FAMILY. Stronger. Passion. Sharing. Hard core.
These are some of the answers given by members of the Ayala Triads after they were asked to describe the Makati City-based running group to which they belong.
Spin.ph visited the Triads during one of their bi-weekly training sessions at the heart of the country’s premier financial center. It had just finished raining 10 minutes past 7 p.m. but there was already an assembly of about 40 people in running garb doing warm-ups at the picturesque Ayala Triangle Gardens.
Current team coach Zaldy Santillan conducts free running clinics at the Ayala Triangle (Tuesdays are for experienced runners while Thursdays was newly opened for beginners). Typically at least 30-40 people train at any given time but the number jumps to the 60-70 range prior to a big race day in the weekend.
The Triads are actually an offshoot of the adiNation of Runners that trained in different locations around Metro Manila in 2010. After adidas ended the sessions in the offseason, the members of the Ayala group decided to continue the training on their own.
“I decided to continue with the training because every year, every month we get beginners ... Sayang if you turn them away. Those who attend hindi na umaalis, tuloy-tuloy na sila,” said a smiling Santillan in his distinctive raspy voice.
Sharing
Part of Santillan’s responsibilities is to plan and implement the training programs. He is also the institutional glue of the Ayala Triads. His day job is with the office of the Albay governor where he is part of the technical staff.
Using his training as alumni of The Bull Runner Dream Marathon, Santillan adopted a holistic and scientific approach. It is also specific - beginners are introduced via the Galloway Program which emphasizes injury-free running while those preparing for a marathon undergo a more rigorous three-month program.
[To view GALLERY, see Ayala Triads not just a community of runners - but more like family]
“We have drills for strengthening, plyometrics and core training,” explained Santillan.
“It’s about sharing experiences. That is the principle behind what we’re doing. Our basis is we encourage every runner to share with our new runners. Runners level up and it’s a sharing of knowledge,” he added. The Thursday sessions are devoted to newbies so they can be properly supervised.
Amazingly, Santillan and his fellow team leaders are doing everything pro bono - there are no membership dues.
“Whoever wants to join just comes here. All we require is for him/ her to sign an attendance sheet for record purposes. We have contributions if there is a gathering. We don’t have sponsors and nobody has offered so far. Okay na din na walang bayad para hindi nagkakagulo, walang pressure. Wala naman silang mapupulot dito aside from the training, getting muscle pains," Santillan said followed by a laugh.
The dedication is not lost on member Gemma Wong, who works in a nearby bank. “The team leaders give a lot of their time and they do this for free. They actually spend a lot of their spare time training. Hindi sila nagsasawa,” she said.
Passion
If there is one common denominator that binds the Triads, it is their love for running. What set them apart are the reasons why they lace up and hit the pavement.
Gia Estrella, one of the two team leaders assisting Santillan, said running built her confidence and endurance, claiming she never expected she could run “that long," having taken part in this year’s Bataan 102 kilometer Death March Run. She also enjoys the opportunity to travel that the running lifestyle afforded, saying she was elated to see a volcano’s perfect cone during the Mayon 360.
Jenna Alcazabas, a perky newcomer who works in a Makati office and joined the Triads last summer, is simply happy with the opportunity to train and to be able to regularly improve her regular 5k fun runs.
“I never thought a group existed that has this passionate people who are into running. I also get to train for free. It means a lot. I chose running because I wanted a healthier lifestyle. My parents have high blood and they're diabetics. I didn’t want to inherit that and I have the tendency to inherit that in my genes."
Stronger
Santillan proudly shares stories of Ayi Avila and other runners who just a year ago were doing 5ks and are now gunning for full marathons.
Avila, one of the younger members, is an asthmatic who will be the first to tell anyone that she is not the athletic type, who regularly joins the clinics partly because of a desire to be healthier but also because of something else.
“There are a lot of ultra runners here. Parang kahit hindi ikaw yung tumakbo, feel mo na achievement mo din 'yun. They share their experiences like their first marathon. Pretty soon you ask yourself, ‘Kaya ko din ba yun ?’ It’s encouraging, it’s inspiring.”
Avila said her first runs were 3 to 5ks but she never expected she would soon be doing 10ks followed by a 21k.
“Ngayon I’m preparing for my first 42k this February. I never imagined doing this but the coaches will push you," she proudly declared.
There is also room for growth for veteran runners as well. Prior to joining the Triads, Rhina Sison had been running for more than a year with three podium finishes under belt. After she joined them the count is currently around 20, crediting the group with her improved performance.
“It’s fulfilling to be able to help your fellow runners and at the same time I’m happy to see their improvement. Learning how to become a better runner is not supposed to be a secret. Kailangan i-share mo siya,” Sison said.
Hard Core
Members who are already attending for about a month find that training with the Triads is not meant to be easy, each of them have to undergo “buwis-buhay” drills that range from core training, strength training, tempo runs and some core exercises.
Surprisingly not all Triad members are runners - there are also mountaineers, hikers and dragon boat paddlers.
Team leader Jaime Bautista, an engineer by day and a weekend dragon boat paddler, said they run rain or shine as part of their training. Beginners run several loops around the Ayala Triangle but the more experienced runners occasionally go to the Rockwell Center (a distance of 8km) or McKinley Hill (16km back) and back.
The Triads are particularly proud of one of their own. Cheryl Bihag, the lone representative of the Philippines to the Grand to Grand, a 273-stage marathon race in the Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona placed 87th in a field of more than 200 runners last September.
From members to recreational runners who join 3k fun runs to ultra runners, the Ayala Triads is a diverse group of age and background but there is no distinction based on what you do at the office and success is measured by how far you’ve pushed yourself from Level 4 (members who have finished 100 mile races) to Level 1 (completing a full marathon).
Joseph Rebolledo, the No. 2 guy in the Philippine office of his Singaporean company said, “There are no professional differences. There are senior management, there are also entry level. This is a free group, there are no collections. We have a very respectable and reputable coach backed up by team leaders. Even with the absence of registration and membership fees, the group is kept intact and bounded by the rules set up by our team leaders.”
Ultra runner Yob Red, who is training for the Antique to Caticlan 100 Miler Race, agrees.
"For me this is an outlet. After a tiring day, a stressful week, the Ayala Triads is an outlet to get rid of stress from work and lahat ng bagay may makakasama ka. Mabagal ka, mabilis ka may kasama ka dito - beginner, intermediate, advanced, mga sira ulo, mga baliw - may makakasama ka."
Family
Despite the hodgepodge nature of the Triads, the members see themselves not as competitors but as a family whose members help each other bring out their potential via their training and shared experiences.
When Karlene Sebastian joined in May 2012 she had no running experience whatsoever. Last February she finished her first full marathon and had her first trail ultra 73k marathon.
The assistant brand manager of Cobra energy drink said the Triads helped her a lot in terms of training but also added a little extra.
“Triads is a running community that won’t treat you as a runner. They will treat you as a family so if you’re a newbie, they will train you from beginning to end. They have programs for specific runners, whether you’re a newbie, a pro, an elite, they have specific training so it helps a lot, especially for those who want an active lifestyle. It also helps us cope with the stress of work.”
Ayi Avila, the future marathoner, considers the group a complete package, from cheerleaders to dispensers of running-related advice.
“They stick with you, thick or thin, rain or shine, for richer or poorer. They’re supportive. You can expect support from your family but in the Ayala Triads kahit hindi mo sila kaano-ano yung support nila solid.”
During ultra marathons, she said Triad members will volunteer to support their fellow runners at every kilometer, providing hydration and hilot.
“We’re volunteers, walang bayad yun! Dadayo pa kami ng Fort, Luzon, Quezon para mag-cheer for our fellow Triads. Some of us who are not running we would be along the race route cheering. When you run with a buddy you wouldn’t notice the distance” she said.
The group’s Facebook page is regularly updated with posts celebrating each of their members’ achievements.
Fulfillment
Santillan, fondly called “Kuya Zalds” by fellow Triads, always asks two questions to new attendees: “What is your goal? Why did you join us?”
He said some would try issuing simple answers: they want to train with others or be part of a running group to which he will respond: “Let me be frank with you, what do you want to achieve in five months? What distance are you aiming for?” To which they will respond by giving Santillan the distance of the race they want to finish.
“So ayun, gagawa na ako ng program based sa training mo. Each one at the start has a program but they will eventually form a group based on their pace," he said.
He explained that being a TBRDM alumni, he was raised under the philosophy of “pay it forward” as a runner and that a good night for him after a Tuesday or Thursday training means seeing runners who are fulfilled.
Santillan said the members would complain the following day: they sweated a lot, the drills were ‘buwis-buhay,' they couldn’t stand. But for him, the fulfillment part of hurting means they did the drills correctly and weren’t injured and that their muscles will recover, eventually learning something that would add to their mileage.
“That is my fulfillment: at the end of the day may natulungan ako, di ba? They came here to have a healthy lifestyle. At least may objective na din - makatapos ng 21k. Some of the people you interviewed were able to finish full marathons because of their training here. The others kasi are scared, and would say, ‘Ang haba ng distance, hindi ko kaya.’
A sentiment that prompts a response from the Ayala Triads coach: “Yes, hindi mo kaya sa ngayon. Give me three months, I can tell you, you can run the 21k. You can finish it. You’ll feel great. Without any injury. Ganun lang.”
This is why they come.
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