AFTER months of rigorous training, Filipino triathlete and cancer survivor Luisito "Louie" Sangalang II said he is now ready to place the country's flag at the North Pole as he joins the FWD North Pole Marathon this April.
During the send-off party for Sangalang last Thursday, March 22, at the Bonifacio Technology Center in Taguig, he shared his experiences during his training with triathlon coach Ani De Leon-Brown and mountaineer Romy Garduce.
The Filipino flag-bearer said he joined various local marathons to keep his body in shape.
To prepare for the cold weather in the Arctic region, he trained inside an industrial freezer with a temperature of negative 30 degrees Centigrade, mimicking the temperature at the North Pole.
Aside from De Leon-Brown and Garduce, other members of the five-member squad who helped Sangalang in his training are Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, her son Benjamin and host-commedian Sam YG.
Other FWD-sponsored runners who will run the race to represent their respective countries are Gi Ka Min, a professional runner and running coach from Hongkong; Chik Wing Keung, Andy, the first Hongkonger to finish seven full marathon in seven days; and Leung Siu Wai, Gary, the first visualy impaired runner to finish a run around Taiwan in 19 days.
Marathoners Fedi Fianto from Indonesia, Kyo Satani and model Izu from Japan, among others will also be joining the race sponsored by FWD Life Insurance Corporation.
Sangalang said he will try his best to finish the April 9 race.
"I wanted to kind of prove to myself, not to other people, that I can do better," he said.
FWD Life Philippines president and chief executive Peter Grimes said Sangalang's resilience in overcoming different challenges, cancer for one, made him the perfect choice to represent the country in the marathon.
"Louie's insipiring story of being a cancer survivor and his passion for fitness, which he uses to inspire Filipinos to live an active lifestyle, also best represent what FWD stands for: embracing the opportunities in your life without hesitation," Grimes said.
Sangalang and the other marathoners will arrive at Svalbard, Norway on April 6.
There, they will run to accustom themselves to the cold weather and practice on the snow before they fly together to the North Pole race camp. (SunStar Philippines)