Tim Reed Wins Cobra Ironman 70.3 in Cebu, Philippines

By: Ma Cristina P. Lao

On August 2, 2015, about 2,600 triathletes from 52 countries joined Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines 2015, in Cebu, Philippines. The event consists of a 1.9-kilometer swim, a 90-kilometer bike ride, and a 21.1-kilometer run.

SRP Road

The race started at 6AM at the Shangri-La Mactan and expected to finish by noontime. As early as 6AM there were already people lining up and waiting at the San Isidro Road crossing, near the SRP road, which is just a walking distance to where I live.

Under the heat of the piercing sun, everyone was so eager to see who the first triathletes and a few Filipino celebrities to arrive, then at around 7:30 A.M. we can hear the sound of sirens, then come along 5 triathletes on their speeding bikes. The first that I saw has the number 04 on his arms, followed by the other triathletes. I later learned that No. 4 is Peter Jacobs, whose overall rank is the 8th.

Peter Jacobs, 8th Place.

Leading the Race

On the other side of the road, I saw another triathlete in orange, whose number is 08, later became the overall Champion. He is Tim Reed from Australia who finished this triathlon race at 3:46:03 hrs. He is followed by Tim Van Verkel (2nd placer) and Brent McMahon (3rd placer).

Tim Reed, Tim Van Verkel and Brent McMahon won 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Every participant is eyeing to beat Brent McMahon who was the Champion in 2014. This tough triathlete finished at 3rd place this time, at 3:50:23 hrs. 

“Oh man, you’ll bleed from the ears,” said McMahon, who stayed right behind the two bestfriends Tim Reed (1st) and Tim Van Berkel (2nd) in the bike segment only to slow down late in the run leg. “It’s so hot here. Those Tim guys, they’re fast,” according to a report from the Inquirer.net.

Brent McMahon, 3rd Placer

Everyone was also very excited  to see the Filipino hearthrob and actor, Piolo Pascua.

Piolo Pascual

Piercing Sun and Minor Accidents

The weather may look peaceful and sunny in these pictures but in reality it's really piercing hot! I cannot imagine how these triathletes withstood the heat of the sun that day. I saw that a few had some minor injuries, scrapes on the legs and arms. At some point during the race, there were rumors of minor accidents at the Cebu SRP tunnel and somewhere in San Roque, Talisay. I've heard that one participant was brought to Talisay District Hospital. Overall, local newspapers reported the next day that the race was still successful with no major injuries brought by major accidents. 

 

Check out other bicyclists here:

Congratulations to the top 10 triathletes as follows:

OVERALL RANK: 1

Tim Reed, No. 8

Country: Australia

Swim: 22:57

Bike   2:03:21

Run    1:16:35

Overall  3:46:03

OVERALL RANK: 2

Tim Van Berkel, No. 6

Country: Australia

Tim Van Berkel

Swim: 22:58

Bike   2:03:15

Run    1:16:42

Overall  3:46:05

OVERALL RANK: 3

Country: Canada

Brent McMahon, No. 1

Swim: 22:51

Bike   2:03:17

Run    1:21:01

Overall 3:50:23

OVERALL RANK: 4

Mitch Robins, No. 16

Country: Australia

Swim: 22:58

Bike   2:08:05

Run    1:21:00

Overall  3:55:20

OVERALL RANK: 5

Craig Alexander, No. 3

Country: Australia

Swim: 23:01

Bike   2:07:53

Run    1:22:50

Overall  3:57:11

OVERALL RANK: 6

Luke McKenzie, No. 5

Country: Australia

Swim: 23:00

Bike   2:05:47

Run    1:25:26

Overall  3:57:45

OVERALL RANK: 7

Team, Rdak-C, No. 3117

Country: Philippines

Swim: 25:58

Bike   2:15:22

Run    1:12:40

Overall  3:58:20

OVERALL RANK: 8

Peter Jacobs, No. 4

Country: Australia

Swim: 22:56

Bike   2:08:04

Run    1:24:11

Overall  3:58:51

OVERALL RANK: 9

Sam Betten, No. 2

Swim: 21:51

Bike   2:08:58

Run    1:27:10

Overall  4:01:23

OVERALL RANK: 10

TEAM LA EUROPA: No. 3128

Swim: 25:50

Bike   2:16:00

Run    1:24:31

Overall  4:10:29

Now Ranked 29 on Elance Under Admin Support

As of June 2015, my rank jumped to 29 under Admin Support category out of 11,339 companies worldwide. 

Thank you Elance for given me the opportunity to help clients worldwide and offer them my expertise in data entry, email list building/marketing and web research. This only shows that I work with passion and dedication in every project that I undertake. 

I thank my clients from different parts of this world, for given me the opportunity to work with them, it's always a pleasure working for each one of you no matter how small or big the project is. With almost 50% repeat rate, I'll will try my best to make you happy with my work.

Vanessa Jay's Inspirational Quotes..

How I Got Started as a Freelancer

Written By: Ma Cristina Lao an Elancer

Do you think you have the qualities of becoming a freelancer? Well… let me rephrase, Do you think you have the qualities of becoming a successful freelancer? Are you patient, fast, accurate, detail oriented and a good communicator? Do you have basic computer skills? Do you have good research skills? Do you have any writing experience?

In freelancing, the greatest challenge is how to manage your time. Expect to work longer hours as long as 10-20 hrs or more per day.  Can a freelancer manage 4 tasks or more at the same time? Yes, that is possible. If the work load is too much to handle then hire team members who are capable of the job. Never send files without reviewing your team's work. Remember, speed, quality and good communication is the secret to successful freelancing.

Before getting started, here’s what you need to do:

1. Do your research and find out the best freelance sites you can find online.  Once you have the list, choose a freelance site that suits you. There are freelance sites that need registration and monthly fees while a few of them are free.

2. You should have a visa card, ATM or bank account in order to get paid. You can register your account details after you have registered in any of the freelance sites.

* For Filipino’s, it's best to apply for the EON CyberAccount, which is an Unionbank’s internet-based deposit account. It would only cost 300 pesos and only takes one week to get your new card.

 2. Build a complete profile. If you have any related computer experience and good at it, focus on that skill. Think harder. Write as many skills as you can in order to catch potential clients.

 3. Show a clean and impressive sample portfolio of your previous projects. It can be from your previous jobs.

4. Once you are done with the above steps, then you are set to bid for jobs. Remember the first 1-2 months are the most difficult time to get hired. The first client is the most difficult one to win because you are just starting and there are so many freelancers who have already proved their potentials, so be patient.

5. Some freelance sites require as many as 20 job bids/applications per week. Bid for 20 jobs per week. Some clients give chances to beginners as long as a bidding freelancer can prove that they deserve the job. So send a unique job application. Be clear, specific and tell clients what they should expect of you and the project that you are applying for.

6. Don’t bid too low or too high. Check the average rates for your skill (ex. Programming, admin support, Writing, data entry, researcher, etc.) and always offer reasonable rates.

7. Some clients may pay you and other freelancers for a trial job. Read their instruction clearly and do exactly as told. However, if something is not clear with you, always ask questions.

8. For your first project, finish it as soon as possible, as accurately as you can, in order to get your first perfect 5 Star rating and a continuous working relationship with your client.

So are you set to go? Good luck J

Now ranked #34 on Elance!

Posted by Ma. Cristina Lao on May 2, 2015

I had been active on Elance.com since February 2013 and am thrilled to know that my rank has jumped from 55th in 2014 to 34th in May of 2015, out of 11,289 worldwide companies in the Admin Support category. I was not expecting this as there are really many tough freelancers from the Philippines and other countries.

Screen capture from Elance.com shows Ma Cristina Lao #34 ranking in Admin Support category.

Elance states:

Freelancers earn points based on their activity, Client satisfaction and achievements on Elance. Points from My Stats are used to determine a Freelancer's Level on Elance and position in default search results.

Elance Levels represent achievements and activity as a Freelancer on Elance. Higher levels indicate greater activity, earnings and customer satisfaction. All Freelancers start at Level 1 and move up to higher Levels as they gain experience and deliver positive outcomes on their jobs.

Thanks, Elance! My main goal is to offer quick and quality service to all clients worldwide and becoming one of the top companies under Admin Support is very inspiring and a big bonus.

Client Feedbacks:

“Tina is one of the most efficient workers I've ever worked with on Elance. She was given a fairly tedious task and was able to meet a fairly tight deadline with AWESOME communication throughout the entire project. She's reliable, honest and comes with a great work ethic. Hire with confidence.”

— bbambao, Canada

“Tinlao came and cleaned up a messy job. Fast. Neat. Smart. Highly recommend!”

— medicalpublishing, USA

“Tina is very meticulous, follows directions, and does fantastic work. I highly recommend hiring her for any kind of research and information based project. ”

— elefevre72, USA

“Great to work with. I'd hire her again in a second.”

— tunzatoto, United Kingdom

For Hire:

If you are in need of Admin Support, please view my Elance Profile and list of services at https://www.elance.com/s/tinlao/.

The Cute, the Brave and the Photogenic

My New Year's Pick: The Mantis, the Spider and the Fly...Catch some cuteness, action and drama along the way...

Hey I'm Mantis..

Hey!

Are you staring at me again?

Watch out for that spider..

Ooohhh...

Felt sorry for the fly...