MANILA, Philippines—Not all races are created equal. Celebrity photographer Jun de Leon and his team (RJ Esteban, Liv Esteban, Ed Silva, Jed Santos, Carlos Palma and Leo Castillo) discovered it the hard way.

Some races require more stamina, skill, strategy and guts. This applies not just to race participants, but to photographers covering the event as well. De Leon and his team were “on call” from 4 a.m. till the last athlete crossed the finish line at 6 p.m. They ate their meals while on the run and bathroom breaks had to be accomplished in record time, if at all.

Unlike marathon or cycle race, triathlon requires one to master three separate disciplines: swimming, bicycling and running. Covering this type of race requires well-conceived logistics, truckload of equipment and in some cases, a “wet suit.” It’s the type of race that separates the strong from the weak.

Triathlon is not merely about physical endurance but mental toughness as well.

In fact, just signing up for a triathlon competition, whether it be for the shorter “standard distance” (1,500-m swim, 40-km bike, 10-km run) or the longer “03 distance” (3.8-km swim, 120-km bike to 30-km run—almost Ironman distance), already defines the person as someone willing to undergo some degree of pain.

How far can one push the body before it breaks? How much torture can one handle in a span of two to ten hours?

Ideal opportunity

De Leon’s team chose to shoot the ITU Asian 03 Long Distance Triathlon at Subic Bay Freeport, because it was an ideal opportunity to capture the greatness of the human spirit.

Here they realized that high-tech gear (e.g. Speedo LZR suits, Adidas race flats, Cervelo bikes or Oakley shades) will not help an athlete, especially one who does not respect the distance enough to put in the necessary training time, or who loses focus when things go wrong (e.g. having cramps, equipment malfunction and accidents).

This race is more than about tough conditions (scorching heat, monsoon weather or slippery roads). It’s also not about the competition (friendly rivalry between Fitness First and Polo Tri). The most important is the athlete and his willingness to push his body to its limits.

Every race athlete knows that victory is more than about one’s time record. It’s how you ran the race and what it took to get you there.

The camera does not lie. So minus the script, editing, director and acting, view the images of adrenalin, pain, will power, aching muscles and fighting spirit.

For more info on race results and calendar, visit www.triathlon.org.ph.