MOST OF YOU would probably associate Alaska Milk’s Fred Uytengsu only with the sport of basketball, since he owns the Alaska Aces, one of the oldest and winningest teams in the PBA.

But as a kid, Fred was an age group national swimmer, his name at that time being mentioned in the same breath as some of the country’s most accomplished and popular swimmers, among them incumbent Pasa president Mark Joseph.

For a brief spell, Fred was also once involved in the Pasa.

* * *

I only learned of Fred’s swimming background long after I met him as a young PBA team owner over two decades ago. The US-educated businessman then had just been installed as the head of General Milling, a company his family owned.

He was 24, very bright, highly motivated and aggressive. Of Filipino, Chinese and American descent, Fred was also extremely good-looking in a boyish sort of way.

* * *

Last Thursday during the launching of the Ironman 70.3 Phils., I realized how fast time had flown when Fred mentioned in his speech that he had gotten involved in the sport of triathlon “as a way of dealing with mid-life fitness.”

Mid-life? It seemed like only yesterday when he and close friend Joey Concepcion of Republic Flour Mills were young executives struggling to carve a name for themselves in the business world.

Unlike Fred though, Joey was strictly a basketball man, who also owned a team in the PBA and played the game.

* * *

In his speech, Fred related that he got interested in triathlon, which is made up of swimming, cycling and running, 10 years ago. After competing locally for some years, he started participating in tournaments abroad, among them the Ironman competition which he said is the “Holy Grail” of triathlon, “much like Wimbledon is to tennis.”

“Because I wanted to give local triathletes the same experience I was having abroad, I persuaded the World Triathlon Corporation, owners of the Ironman brand, to hold a race here. After dozens of phone calls and e-mails, I finally convinced them to see what the Philippines could offer.”

Fred took the Ironman people to Davao, Cebu and Subic, but in the end, all agreed to hold the international event in Camarines Sur.

Fred’s determination and persistence paid off.

* * *

“We have three major objectives in staging this event ,” he said. “Firstly, we wanted to create a memorable experience for all triathletes. The Philippines has not been a primary destination for triathlon, yet we have so much to offer. We have great Filipino hospitality and beautiful attractions. We wanted to create sports tourism in the Philippines.”

“Secondly, we want to help develop the sport of triathlon in the country, since it is already one of the fastest-growing sports in the world as people seek healthier lifestyles coupled with the desire to take on greater challenges.”

“And thirdly, we want to stage a world class event. Aside from attracting local triathletes, we already have participants from eight different countries—the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Hong Kong, Singapore and Slovakia—for this big sporting event in August.”