61-year-old takes first crack at triathlon, Ironman 70.3

Ironman aspirant Charles Bronson. Photo by Randolph Leongson

SUBIC – Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Charles Bronson has something to say about that.

The 61-year-old healthcare professional will be participating in his first triathlon race, no less than the Century Tuna Ironman 70.3, in Subic Bay on Sunday.

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“This is my first time joining a triathlon, period,” he said.

Triathlon is known to be a sport for the fittest, but the San Francisco native is willing to take a great leap on his first crack at any race and put his six-week-old knowledge of biking to the test.

“I had to learn and buy a bike. I didn’t know that I know how to ride a bike,” he said sheepishly as fellow participants tried to hear his story.

But aside from the biking, Bronson is no stranger to the other two facets of the sport: swimming and running.

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“I swim regularly. That’s what I do for exercise,” he said. “A couple of years ago, I started trail running in California with all the access to the beautiful spaces and trails.”

“I just wanted to do something that would challenge myself physically, mentally, and spiritually.”

But competing in the Ironman on his first try? Even his family has repeatedly asked him if he is dead serious.

“Everybody thought it was kind of crazy. They wanted to know why I wanted to do it. I said, ‘Why not?’ As you go through life and you get older, you need to create more and more challenges. You need to continue to grow and continue to reach for new horizons,” said Bronson.

And there’s no stopping him, even if he’s in the Philippines alone.

Bronson even set personal goals for him in his racing debut.

“I expect to finish the race in six and a half to seven hours. If I broke six hours, it would be crazy,” he said. The race begins at Acea Beach and ends at Subic Bay Convention Center.

Bronson also invited his fellow seniors to try what he has discovered in going out of his comfort zone.

“Whether you’re doing something crazy like joining the triathlon or figuring out something that you want to do at one point in your life, if you feel it’s right internally, if you feel it in your stomach or in your gut, that means you should try it,” he said. “Always pay attention to your intuition and set your goals as high as you can.”