Based in Cebu, Philippines, triathlete Khimberly Paquibot has gone from learning to swim and buying her first bike to winning her age group at IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu. We spoke with her about that journey, the pressure of success, and how Unbroken’s natural salmon peptides have become part of her recovery routine, from demanding training days in the heat to feeling fresh on race morning.
“It has been my go-to recovery, actually.”
A first race and a decision to learn
Khimberly’s route into triathlon began with running in 2018. A fun run during her college years gave her a first taste of racing, and she fell in love with it. The following year, college friends needed a runner for their relay team at IRONMAN Cebu. She agreed to take on the 21-kilometre run, without fully appreciating what that distance would demand.
The experience left her wanting to do the whole event herself. There was just one complication: when she signed up for her first triathlon, she did not know how to swim. She did not own a bike either. She used a bonus from work to buy her first road bike, a Ridley Phoenix, and found a swimming coach. Each missing skill became something she could learn.
When COVID interrupted racing and closed pools in Cebu, she continued running and riding indoors. As opportunities to train and compete returned, her commitment grew. So did the circle of people who encouraged her. Looking back, she speaks warmly about those who believed in her before she had the experience to match her ambition.
Even now, she finds it difficult to think of herself as being at the top. Friends may see an accomplished athlete; Khimberly still sees room to grow.
“I’m learning as I go.”
Learning to carry the pressure of success
In 2025, Khimberly won the women’s 25–29 age group at IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu in Cebu, finishing in 5:32:16. That achievement brought a new challenge: success created expectations, and those expectations began to weigh on her. A more recent race in Cebu did not go as she had hoped. She was disappointed, but she also recognised that it was an experience she could learn from.
Her response has been to revisit the foundations. She is putting time into strength training, including squats and deadlifts, and thinking about building muscle for longevity. She wants to regain the mental confidence that allows her to approach training with a belief that she can improve.
In September, she began working with Sebastian Teves, a World Triathlon and IRONMAN-certified triathlon coach and sports physiotherapist who has competed at four IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships and once at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. Khimberly had followed his development as an athlete and respected his international racing experience, but what mattered most was how his approach to training, performance and recovery aligned with her own. Having someone she trusts is part of finding her way forward.
“For me, my greatest competitor is my own self.”
When recovery could no longer keep up
Before that coaching relationship began, Sebastian had already helped Khimberly rethink recovery. During her IRONMAN preparation earlier in the year, she reached a point where the workouts were no longer coming together as she wanted. She felt she needed to catch up on recovery.
After seeing Sebastian’s post about Unbroken, Khimberly looked it up to learn more about the ingredient. Learning about its natural salmon peptides appealed to her: she does not take protein shakes, preferring to get her protein from whole foods, and she is lactose intolerant. A dairy-free product with a natural salmon source felt like a good fit for her approach to nutrition. She began taking Unbroken in May and continued because she felt it was helping.
Her routine reflects the demands of training across several disciplines. A Tuesday can include running intervals, an easy swim and an afternoon lifting session. On those harder days, she sometimes takes Unbroken twice: after her run, then again after lifting or before sleep. When she knows a hard session is waiting the next morning, taking it before bed has become a habit.
“I always make sure I take one before going to bed.”
That bedtime routine matters especially before a race. Khimberly often struggles to sleep the night before an event, usually getting just four to five hours. She tries to get extra sleep in the days beforehand to build a reserve, knowing that the final night can be difficult. Previously, she would feel really tired on race morning. Since adding Unbroken to her routine, she says she feels fresh instead; a difference she particularly noticed at her most recent race.
The race that made her want to keep taking it
One experience in particular stayed with her. Ahead of a race in Panglao, Bohol, Khimberly felt she had not fully recovered from her full-distance race in Subic. She wanted to compete, but she knew she was still carrying fatigue.
She asked Sebastian for advice. At the time, he was someone she turned to for recovery tips rather than her formal coach. He suggested taking two Unbroken tablets before bed. She had not tried that before, but decided to follow his advice.
The next morning, she recalls feeling ready to race. She went on to finish second in her age group. The experience strengthened her confidence in keeping Unbroken in her routine, particularly when events and training demands came close together.
Her recollection of that morning is full of the same enthusiasm that drew her into triathlon in the first place: “Let’s race.” It was a moment when she felt able to approach the start line with confidence despite her concerns the day before.
Natural salmon peptides that fit her approach to food
Her preference for whole foods has remained central to her nutrition. Chicken, beef and lean pork provide her daily protein, while Unbroken has become a convenient addition around training and racing. Its salmon-derived ingredient and dairy-free format fit the way she already likes to eat.
Made from hydrolysed Norwegian salmon, Unbroken provides free-form amino acids and short salmon peptides in a tablet that dissolves in water. The hydrolysis process breaks down the salmon protein into smaller components, creating a convenient format designed to require minimal digestion. For Khimberly, the natural salmon source was a reason to try it and a reason to keep taking it.
“I’m happy actually that it comes from natural peptides.”
She also identifies with the difficulty of eating after a race. Sometimes, she says, she simply does not want food at that point. A drink gives her a practical way to keep her recovery routine going alongside the meals she relies on for her overall nutrition.
An ice cold routine in Cebu’s heat
Training in Cebu means dealing with heat as well as distance and intensity. Khimberly has raced in Singapore too, and speaks candidly about how challenging hot, humid conditions can feel. That environment makes the way she takes her recovery nutrition matter.
Her favourite Unbroken flavour is lemon lime, which she calls “the lime one". She likes to add ice and let it melt into the drink. It is a small detail, but one that helps make the routine enjoyable in the conditions she lives and trains in.
The appeal is practical: a refreshing drink she likes taking, in a format she can repeat. For Khimberly, Unbroken has found a place in the everyday rhythm of training in the heat.
Seeing green on WHOOP
Khimberly also follows her recovery through WHOOP, and she was eager to share what she had been noticing. During the conversation, she pulled up a recovery reading of 97% after taking Unbroken before bed the previous night.
“Every time I take Unbroken, it just turns green, man.”
She speaks positively about taking it at night and describes it as good for her sleep. The green readings have become another part of her experience with the product, alongside the way she feels going into training and races.
The previous week, she also tried going without Unbroken for three days. She says her WHOOP recovery readings moved into the orange range, then returned to green when she started taking it again. According to Khimberly, nothing else in her routine changed during that period. For her, that personal comparison reinforced the difference she felt and gave her another reason to keep Unbroken in her recovery routine.
Becoming better and helping others begin
For all the attention to training and results, Khimberly still remembers why she started. Triathlon was a way to de-stress from work. Over time, it became something she loved deeply, and a way to encourage other people to become active.
She takes pride in seeing friends begin running, swimming, playing tennis or trying pickleball. Their choice of sport matters less to her than the fact that they are moving and doing something for their health. Inspiring that first step feels like a meaningful way to give back.
Her own next steps remain grounded in the same desire to learn. She wants to build strength, recover consistently and become a better version of herself. Unbroken has become part of how she supports that ambition: after a demanding run, at the end of a lifting day, or before bed when another hard session lies ahead.
From signing up without a bike or the ability to swim to learning how to manage the demands of IRONMAN training, Khimberly has built her progress one decision at a time. She is still learning, still asking what she can improve, and still finding reasons to show up again.
