IT SEEMS like Ironman 70.3 Davao is not just a race for strength and endurance but also for love and commitment.
Triathlete Alvin Suemitsu's Facebook status hinted about his plan, but only a few close friends knew what was going to happen.
A day before the Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao, Suemitsu wrote: "I’m offering tomorrow’s race to the most supportive women in my life, my mother and my soon to be wife."
The "soon to be wife" here is Dabawenya Freah Ramos, an online business owner.
As thousands of participants raced on Sunday, March 25, to meet the challenge of the 1.9K swim, 90K bike and 21K run, Suemitsu took on the life-changing challenge of asking his girl to marry him.
"I just think now is the right time to ask her to marry me," Suemitsu, who works in a B2B company in Japan, shared in a Sun Star Davao interview.
This was Suemitsu's fourth Ironman race.
He is scheduled to fly back to Japan Monday, March 26, and will be back in the country middle of this year for the wedding.
Suemitsu said they plan to set the civil wedding first in June this year and prepare for the church wedding next year of the same month.
The 36-year-old triathlete also said that though they have been in a relationship for only eight months, they feel like they have known each other for a long time.
"I decided to pop the question during the race because I would like to show to her my effort. She is and will always will be my inspiration to put my best in anything and she served as my source of strength for the race," he said.
Ramos, for her part said, she was surprised by the proposal as she was only there to support her boyfriend.
"Actually, I can't explain my feeling but when he asked me I just knew that my answer is yes," the 30-year-old businesswoman shared.
Alvin, a Japanese descendant from Davao who is now working in Japan, met Freah online last year and all because of an inquiry.
Alvin's aunt has a handicraft business while Freah is a business partner in Flowerstop Flower Shop, an online shop selling bouquets and local products.
Having stumbled on this online shop, Alvin inquired if they were interested to carry his aunt's handicraft.
The rest is history, so they say.
They are marking their first year in a relationship this July.
Just before the Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao race, Alvin sought out Sun.Star Davao lifestyle columnist Rudolph Ian Alama, who happens to be their mutual friend, and asked for his help to set up the proposal right at the finish line.
The triathlon is surely a memorable experience for those who participated in this international sports event but for Alvin and Freah, it is more than just a sports event.