Testing, conquering own self
AN ATHLETE'S heart is uncompromising. They don't settle for less and they strive for the better each day, if not to defeat their rivals, but to defeat their own selves.
That's what Ritche Ian Solana, 45, wants to prove tomorrow, November 14, when he reaches his 3:00:00 in 42 km goal or sub3 marathon.
“My record shows that I improve my time. But I still can’t reach the sub3 goal. So as the pandemic happen, out of anxiety, I thought about, ‘Covid Marathon,” Solana said in an online interview.
Solana was inspired to join races and marathons when he started being active in boy scouting in 1998. From then on, his active lifestyle continued when he joined the Red Cross Lifeguard and became a rope rescue technician (high-angle).
The father of two shared that because of the hardcore training he experienced he decided to join first in adventure racing, a multisports event which you can swim, bike, run, kayak, navigate, and many more.
Among the adventure racing he joined where he got honors and medals were the 1998 Mt. Apo Eco-Challenge as 3rd placer, 1st Cotabato Adventure race as champion, 2001 Mt. Matutum Climbathon as champion, 2001 Carrera Habagat in Siquijor as 4th overall, and the 2002 Davao City Urban Challenge as champion.
In 2013, at 36 years old, he started joining Ironman and marathons. He continued to train for 70.3 Ironman and for other marathons.
He was able to get multiple podiums in triathlon and got 2nd place in his age-group category in Cebu 70.3 Ironman.
He was also able to qualify and race at the Xterra World Championship in Maui in 2013 for off-road triathlon and run in World Marathon Majors in Tokyo and Berlin in 2016 and 2017, respectively, as well as other big events like Seoul and Osaka marathon the years prior.
And tomorrow, he is ready to reach his goal after six months of training and he has his logistics, the Aguila Outdoors, to thank for.
“Without my logistics, I may not be able to reach this goal. They were my colleagues in Boy Scout, rescue, and outdoor adventures. This event is not just about myself; it is teamwork,” he said.
His running pacers Paul James Zafico and Elmer Bartolo are themselves national champions as well. They are the ones who set the exact pace for Solana so that he maintains his speed to finish the marathon. His biker pacers, meanwhile, are the ones who give them extra fuel while running. They also act as wind blockers. Aside from that, some logistics wait at every specific kilometer for the main fuel and for medical assistance.
Solana’s gun starts at 2 a.m. at the Davao Airport and ends in Tagum with a 42.2-kilometer distance. He is expected to finish at 5 a.m.
For more information and updates on Solana’s dream of achieving the Sub3, check Aguila Outdoors Facebook page.