Actor David Licauco has long dreamed of representing the Philippines on the international stage—and this time, his platform is fitness.
The Kapuso actor is determined to make Filipinos proud as he dives deeper into competitive fitness, setting his sights on a podium finish in HYROX, an achievement only a handful of Filipino athletes have reached.
"Ang goal ko talaga is makapag-podium finish, like top three in the world," David told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in an exclusive interview.
"Ever since yun naman talaga yung goal ko. Like, super fan kasi ako ng lahat ng mga Filipinos na nag-rerepresent ng Philippines.
"So, in some ways maybe I could represent the Philippines in HYROX , di ba? So, yun. Yun yung goal ko to be top three in the world."
According to the official website of HYROX, it is a "global fitness racing competition that comebines functional strength training with endurance running in a standardized indoor format. It consists of an 8km run (1km split between stations) and 8 functional workout stations, designed for all fitness levels to complete, typically in 60 to 120 minutes."
DAVID LICAUCO'S HYROX JOURNEY
David’s HYROX debut in March 2026 at the HYROX Taipei competition already showed promise. Competing in the Men’s Open division, he clocked the fastest time among Filipino participants at 1:07:48.
He placed 53rd overall out of nearly 2,000 competitors and ranked 19th in the 30–34 age group—an impressive showing for a first-timer.
Read: David Licauco is the fastest Filipino at HYROX Taipei
When asked how his HYROX journey began, David traced it back to early 2026 while preparing for his GMA-7 show Never Say Die, where he stars opposite Jillian Ward.
"Nag-start siya nung nag Never Say Die ako," David recalled.
"Napansin ko na parang ang payat ko masyado. Kasi, medyo nag-stop akong mag-lift ng weights kasi I really wanted sana na bumagay kay Jillian... So, para mas bumata ako.
"Tapos, baliktad yung nangyari. Apparently, if like masyado kang payat, parang mas mukha ka palang matanda. Alam mo yun? So, ako, nagkamali ako doon.
"So, naalala ko lang before na yung workout ko kasi, very intense. Like, puro weights na intense, parang HYROX. Para siyang HYROX."
Seeing himself onscreen eventually made him reassess his fitness routine.
"Sabi ko, 'Oh, shucks! Parang hindi yata bagay sa akin yung sobrang payat,' nung nakita ko nung pag-release ng Never Say Die.
"So I remember, inalala ko lang na, 'Ano nga ba yung look na bagay sa akin? Ah, oo nga pala, yung anong intense yung workouts ko.'"
David admitted that in the past year, he eased up on weight training and focused more on sports and cardio.
He explained: "Kasi medyo nag-relax ako sa working out last year. Parang nag-focus ako sa basketball, ganyan, like cardio.
"Nakalimutan kong mag-weights because tinatamad akong mag-weights, ganyan. So, yun. Nalala ko, 'Oo nga pala, bagay sa akin yung high intensity na workout...'
"Kasi, apparently, napa-flush out niya yung parang lactic acid, I think. So, mas nagiging firm yung face mo kapag high intensity training... na hindi lubog, gets mo, yung face.
"So, kasi if you do too much cardio, yung face mo is medyo magsa-sunken. Gets mo? So, that's what happened to me last year."
Eventually, HYROX entered his radar thanks to his sister, Jean Arianne May Licauco, who is based in Australia and is an avid fan of the sport.
"So, yung sister ko, talaga, sì Jean, addict sa HYROX, so she invited me nung umuwi siya dito noong December, kasi she lives in Australia na.
"Sabi niya sa akin na mag-HYROX daw kami. Sabi ko, 'Sige, why not?'
"Kasi naalala ko nga pala na bagay sa akin high intensity. So, nag-HYROX ako for the goal lang na um-okay yung aesthetic ko din.
"I mean, not to be vain, pero syempre, nasa showbiz ako, e, di ba? So, yun. Hanggang sa tuloy-tuloy na nun sabi ko, 'Wow, actually, saya pala nito.'"
ENTERING COMPETITIONS
Just a few weeks into training, David began receiving invitations to join international HYROX competitions. As his journey progressed, so did his goals.
"People were inviting me na why not mag-compete na ako. Kasi parang malakas daw ako, ganyan. So sabi ko, ‘Why not?’ Di ba?
"I started training seriously tapos, so yun, nag-compete na ako sa Taiwan, na-beat ko yung Philippine record.
"Pero ngayon, na-beat na ulit yung record ko. So, ang goal ko is ma-beat na yung record ulit ng nag-beat sa akin."
Despite the strong showing in Taiwan, David admitted that he wasn’t as prepared as seasoned competitors.
Still, he is already gearing up for two upcoming HYROX competitions—one in the Duos category this May 8 to 10, 2026, in Hong Kong with Vince Maristela, and another one in Jakarta this June.
David shared that his first competition was especially challenging, given that he had no idea what to expect until race day.
"Mahirap talaga, definitely. Pero kasi siyempre first time ko yun gawin. So, maraming mga moments na hindi ko alam yung gagawin ko during the race in Taiwan.
"So I feel like now na I got to experience it, kaya ko talagang mag-top three if I train well."
Balancing training with his taping schedule added another layer of difficulty.
He recalled: "May taping din, may taping din kasi noon. Until now, may taping ako, e.
"So, medyo twice or thrice a week ko na nakapag-HYROX talaga. So now, ganun pa rin naman, e, taping.
"Pero by May, tapos na yung taping namin kaya I can focus on this."
Looking back, David said one key lesson was the importance of tracking performance during the race.
"Wala akong watch. So, hindi ko alam yung time ko running, and I feel like I could still push it, e. Pero siyempre, parang wala kang gauge kasi wala kang watch.
"Feeling ko kung meron akong watch attsaka kung... natapilok din kasi ako sa race... Feeling ko kung di ako natapilok, baka kaya ko mag-Top 20."
TRAINING AND TIPS
For now, David remains focused on training for his upcoming HYROX competitions. Asked about his current routine, he shared how he manages to balance taping days with consistent training.
"Kasi yung HYROX, it’s really a running sport. So, I say two to three times a week. Yun yung parang stations.
"Yung may weights, yung pupunta talaga ko sa actual HYROX gym three times a week.
"Pero every day, I still run. So for example, sa taping, like, kunyari dinner time is 7:00 P.M., kakain ako ng mga 6:00 P.M.
"Bibilisan ko nang kumain para sa dinner break. Habang nasa break sila, I can run.
"So, parang mga ganun. So, hindi naman siya like, ‘Oh, three, three times a week lang.’ It’s every day, every day talaga."
He added that even taping in distant locations doesn’t stop him from sticking to his routine.
"For example, like, o, like yesterday nag-taping kami sa Cavite, sa Evo City. So, nag-run muna ako nung dinner break. Mga ganun lang naman.
"Tapos yung in the morning, I also run bago mag-taping."
When asked for tips he could share with beginners, David emphasized one simple piece of advice: start.
"I understand na it’s intimidating kasi, as you can see, like, sa mga videos, mga clips, parang everybody is intensely working out.
"Pero puwede mo naman i-adjust yung... I mean, parang you can slow down, e. Kahit naman sa race, you can slow down, di ba?"
He added, "Feeling ko, [you] just really have to start."
David also stressed that while HYROX is competitive, it remains a community-driven sport—something he believes makes it even more fulfilling.
"Yung HYROX kasi parang it’s competitive, e. So feeling ko, if you are in that realm, parang mas okay din yung other aspects mo in life.
"Like you, you would always want to be better in other aspects also. ’Cause how you do one thing is how you do everything, di ba? And I believe in that.
"I feel like yung HYROX, di lang naman siya physically makakatulong sa iyo but also mentally.
"And HYROX is a very community-based sport. So, you’ll meet new people, you’ll meet new friends. Lalawak din network mo.
"And, yeah, it’s always nice to talk about sports and talk about, like, I don’t know, like, worldly stuff like mga lalaking bata, pag-uusapan [nila] babae, chicks.
"I feel like it’s really better to, to do HYROX para, ano, man, instead na nonsense yung pinag-uusapan, you, we can talk about sports.”
BENCH FASHION WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2026
PEP caught up with David after his runway stint at Bench’s City Youth show during Bench Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026, staged at One Ayala in Makati City.
The fashion showcase brought together a star-studded lineup, including Andres Muhlach and Atasha Muhlach, Kai Montinola, and Joshua Garcia.
Love teams JM Ibarra and Fyang Smith, as well as Seth Fedelin and Francine Diaz of FranSeth, drew cheers from the crowd with their chemistry-filled runway moments.
Also joining the show were River Joseph, Kelvin Miranda, Rave Victoria, Dustin Yu, and G22 members AJ, Alfea, and Jaz.
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