Posted: February 16, 2005

Triathlon: XTERRA News

The Nissan Xterra USA Championship Series is presented by Paul Mitchell & XTERRA Gear

THIS WEEK: PIC Double champs return to Saipan, Zorrel provides a new feel for XTERRA athletes, ESA honors for the Nissan Xterra SUV and Jamie Whitmore, and a Telly Award for XTERRA Planet TV.

SAIPAN SAIPAN: Star power returns to the tropical island of Saipan this April with triathlon legend Olivier Marceau and XTERRA phenom Jamie Whitmore traveling across the globe to defend their Pacific Islands Club Double crown.

The PIC Double is awarded to the man and woman with the fastest combined XTERRA Saipan and Tagaman times. Winner’s receive $500 cash, and 6-days/5-nights at the PIC.

The XTERRA race starts with a 1.5-kilometer swim in crystal clear waters, follows with a 30k mountain bike ride that traverses island terrain to the top of Mt. Tapotchau (the highest point on the island at 1,545 feet) and finishes with an already legendary 12k run that takes competitors past WWII relics and through secret jungles and caves.

The Tagaman is a road triathlon consisting of a 2k swim, 60k bike on flat roads, and a 15k run along the west coast.

In between the two races (XTERRA Saipan on April 9 and Tagaman on April 16) is a whole slate of fun activities for the family and self-improvement clinics.

2nd Annual SAIPAN SPORTS FEST SCHEDULE of EVENTS (tentative)
4/8 Tank-to-Tank Swim and XTERRA 5K/10K Sunset Scramble, Welcome reception at PIC
4/9 XTERRA Saipan Championship and XTERRA Sport races, Awards dinner party at PIC
4/10 North Island Bike Tour, Post-race beach BBQ
4/11 Tank-to-Tank Swim, Clinic on “How to Prepare”
4/12 Marpi Go-Cart Races, Clinic on “Performing Your Best”
4/13 Tank-to-Tank Swim, Evening Hash Run
4/14 Managaha Island trip, Clinic on “Goal setting and motivation”, Sunset Fishing Cruise
4/15 Tank-to-Tank Swim, Tagaman Pre-race dinner at PIC
4/16 Tagaman Triathlon, post-race awards dinner and costume party
4/17 TagaKids Triathlon, SOPHIA 7K/10K Walk, and post-race BBQ

The Pacific Islands Club will serve as the official hotel for the XTERRA Saipan Championship. Located on the beach, the PIC offers competitors, friends, and family a very special rate of $75 per night plus tax, which includes access to the resort’s extensive facilities, activities and lessons. This resort is made for adventure and boasts a wide range of activities for guests from tennis, beach volleyball, archery, and a golf putting course, to its very own water park featuring a lazy river, and Asia’s only point break wave machine. When making reservations ask for the XTERRA rate. Call: 1-670-234-2042 * Fax: 1-670-234-6592. Email: reservations@picsaipan.com or visit www.pacificislandsclub.com.

TEE-RIFIC DEAL: TEAM Unlimited reached an agreement with Zorrel to become the official t-shirt supplier for the 2005 Nissan Xterra USA Championship Series and the Nissan Xterra World Championship.

“Zorrel’s Dry-Tech technology will assure that every athlete entering a Nissan Xterra Championship race in the U.S. this year will experience the feeling and fit of the ultimate performance tee,” said TEAM Unlimited President Janet Clark. “Zorrel shirts keep athletes exceptionally dry, which is a must for the demanding racing environment we expose them to.”

Zorrel's revolutionary t-shirt combines great looks and the comfort of lustrous combed cotton with unparalleled moisture wicking technology. This shirt is at home in the humid jungles of Saipan and the brisk air at 10,000 feet in Keystone, and all the other places where XTERRA races. That's why they call it: Performance Wear for Anywhere.

Learn more about ZORREL at www.zorrel.com.

SPONSOR PRIDE: To train for and get to an XTERRA race this year, a group of automotive journalists are recommending you take the Xterra.

The Nissan Xterra SUV was recently named the Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year in the under $30,000 category.

“The Xterra had a larger, more functional cargo area, and we loved the new gear basket on the roof that holds a wetsuit outside of the vehicle,” said one judge.

A total of 50 vehicles entered the competition, none a better value than the Xterra. Read the review in the February edition of Competitor Magazine.

The Nissan Xterra is the title sponsor of the Nissan Xterra USA Championship Series and the Nissan Xterra World Championship.

WHITMORE WINS TOO: Earlier this month at the 13th annual Endurance Sports Awards at Sea World in San Diego Jamie Whitmore was named the “Off-road Triathlete of the Year” for the second year in a row. And deservingly so, as the last two season’s “J-Dawg” has won almost everything - XTERRA U.S. Pro Points Series crowns, XTERRA European Tour titles, and more than a dozen championship titles. Whitmore is now XTERRA’s all-time winningest athlete with 21 career victories, and the reigning Nissan Xterra World Champion.

XTERRA PLANET TV TELLY: Episode No. 9 in the nationally syndicated XTERRA Planet TV mini series earned a bronze Telly Award* for production excellence in the Sports TV/Cable program category at the 26th Annual Telly Awards this week.

The half-hour show included several features spotlighting the unique adventure opportunities available in the Silver State of Nevada. It started with kayaking on the Truckee River in Reno’s new whitewater park, followed with snowshoeing in Lake Tahoe’s high country, then took viewers on a land sailing expedition across the desert. Ultimately the show endeared itself to viewers with a mountain bike ride along the Bloody Shins Trail and an expose on the Nissan Xterra USA Championship race.

Another TEAM Unlimited production, Nissan Action Sports, also won a bronze Telly. Over the past 15 years TEAM TV has created more than 215 programs resulting in two national Emmy nominations, three regional Emmy’s, and 26 Telly Awards.

The most recent production featuring the Nissan Xterra World Championship was noted as having the most camera’s (25) ever used for a single-day shoot on Maui.

*Founded in 1978, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions.

MORE XTERRA TV: In other XTERRA TV news, the one-hour Nissan Xterra USA Championship show continues its run in national syndication with airings in these cities this weekend:
City - Date, Time, Station (Affiliation)
Chicago, IL - Feb. 19, 11:30am, WBBM (CBS)
Pittsburgh, PA – Feb. 23, 5:00pm WBGN (IND)
Flint, MI – Feb. 19, 12:00pm WNEM (CBS)
Wausaw, WI – Feb. 20, 12:00pm WSAW (CBS)

XTERRA News is a weekly release designed to provide the media with helpful information regarding XTERRA events and athletes throughout the season..

www.xterraplanet.com.