Saipan Tribune Thursday, April 01, 2010

Last month's 2010 Tagaman Triathlon had a very competitive field with the presence of Korean triathletes, particularly the members of JET.

JET, which means Jung's Elite Triathletes, had eight members competing in the on-road race and gave the likes of XTERRA champions Renata Bucher, Sam Gardner, and Mike Vine a run for their money.

JET's Dan Bi Hong, who is incidentally a member of the Korean national triathlon team, stunned the favorites in the women's division, finishing first and ahead of Bucher, American pro Shonny Vanlandingham, and home favorite Mieko Carey.

“You should have seen how these Koreans swim fast, fly in the bike, and run with still a lot of energy,” Bucher said after finishing only third behind Hong.

Most of triathlon fans on Saipan were expecting Bucher to cross the finish line at the American Memorial Park first again, as the Swiss had already won XTERRA Saipan. However, a new face emerged at the finish line in Hong, who was bout four minutes ahead of Bucher.

Hong was joined by teammate Won Jeong Choi in the Top 6 in the women's pro division. The group also include Vanlandingham (second), Carey (fourth), and United Kingdom's Emma Ruth Smith.

In the men's pro division, JET had two bets making it to the Top 6 with Byung Eun Jeon landing in fourth place and Yun Ho Seo finishing sixth.

“The Koreans are very good swimmers. They are strong in the bike leg too and I really had to push myself in the bike race to eat up some time I lost in the swim leg,” said Gardner, who caught up with the Koreans only when he was heading to Marpi.

JET coach Hyung Soo Jung said they were happy to make a good impression in Tagaman and drew praises from pro athletes like Gardner and Bucher.

“We wanted to go out here and be very competitive. It was a good race despite the very hot condition. Our triathletes were able to test their strength against some of the best pros in the world,” said Jung through an interpreter, adding they joined Tagaman to prepare for more races back home.

JET is based in Deajeon, a metropolitan city in the center of South Korea and is the fifth largest city of the country.

Other JET members who joined Tagaman were Hee Jun Kim, Jang Mi Park, Hye Min Kim, and Jo Yeon Kim. Park finished eighth in the women's division and 22nd overall among 85 finishers and Hye Min Kim was 10th in the women's and 28th overall.

“We hope to be back next year and bring more triathletes. It was an honor competing against past champions and frequent participants of Tagaman. The field was very competitive and we're looking for more challenges next year,” Jung said. 

Saipan Tribune Monday, March 29, 2010

For the second straight week, triathletes were in center stage via the 2010 Tagaman Triathlon.

The on-road race drew more than 100 triathletes on and off-island and had United Kingdom's Sam Gardner winning the men's pro event and Korean national triathlon team member Dan Bi Hong ruling the distaff side.

Gardner completed the 2-kilometer swim, 60-km bike, and 15-km run in two hours, 59 minutes, and 23 seconds to beat Canadian's Mike Vine anew and a bunch of young Korean athletes. Hong timed in at 3:20:47 to pull off an upset over American pro Shonny Vanlandingham (3:23:53) and XTERRA Saipan six-time champion Renata Bucher (3:24:36).

The weekend when triathletes toured the island, there were also others sports events held at the various facilities on Saipan.

The 2010 Saipan Little League Baseball had their games at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield and Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield with Ol' Aces and Patriots winning in the Junior League.

In the Major League, Survivors handed the Twins their first loss. Other winners in the Majors were Braves, Falcons, Red Sox, Dragons, Hustlers, and Ol'Aces.

Over at the Oleai Sports Complex Field, NMIF had its men's league. Wild Bill's and K. Seniors kept their records clean after prevailing over Inter Godfather's, 2-1, and K. Juniors, 2-0, respectively, in Week 3. Also winning in the third week of the league was the Tan Holdings against the Young Guns, 3-2.

Still in football, NMIFA has its U14 league at the Hopwood Junior High School Field. Winning their matches in Week 4 were Paire FC-Red, Tan Holdings FC-1, and Matansa in the boys U14 and Paire and Matansa in girls U14.

In the U18 games at the CPA Field, Matansa topped Paire in the girls division, while Paire and MP United prevailed in the boys division.

Other leagues/tournaments on Saipan continued last week with the Shirley's caging having their games at the JP Center Basketball Court, the Chamolinian softball league at the Capital Hill Ballfield and the Saipan Major League at the “Tan Ko” ballfield.

Before the week ends, Olympian Jon Sakovich completed a four-day swim clinic at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool. Sakovich met with Saipan Swim Club swimmers and coaches and several triathletes to share tips and techniques in swimming. He also spoke with parents and students, explaining how to get an athletic scholarship in college. 

xterraplanet.com Press and Media Center

 Saturday, March 13, 2010 

     SAIPAN, CNMI - Saipan's warm, tropical climate is the lure for all athletes at the ninth annual XTERRA Saipan Championship.  The opportunity for early season training leads competitors from all over the XTERRA Planet - Europe, Australia, Japan and the U.S -  to Saipan where temperatures in the mid 80's, cool tropical breeze and the crystal clear Pacific ocean beckon.  And, it is key the success of Switzerland's Renata Bucher and England's Sam Gardner as the pair defended their XTERRA Saipan Championship titles on a hot and steamy day in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on Saturday.

It's the sixth straight Saipan victory for Bucher (pictured), and her 20th career XTERRA championship since winning her first one here back in 2005. Bucher had the fastest bike and run splits and crossed the line in 2:58:19, nearly nine minutes ahead of runner-up Shonny Vanlandingham.

"For me Saipan is special," said Bucher.  "It means a lot - and it is the only one that I wear #1.  I like to come early to pre-ride the course, and get tips from the locals."  She credits the win to her local tipsters, and when asked if she'll be back to compete for a 7th XTERRA Saipan title, she responded, "as long as they have this race, I'll be back."

U.S. mountain bike phenom, Shonny Vanlandingham took second today, an improvement over her inaugural Saipan race in 2009, where she finished third.  She was not in top form coming into the event, but credited Bucher with owning the race. "I saw her in the swim - and that was it", she said.  Early morning rain made the course very slippery.  "It was hard to run, almost like being in a pin ball machine," she said.  "This is XTERRA's most technical course - but if anyone is going to do an XTERRA, it should be this one."

Local pro and reigning XTERRA Japan Champ Mieko Carey finished third, followed by a pair of first-year pros from Great Britain - Emma Smith, the 2008 XTERRA World Champ in the 25-29 division, and Darrelle "Daz" Parker, the reigning XTERRA amateur World Champion.  Smith quit her job as a lawyer in December to race professionally. Both her and Parker are trained by three-time XTERRA World Champion, Julie Dibens.

In the men's race Gardner (pictured) caught and passed Mike Vine (who won the inaugural race here in Saipan in 2002) about halfway through the bike then held off the hard-charging Canadian on the run. His time of 2:34:03 was just 43 seconds better than Vine.

Gardner was clearly the man with the target on his back today.  He beat Vine by almost three minutes last year, and Vine was not going to go down without a fight today.  Gardner, who has been nick named "the rock" for his swimming ability, was the fourth pro man out of the water, and rode well picking off XTERRA newcomer and team mate Michael Hiscott, Aussie Jason Chalker, and finally Vine.

Vine stayed close, but on the back of Mount Tapochau, his bike jammed in the big ring and then his derailleur snapped.  The lead opened up for Gardner, who had the fastest bike split of the day, and came into transition about 2 minutes ahead of Vine.  "I was running scared," said Gardner.  "Mike is a good runner, and the run is the hardest part."  Vine finally saw Gardner on the run about 2 miles from the finish.  "Mike just got closer and closer," said Gardner. 

"This is my favorite race in the world, and victory is a relief," said Gardner.  "There was a lot more pressure coming into this race.  Now I'm looking forward to Tagaman, as I want to win them both - I finished second at Tagaman last year."

Jason Chalker (the 2003 Saipan Champ) came in third despite a hard crash on the bike that left a sizeable gash in his arm requiring five stitches.  Chalker's crashes in Saipan through the years have been stuff of legend, highlighted by the time a boonie dog jumped in front of his front tire at top speed during the Tagaman road tri years back.  "It never has stopped him from having a great time though," smiled "Kahuna Dave" Nicholas.

Takahiro Ogasawara was fourth and finished in the top five here for the third straight year while Michael Hiscott placed fifth in just his first-ever XTERRA.   Summing up the mood of the day was age grouper Juergen Feherenback of Titisee, Germany, who was honored as the "XTERRA Warrior" award winner in 2009, who said 'You have not done an XTERRA until you have done this one."

The race consisted of a 1.5-kilometer ocean swim, a 30k mountain bike that climbed 1,500 feet to the highest point on the island, and an epic 12k trail run that took participants through heavy jungle and into caves used during World War II and along beautiful white sand beaches (like the one Kevin Carey is running on just before the finish line here).

The race served as an important XTERRA World Championship qualifier, as the top age group athletes in each division (23 athletes in all) earned their place at the start line in Maui by virtue of their performance today.  The top overall amateur male was David Spelger of Guam with a time of 3:20:07 and the top amateur female was Caroline Colonna of New Mexico in 3:35:03.

There was also an XTERRA Sport race comprised of a 750-meter swim, 20km-mountain bike, and 5km trail run. For the second straight year the overall male winner was Kieran Daly, the General Manager at the host hotel - the Pacific Islands Club, while Australian Emma Viotto won the women's race.

Note: Saipan is located in the middle of the Western Pacific Ocean - 1,300 miles south of Tokyo, 1,400 miles east of Manila, 3,200 miles west of Honolulu, and 2,900 miles north of Sydney.

Azure colored water, a powder blue sky, light island breezes, and a sunny 85-degree day greeted an international field of competitors representing eight countries to the ninth annual XTERRA Saipan Championship.  The countries representing were Japan, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, England, Germany, Philippines, and the U.S. (including the territory of Guam, and Commonwealth of Saipan).

The XTERRA Saipan Championship was produced by TAGA, Inc., and sponsored by the Marianas Visitors Authority, Pacific Islands Club, DFS Galleria, Delta Airlines, IT&E Life in Motion, Coca-Cola, Subway, Glimpses Advertising, Foremost, Marpac, and Docomo Pacific.

xterraplanet.com Press and Media Center

Thursday, March 11, 2010

     The undisputed “Crown Jewel” of the XTERRA World Tour will take place for the ninth time Saturday in the middle of the Western Pacific Ocean.  XTERRA President Janet Clark and the managing director of XTERRA “Kahuna Dave” Nicholas are on-site at XTERRA Saipan, basking in the sun and saying the place has never been better.

Here is what Clark had to say upon her first day in Paradise…

The night air is warm and a lovely light breeze - folks still in the pool at 10pm.  We just met Alan and Julia from Australia, who are both back for their second year.  They said they came back because they just loved the people and the place.  Said ‘it’s a wonderful holiday in which a triathlon breaks out in the middle of it!’

Renata Bucher looks fit - she came in from San Diego and had been in Chile doing a big mountain bike race.  Luckily she got out before the earthquake hit.  She took one look at the Pacific Islands Club (the host hotel) last night and said "I'm home!"  This race is very special and important to her as the 5x defending champ – and she wants #6!

Mike Vine looks fit too – and he's teaching XTERRA University Camp with Oga-san (Japanese mountain bike phenom Takahiro Ogasawara).  The guy knows how to avoid paying bike fees to airlines - one box of wheels and the frame in a bag.  One of their students (Mr. Yukawa) saw XTERRA Saipan on TV last year and tried XTERRA Japan – so he's thrilled to be racing in his TV inspiration.

G.L. Brown is back, as is XTERRA Warrior award winner Juergen Fehrenbach, XTERRA amateur world champ Daz Parker from England, Carolina Colonna from New Mexico, a bunch of Europeans and a ton of Japanese racers.  The Kahuna is out with his backpack full of stakes, arrows and zip ties, and I'm sure he's in pig heaven!

Dave checked in later in the day and added... “The course and island are dry.  No rain for a while making pounding stakes very difficult.  Everything I have seen today, which is about 80%, says it will be fast.  The island looks more prosperous than in the past few years and new construction is happening around the island.

The Micro Beach start/finish area has been totally re-done.  Those who come here might recall mother nature in the form of the China Sea wanted some of that beach back and erosion actually put the permanent bathrooms hanging out over the beach a few years ago.  All that has been removed, new bathrooms put in about 150 meters away from the beach, the perimeter road removed, new grass and trees and the entire beach line straightened and cleaned up.

Its mid 80's with a nice breeze today.  Perfect racing weather and probably the nicest temperatures we’ve ever had here.