Iloilo Paddlers Club

Congratulations to our age-defying and unstoppable runners at the *Binirayan Ultra Marathon*! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️
Your strength, grit, and fortitude carried you through every mile! We are proud of you!

Champions, Age Category
JUN RAMIREZ - 50km
JEAN ALANAN - 50km

1st Runner Up
LANI LAPASCUA - 50km

Finishers
TROY TIPLAN - 100km

📸: Padayon Atleta Antique

Paddlers support runners too! 💪🏃‍♀️

Join the Decathlon Iloilo Community Run together with Velocity 5000 and get a chance to win awesome running gear — shoes, bags, and more! 🎁👟

Perfect prizes to level up your cross-training! Sign up for Decathlon Membership to secure your raffle entry.

Let’s keep Iloilo’s active community growing! ❤️

Your pace, your team! 🙌

Iloilo Paddlers Club pacers are all set to guide you at Decathlon Iloilo’s FREE Community Run together with Velocity 5000 this Saturday, November 29.

Join us for a fun, safe, and steady morning run with pacers ready at 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00 pace groups.

Click the link below to register:
https://bit.ly/4rhiZqx

Let’s run as one community! 💙❤️🏃

FREE RUN this coming Nov. 29! 🏃‍♂️

Celebrate Decathlon Iloilo’s 1st Anniversary with a Community Run 5K!

Let’s show our support and run as one Iloilo community!

📍 Decathlon, SM City Iloilo
⏰ 5:00 AM
🎉 FREE Registration

See you on the road! ❤️💙

𝘛𝘖𝘎𝘌𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙 𝘞𝘌 𝘗𝘈𝘋𝘋𝘓𝘌, 𝘛𝘖𝘎𝘌𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙 𝘞𝘌 𝘗𝘓𝘈𝘕𝘛 𝘔𝘈𝘕𝘎𝘙𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘚 🌱🪏

Members of the Iloilo Paddlers Club started the morning right with Mother Nature as they took part in the mangrove tree planting activity at Katunggan Park, Leganes yesterday, November 22, 2025.

This activity was facilitated by the Philippine College of Physicians - Western Visayas Chapter, and the ARCPP Western Visayas Chapter with the goal of educating people on the importance of mangroves.

📸: Princess Palmes
✍🏻: Gretchen L. Legara

𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝐼𝓃 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐹𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎 --- 𝒯𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾ñ𝒶 𝐹𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝑅𝑜𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝒯𝓇𝒾𝓊𝓂𝓅𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓉𝓁𝓎 𝐼𝓃 𝐻𝓊𝒶𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓃 𝐼𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓃𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝒟𝓇𝒶𝑔𝑜𝓃 𝐵𝑜𝒶𝓉 𝑅𝒶𝒸𝑒.

A family that paddles together wins together - in the dragon boat and in life.

And this truly was the case for the Traviña family who made waves at the Hualien Pacific International Dragon Boat Competition in Taiwan last October 24-26, 2025.
Composed of Mimilanie, Marks, and their fifteen-year-old daughter Denise, this family of athletes paddled their way to podium wins with their team, Iloilo Paddlers Club, winning 1st place (Minor Final) in the 500-meter Premier Mixed Standard (DB22), and 3rd place (Minor Final) in the 200-meter Premier Mixed Standard (DB22).

“Racing together as a family for the very first time, and on an international stage, was truly a memorable and meaningful experience for us. It wasn’t just about the competition, but about trusting the crew, the coaches, and the entire process that brought us there. There were definitely challenges leading up to the race, especially when it came to balancing work, school, and training. But being in that boat together made all the sacrifices worth it. It felt like an achievement not just individually, but as a family unit—sharing one goal, one rhythm, and one unforgettable milestone. It’s not every day that a family gets to race side by side, so this is something we will forever cherish,” says Mimilanie, or Mimi, as the team fondly calls her.

Meanwhile, Denise beams at such a significant milestone and achievement in her life - “It was such a fun and special experience. Racing with my parents made it feel more meaningful because we were all doing something we love together. I felt proud and happy knowing we got to share that moment as a family, especially in another country,” she shares. “It was also my first time ever traveling to another country, so everything felt so new and exciting. At first, I was super nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, but once the race started, all that nervousness turned into pure excitement. It felt amazing to be part of something that big and to represent our team. I’m really thankful for my coaches who guided and encouraged me, and for my teammates who were always there to support me. We laughed, helped each other, and made so many memories together it made my first international experience truly unforgettable.”

“At first, we were a bit hesitant to let Denise join dragon boating because we knew how demanding the training could be—especially during competition season when practices are held almost daily. Since she has school, she could only train on weekends. But her coaches believed she could do it, and that reassurance helped us take the leap. More importantly, the interest came from Denise herself. She had joined free dragon boat clinics before, and she genuinely enjoyed it. We were happy to support her because we saw that it gave her more than just a sport—it taught her discipline, helped reduce screen time, and allowed her to spend more time outdoors, learning resilience, teamwork, and commitment. It became a healthy balance for her, and seeing her growth made us even more supportive of her journey,” shared Mimi on the beginning of Denise’s dragon boat journey.

When asked what it’s like having athletic and supportive parents, Denise said, “It’s honestly really cool. They understand what it’s like to train and compete, so they always know how to motivate me. Sometimes they can be a bit strict, but I know it’s because they believe in me. I’m really thankful because not everyone has parents who support them like that.”

It’s not all the time that a family pursues and triumphs in the same sport together, thus this feat by the Traviñas is indeed remarkable, and a celebration of family, strength and sportsmanship!

✍🏻 Gretchen L. Legara

Madamo guid nga salamat, Daily Guardian!
We would also like to acknowledge our sponsors Sun Life Golden Aspen, Congressman Michael "Mike" B. Gorriceta Congresswoman Doc Kathy Gorriceta. Special shoutout too to MEDAL Sportswear for our team banner, Bo Parcon x Adworx | Jorge Roxas for our team uniform design. To all our supporters, thank you! 🙏❤️🇵🇭

Iloilo Paddlers claim double win in Hualien international race The Iloilo Paddlers Club made a strong international debut at the Hualien Pacific International Dragon Boat Competition in Taiwan from October 24 to 26, representing the Philippines in their first overseas race.