INES SANTIAGO and Ronald Molit took the challenge of the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona in Hawaii head on and made the Philippines proud of their accomplishments.
It’s close to unimaginable to see a former couch potato to excel in the enduring Ironman race that includes swimming, cycling and running over 140.6 miles.
“I used to be a couch potato and I wasn’t active at all,” she said. “I was just looking for an outlet to release stress.”
She took up running in 2012 and then added swimming and biking to her exercise regimen.
She has been joining triathlons since 2014 and has competed four times in Ironman—locally as the overall female champion at the Megaworld Ironman 70.3 in Cebu and at the Century Tuna Ironman Philippines this year.
Molit, on the other hand, took to sports to avoid getting fat.
“I wanted to find something to stay active because I was gaining weight,” Molit said. “I started running, and since I’ve been a swimmer since I was in the fourth grade, I figured triathlon is something I would love.”
He’s been a triathlete since 2010 and has completed the Ironman seven times—he’s the sixth Filipino finisher at the world championship Hawaii and he executed the fastest swim split among the country’s contingent.
Molit is also the founder of FIT PH, one of the biggest triathlon clubs in the Philippines
Santiago and Molit, both accomplished endurance athletes, stress the importance of proper nutrition and have become brand ambassadors of Herbalife Nutrition, a global nutrition company committed to helping people lead a healthy, active lifestyle supported by good nutrition.
“The nutritional supplements we get from Herbalife Nutrition help a lot. As a woman, calcium is important after the stress I put into my body,” Santiago said. “Luckily, there are a lot of Herbalife Nutrition products that help me in my sports journey to rebuild and recover.”
Molit said his bones and mucles need the most nutrition.
“Herbalife Nutrition’s supplements keep our bones and muscles healthy especially during recovery days,” he said. “The nutrition and support from Herbalife Nutrition give me the motivation to finish and win.”