when they started participating in triathlons. It is as though they have become “a decade younger” because of the relief they get whenever they finish a course.