“I can say that triathlon changed me. From a person who have lots of vices, I decided to have a healthier lifestyle. What happened to my grandmother, was a wake-up call for me to take care of my body not only for myself but for my family. Living an active lifestyle gives me the ability to support my family in every way. They say triathlon is an expensive sport. I would say yes considering the registration fee of races and of course, the cost of the bikes, but since I started triathlon, I can save more compared to spending my money on going out every night and joining parties.”
Way back in College, Jermyn Batario was not really into fitness and admits to have an unhealthy lifestyle. Yes, he was hitting the gym from time to time, but he wasn’t really making a habit of it. He still smokes, drink too much alcohol and often times take illegal drugs.
He graduated College, but instead of changing his lifestyle, since he was earning his own money, it became worse – more parties and more drinks to consume. He thought everything was doing great, he was enjoying and making the most out of his 20’s, until in 2014, her grandmother, who took care of him since birth, had a heart attack which resulted to an Angioplasty procedure. She was confined for nearly 3 weeks. Jermyn saw how his grandmother suffered during this time, and how his father struggled with the finances. He wasn’t able to help since he was a big spender, with all his vices.
He felt useless and angry of himself for being so selfish.
Being the eldest of the three siblings, he thought that he should be the one helping and supporting his father with their ordeal with his grandmother. He saw how his family prayed for his grandmother’s health and for financial help.
Needless to say, this situation strengthen his Faith.
Jermyn spent most of the time in the Chapel to talk to Him, on the day of the procedure, he kneeled down said “Lord, pagalingin nyo lang po si mama, mas magiging mabuti po akong tao”.
With God’s good graces, they received help from family members and friends.
Then, the day of the operation came.
After spending three hours in the operating room, the procedure was a success. As advised by the cardiologist, there are no complications despite his grandmother’s old age. Prayers were answered, and his grandmother is very healthy and strong up to now.
After her grandmother was discharged, Jermyn started to change his lifestyle. He bought a bike to start with, at the same time he and his father bonded through biking. He was constantly working out, reading articles about fitness and aware of his diet. “Sobrang hirap! Minsan mas gusto ko uminom at kumain ng marami. It was really a huge change for me, waking up early is not really my thing.”
After nearly two years of consistent training, he began to ask himself about what’s next for him?
“Yes, pumayat ako, I got rid of my vices, pero what can I do with that? I want to test my body,” he said, so he tried the one activity he hated the most, running.
To his surprise, in 2015, he did his first half marathon, with a time of 2 hrs. 6 mins. And that same year, he finished his 1st full marathon at 4 hrs. 55 secs. He and his family couldn’t believe it. Even his father was very surprised of his accomplishment.
Then one weekend while biking with his father, “Sabi sakin ni Papa, natakbo ka, nagbbike ka, kaya mo kaya mag-triathlon? Nagulat ako sa tanong nya. Sabi ko na lang, ewan ko”.
As a kid, Jermyn was a “water baby”, learned to swim at the age of three. He really loved the water, whether pool or beach. This triggered him to train for triathlon.
The triathlon sport itself compared to other sport is kind of expensive. He can’t afford to still get a coach. So what he did was to train himself. He read numerous articles, training programs and tried it out. He experimented on himself, to which program works for him.
“Triathlon is not only a test of your body but a test of your mind. Trust your training, and if you found the love on the sport, race days will be just a walk in a park.”
In 2016, Jermyn did his 1st triathlon sprint with a time of 1hr 44 mins.
Right now, he is preparing for the Tigasin Triathlon in Pangasinan this May 13-14. It is organized by Trisports Solutions Inc. in partnership with Northern Cement Corporation.
For more information about Trisports, please visit their website www.trisports.ph or their Facebook page facebook.com/tri.sports.solutions
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This story was first published here: LOVE TO TRI, TRI to LOVE