Piolo Pascual is set to test the limits of his endurance at this year's Ironman triathlon.

Any follower of the local entertainment scene knows that Piolo Pascual made a name for himself playing nice – whether in romantic movies aimed at the teen set, or on TV soaps geared towards the masa.

But the past year has seen Piolo pushing against the boy-next-door persona that he has been known for, venturing into the roles of film producer and runner.

This year he takes what could be the most extreme step in this transformation as he participates in the relay division of the Ironman competition in Camarine Sur this Sunday, Aug. 22. A gruelling 70.3 kilometer triathlon that involves swimming, biking, and running, the Ironman is certainly not for the fainthearted.

Piolo, of course, acts as if this is something to get excited about. The Ironman, after all, is more than an extreme race for the actor – it is the chance to escape to the extreme opposite of his showbiz life.

“It’s a different high, a different feeling, to be there as an athlete. At least you’re not there to be an artista, but just like any of them,” he says.

When Piolo first got into running at last year’s Timex Run, becoming part of a triathlon wasn’t exactly part of the plan. However, his mind was set by the time he crossed the finish line.

“After running, I got bored. I got into triathlons,” he says with a laugh. “A lot of people are into running now, and I wanted to do something different. Triathlons are more challenging, it’s more fun, you get to push yourself even more.”

Piolo is certainly pushing himself, as he has been preparing for this triathlon in between tapings which often leaves him with very little time to train for something as strenuous a sporting event as this. “It’s the hardest thing, it’s a struggle to schedule because you need rest, you need time to prepare yourself, you need an hour a day to train,” he says. “I work 18 hours in a day for tapings. It’s exhausting physically, and sometimes I can only train when I’m not taping. So I try to squeeze it in.”

People with less extreme schedules would have given up, but Piolo is relishing the extra challenge that balancing work and play brings.

“It’s really a matter of proper time management. But I enjoy doing it because I’m not forced to do it. It’s a breather for me, from work, from the busy schedule,” he says. “When I’m running I’m more like myself and I’m more relaxed. It’s a different high. I’m tired but I’m pumped.”

The real Piolo

For those itching to see a glimpse of him when he’s not playing a role, Piolo says it is best to see him during a run.

“This is really me. It’s a personal thing, it’s a passion, nobody’s forcing me to do this,” he says. “It’s a personal will and it’s my urge to do something different, exciting and challenging. I’m doing it because I want to do it.”

For now, Piolo has set his sights towards pushing the boundaries of him being an athlete. Aside from the Ironman triathlon, Piolo has already signed up for another international triathlon and is eagerly looking forward to the next Timex run, sometime this year.

“Nakakatuwa because I can do what I enjoy and at the same time I can invite people to live a healthy lifestyle. Last year, I did 10k, I’m doing 21k in CamSur. Hopefully I get to do 32k and then a full marathon next year,” he reveals.

And even if he hasn’t crossed this year’s finish line yet, Piolo is already looking forward to participating in next year’s Ironman – all by himself.

“I want to train for the individual category for next year’s Ironman. I’m so excited for that because I never thought I’d do a multisport,” he declares. “I want to do international marathons and triathlons. It gets harder by the day but when you’re able to conquer something, tataasan mo ulit. You want to be able to do something even harder.”