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The inaugural XTERRA Argentina Championship in Cordoba kicks off the 2007 Global Tour

THIS WEEK: 

The inaugural XTERRA Argentina Championship in Cordoba kicks off the 2007 Global Tour and hometown hero Oscar Galindez will be there to bring it in, plus highlights from the XTERRA Mission Gorge Trail Run and a spotlight on the Commonwealth Diabetes Coalition – the beneficiary for the upcoming Saipan Trail Run.

UPCOMING RACES:

2/17 – XTERRA Argentina Championship (Cordoba)

3/11 – XTERRA Guam (Piti)

3/17 – XTERRA Saipan Championship – The Crown Jewel (Northern Mariana Islands)

SAIPAN PRESS GUIDE: 

A downloadable version of the XTERRA Saipan Press Guide with details on this year’s race, the Saipan Sports Fest and Tagaman triathlon can be found at xterrasaipan.com.

XTERRA ARGENTINA:

Olympian, two-time Ironman Brazil Champion, and Argentinian triathlon legend Oscar Galindez highlights the field at the first-ever XTERRA Argentina in Carlos Paz this Saturday. American stand-out Cam Widoff and Brazilian star Rodrigo Altafini will also make the trip.

The race starts in a small village located in the Córdoba province of Argentina in southern South America.  Cordoba is the second largest city in the country.

The location is a hot spot with visitors spending their summer holidays (December-March) basking in the sun.  The course itself boasts the traditional XTERRA championship distances with a 1.5k swim, 30k mountain bike, and 10k trail run.

“The course starts with a nice swim in the San Roque Lake, warm and generally quiet. The mountain bike is half technical and half not technical at all, in the hills surrounding Carlos Paz, climbing from 700 up to 1,000 meters in a very hilly bike circuit.  While the bike will be tough, the run will be fast, also in the same hills, but not technical at all so the course will have something for everybody´s preference:  mountain bikers will have their technical up and downs, and triathletes will have half of the bike and the run for their revenge!” – said race director Mariano Alvarez.

Professional athletes will be racing for $15,000 in prize money while amateurs compete for one of the 36 qualifying spots into the XTERRA World Championship in Maui.

Candy Angle, the 2002 XTERRA World Champion, was scheduled to race in Argentina but the storm on the East Coast delayed her connecting flight out of Washington D.C. to Buenos Aires and because of all the cancellations she wasn’t able to get a seat on a flight that would arrive in time for the race. 

RUNNING FOR A BETTER LIFE: 

Trail running can be a great escape, a terrific form of exercise, and a path towards physical and emotional well-being for people of all ages.  For those with diabetes or those at-risk, it can mean even more.

According to research studies it is possible to delay or even prevent type 2 diabetes with simple healthy habits over time, such as regular physical activity like a brisk 30-minute walk five times a week.

In Saipan, where roughly 25% of Chamorros – the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands – have diabetes*, promoting a trail run takes on added significance.

This year the Commonwealth Diabetes Coalition - the organization tasked with educating the community on the importance of exercise – is the beneficiary of the XTERRA Sunset Trail Run and Walk on Friday, March 16.

“We are very excited to be involved with this year’s XTERRA and hope to recruit many walkers and runners,” said Tayna Belyeu-Camacho, the Diabetes Prevention & Control Program Manager.  “The exposure will help the CDC in its efforts towards prevention and awareness of diabetes within our community, and our health is worth the effort.”

The Commonwealth Diabetes Coalition (CDC) - in partnership with the Diabetes Prevention & Control Program (DPCP) - was established to improve opportunities, build capacity and enhance wellness benefits for persons with diabetes and those at-risk.  The organization promotes healthy, active lifestyles and educates the community about diabetes.

Considering leading a healthy, active, outdoors lifestyle is at the core of XTERRA’s philosophy, it was a natural fit to join forces with the CDC in Saipan.

“It is our pleasure to be working with Tayna and the CDC and we want to help spread the word that regular physical activity is the best thing for your body, mind, and spirit,” said XTERRA President Janet Clark.

For more information visit www.xterrasaipan.com.

*According to Wikipedia, reference “Chamorros”.

ONE REALLY GOOD RACE IN THE BOOKS: 

The first XTERRA Trail Run of 2007 – the XTERRA Mission Gorge - sold-out (300+) and had a cast of stars among the competitors.  Kate Major, the 2005 Hawaiian Airlines Double Winner (given to the racer with the lowest combined times at the Ironman and XTERRA World Championship races) took top honors in the 15k for the women -winning time of 1:14:49 - and Romualdo Sanchez led the pack from the start to win the men’s race in 1:03:44.

Finishing second for the women was none other than the legendary Paula Newby-Fraser (1:23:02), an eight-time Ironman World Champion.  “One-arm” Willie Stewart and the notoriously funky dude and publisher of Competitor Magazine Bob Babbitt were among some of the other celebrities.  When asked if the race was a challenge, Babbitt replied…

“When you look up XTERRA in the dictionary, there is a guy who looks a lot like Dave Nicholas standing there with a satisfied smile on his face. Why? Because he brought you pain and agony and pushed you to dig deeper than you ever did before. It doesn't matter if it's an off-road triathlon, an off-road run or an off-road bake sale. If the label says XTERRA, be ready to suffer...a lot.”

A portion of the proceeds from the race went towards trail maintenance throughout the park, which suffered a devastating fire in 2003.

Competitors in the 15k accumulated points towards being crowned XTERRA SoCal Series Regional Champion.  When the Series is complete, the top five point-scorers in each age group are invited to compete against each other and top trail runners representing six other U.S. regions for the title of National Champion in Lake Tahoe on September 29.

The next SoCal event is the XTERRA Malibu Creek Challenge Trail run on May 12.