Alaska Tri-Aspire Team Launched!

Professional Triathletes Caroline Steffen and Pete Jacobs

The Alaska Tri-Aspire team is a professional triathlon team composed of 2 of the world’s best professional triathlon athletes and 5 Filipino elite development athletes. The Alaska Tri-Aspire team aims to produce legitimate professional athletes who can compete in the 5i50, 70.3 IronMan, XTERRA events and athletes who can represent the Philippines in the Asian Beach Games, Asian Games and Olympic games.

Members of the team are professional athletes Pete Jacobs from Australia who is the 2012 Ironman World Champion and Caroline Steffen from Switzerland who is an ITU World Long Distance Champion and multiple Ironman champion. The Filipino Elite composed of Banjo Norte, Jenny Rose Guerrero, Noemi Galeos, Christine Hipol, Jonard Saim and Juan Carlos Abad will be under Coach Mathieu O’Halloran’s guidance in training to become a world-class team that can represent the country in triathlon races worldwide. The elite team is mainly composed of Filipino athletes because Alaska Milk Corp. wanted to focus on developing and nurturing grassroots talents.

Let us all cheer as the Alaska Tri-Aspire Team proudly wave the Philippine flag at the races they will conquer. Their unrivaled passion, fearless determination and steadfast discipline will bring them closer to monumental victories Filipinos around the world will be proud of.

Meet the Team!

In the Photo (L-R): Christine Hipol, Jenny Guerreo, Coach Matt O’Halloran, Noemi Galeos,Banjo Norte, Jonard Saim & JC Abad

Noemi Galeos

• 24 yrs. Old from General Santos City
• Overall Champion, Women’s Category, 1st Davao Xtrail Triathlon, Davao City, 2014
• 2nd place First Duathlon Koronadal, Koronadal City, South Cotabato, 2014
• Overall Champion, Women’s Category, 1st Tri-Generals Club Race, Sarangani Province, 2013

Christine Hipol

• 21 yrs. Old from Manila
• 1st place in Tri MANILA (March 2014)
• 3rd Female Overall in the Ultimate Tri Ilocos (March 2014)
• 3rd Female Overall in Aquaman 2014
• 3rd place in the Tri NOAH (November 2013)
• UP Women’s Champion in the 75th UAAP Swimming Championships (Sept 2012)
• Team rank in 4th place in the 3rd Asian Waterpolo Cup

Jenny Rose Guerrero

• 28 years old from Manila
• Olympian in the 200m breastroke
• Multiple SEA Games medalist
• 1st Overall Subic Bay NAGT, February 2014
• 2nd Elite Pico De Loro Triathlon, April 2014
• 1st Filipino Elite 5i50 Subic Bay, June 2013
• 2nd Filipino Elite Cebu 70.3, August 2013
• 2nd Filipino Elite 5i50, October 2013

Juan Carlos Abad

• 15 yrs. old from San Juan, La Union
• New and the best swimmer in the team
• 1st 15-16 Tri United 3 Subic Bay (October)
• 4th Overall Tri Noah (November) Can potentially be the Top Junior triathlete in Asia, and the 1st South East Asian to compete at the Olympic Game

Jonard Saim 

• 24 yrs. old from General Santos City
• concurrently on the Philippine National Triathlon Team
• The 2nd best Olympic distance athlete in the country
• 2nd Elite Tri United 1 Subic (March)
• 2nd Elite Candon City (March)
• 3rd Elite Pico De Loro (April)
• 18th Elite Asian Triathlon Champs (May)
• 2nd Elite Philippines National Games (June)
• 2nd Filipino Elite Century Tune 5150 (June)
• 2nd Elite Tri United 2 Laiya (July)
• 5th Filipino Elite Cobra Ironman 70.3 (August)

Banjo Norte

• 20 yrs. old from Cagayan De Oro City
• 2nd Overall Dinagat Island Challenge (May)
• 1st Overall Mantagale Off Road Triathlon (May)
• 1st Filipino Elite Cebu 70.3 (August)
• 2nd Filipino Elite 5i50 Subic Bay (October)
• 1st 18-24 Taiwan 70.3 (November)

Coach Mathieu O’Halloran

• 27 yrs. old from Canada who is currently on sabbatical as a Professional Triathlete to focus on coaching
• Trained at the Canadian Triathlon Center in Victoria, BC as a junior national triathlete for 4 years
• Lived and trained in Kenya in 2007 to learn how Kenyans run
• Became a member of teamTBB in 2007, the world’s premiere triathlon team under the legendary Coach Brett Sutton
• Achieved top 5 performances in 5i50, 70.3, Ironman and ITU Long Distance events around the world
• Country Coach, Alaska teamTBB Philippines: 44 podiums including 21 victories, Top 10 placing at the Asian Junior Championships, 5 Filipino Elite podiums, 2 Filipino Elite crowns
• Coaches athletes from 5 different continents: 5 Kona qualifiers, multiple Ironman, Ironman 70.3 and 5i50 podium finishes