Triathlon: XTERRA Saipan Championship this Saturday

April 12, 2004 – An international field of approximately 150 athletes representing Hong Kong, Switzerland, Spain, Canada, Australia, Korea, France, Guam, and the United States are getting ready for the 3rd annual XTERRA Saipan Championship this Saturday, April 17th.

The field is as diverse in age and skill level as it is in geography. At just 14-years-old Keenan Tydingco from Guam and Hibiki Saito from Japan will be the youngest competitors, while 60-year-old G.L. Brown from Michigan will be the oldest. Similarly, there will be more than a dozen first-time XTERRA competitors racing right alongside some of the world’s greatest athletes, including professionals like two-time XTERRA Saipan, XTERRA Europe, and XTERRA USA champion Jamie Whitmore from California, and Swiss triathlon great Olivier Marceau.

The race starts with a 1.5-kilometer swim in the crystal clear waters fronting Micro Beach, follows with a 30k mountain bike ride that traverses island terrain to the top of Mount Tapotchau (the highest point on the island at 1,545 feet elevation) and finishes with a 12k trail run that takes competitors past World War II relics and through jungles and caves.

In the men’s pro race Marceau, the 2000 ITU World Champion and 7th place finisher at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, will try to steal the Saipan crown from defending champ Jason Chalker of Australia. Joining in the hunt for the men's title and their share of the $15,000 prize purse will be Americans Dominic Gillen, Kaley Parkinson, and Josiah Middaugh. Parkinson placed 6th in Saipan last year, and this will be the first time in Saipan for Gillen (3rd at XTERRA Richmond last year) and Middaugh (6th at the Nissan Xterra World Championship). Don’t count out Taro Shirato, who placed fifth last year, or David Henestrosa, an accomplished Ironman racer from Spain.

On the women’s pro side it’s Whitmore's race to lose. Her victory in Saipan two years ago marked the start of a brilliant XTERRA career - one that now includes back-to-back Nissan Xterra Pro Series titles. In February, Whitmore was recognized as the "Off-Road Triathlete of the Year", and was later named Triathlete Magazine's XTERRA Athlete of the Year and Adventure Sports Magazine female Athlete of the Year. The 27-year-old from Elk Grove, California will be challenging one of Japan's best female triathletes, Yasuko Miyasaki, and a first-time XTERRA competitor from Spain, Ingrid Sala.

The event is a qualifier for the 2004 Nissan Xterra World Championship held in Maui on October 24 - with 33 slots available to the top finishers in each age group. The race will also award points to amateur athletes racing in this year’s Nissan Xterra USA Championship Series.

The XTERRA Saipan Championship is being held in conjunction with the Saipan Sports Fest and PIC Double competition. The Sports Fest runs from April 16 through April 25 and includes a variety of clinics focusing on triathlon preparation, sports nutrition, goal setting, and year-round training. There’s also a Beach Volleyball Tournament, TagaKids Triathlon, and 7k/10k Walk. For the hardcore triathletes the Pacific Islands Club (PIC) Double awards $500, 6-days/5-nights at the PIC, and return airfare for next year from Continental Airlines to the man and woman with the fastest combined XTERRA and Tagaman Triathlon times. Visit xterraplanet.com and tagaman.com for more information.

XTERRA is the world’s premier off-road multisport event and has been described as one part triathlon, one part mountain bike race, and one part “survival of the fittest”. With its white sand beaches, warm water, jungle trails, and secret caves it’s easy to see how the XTERRA Saipan Championship quickly became the “crown jewel” of the XTERRA Global Tour. In 2004 there will be 77 XTERRA races in 12 countries…but none quite like this one!

From: XTERRA News.