Ocampo in action in Sibonga. (Contributed by Ervin Ocon)
CEBUANA May Ocampo is like any other mom out there.
This full-time mom works from home, takes good care of her three children, makes sure her house is neat and tidy, and attends to the needs of her hardworking husband 24/7.
But there is more to this 39-year-old mom from Mandaue City than just being a normal mom.
She actually finds time for her passion in enduro biking.
Some may think that’s easy since there are other mothers—not that many though— who also manage to mix work and play.
But enduro isn’t easy. It is a form of mountainbike racing in which there is a number of timed downhill sections of trail, and a number of uphill transfer stages. This sport tests the rider’s technical bike handling skills and endurance.
So how is she able to divide her time between training for the sport and taking care of her family?
According to her, it only takes discipline.
“Being a full-time house mom has its privileges. I’m able to spend a lot of time with the kids at home so I don’t have to sacrifice anything with regards to time being spent with them,” Ocampo said. “Having kids is one of the most wonderful things that can ever happen to a woman. But I believe being a mom doesn’t mean you lose yourself to motherhood. With the right and supportive partner, we can still do what we love and be an awesome mom at the same time.”
Ocampo seems to be doing a pretty good job dividing her time between being a mom and an athlete.
Over the weekend, the Cebu Trail Blazers bet topped the Femino Division of the Chickspoint Enduro Lite Challenge in Candaguit, Sibonga, Cebu organized by Jude Patalinghug and Genesis Canedo. She breached the finish line with a time of 42 minutes and 15 seconds, a minute and 49 seconds ahead of Cebu MTB Adventure’s Joy Guinan, who wound up second by clocking at 44:04.
Ocampo during the awarding. (PHOTO BY ERVIN OCON)
FUN TO DO
Her romance with the sport began three years ago with the help of her husband, Arniel. She noticed that he would go out early in the morning to join trail races and come home with a smile despite the dirt and bruises in his body.
“I’d listen to his stories of how they fell off the cliff, or stumble in the mountain trails. And they laugh about it,” she said. “It seemed very fun to do.”
She said aside from the fun she experiences, the sport has also taught her a lot of things in life.
In some instances, she’d fall and suffer bruises but she would pick herself up and continue riding. Those experiences gave her a sense of determination.
“Every time I fall, I just dust myself up, pick up my bike and push it back to where I’m supposed to go.”
And it’s this determination that helped her raise her three kids—Daniel, 16, Gabrielle, 13 and Raphael, who will be turning 11 in a couple of days—well.
“She’s full of determination and always knows how to comfort us,” said Gabrielle when asked to describe her mom. “She’s a million things at once.”