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The Saipan Sports Fest rages on and part two of the PIC Double in Saipan

THIS WEEK: 

The Saipan Sports Fest rages on and part two of the PIC Double in Saipan – The Tagaman triathlon – is set for Saturday.  We’ll preview the tight competition for the Double crown, take a look at Saipan photos, talk Sports Fest, uncover the new Gatorade Endurance Formula, preview the next XTERRA Trail Run, and glance at the XTERRA TV schedule.

SAIPAN PHOTOS:

A collection of Rich Cruse images from the XTERRA Sunset Trail Run and XTERRA Saipan Championship race are online and can be viewed by clicking here (or entering web.mac.com/xterraphoto). Media interested in receiving images from Saipan should email requests to trey@xterraplanet.com.

UPCOMING RACES:

4/1 – XTERRA Miami (North Miami, FL)

4/1 – XTERRA REAL (Granite Bay, CA)

4/21 – XTERRA Arizona Xtreme (Mesa, AZ)

4/21 – XTERRA Belly of the Beast Trail Run (Knoxville, TN)

4/28 – XTERRA Ft. Yargo (Winder, GA)

4/28 – XTERRA Gator Terra (Ruston, LA)

4/29 – XTERRA Castaic (Castaic, CA)

5/20 – XTERRA West Championship (Temecula, CA)

OUT IN THE OCEAN:

In the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands this Saturday, just seven days after the XTERRA Saipan Championship, a host of international professional and amateur athletes will tackle part two of the Pacific Islands Club Double – the Tagaman Triathlon.

The man and woman with the fastest combined XTERRA and Tagaman time will receive $500 and seven free nights accommodation and a complimentary Gold Card (three meals a day in a choice of three restaurants) at the Pacific Islands Club.  The Tagaman competition is a road tri in its 18th year and combines a 2k swim with a 60k bike and 15k run.

Olivier Marceau, the four-time XTERRA Saipan and three-time Tagaman and PIC Double winner, is at an ITU race in Australia in his quest to make it to the Olympics and represent Switzerland for the third time.  In his absence, a magnificent duel has shaped up with the United Kingdom’s Sam Gardner (second at XTERRA) and Australia’s Andrew Noble (third).  Gardner has a two-minute and 52-second lead over Noble, so the Aussie will have to finish at least that much ahead of the Brit to win the Double.  Noble has his sights set on the prize so he can bring his wife – 2002 XTERRA World Champion Candy Angle – here to Saipan with him next year.

On the women’s side Olympian Julie Dibens (second at XTERRA) holds a two-minute and 27-second advantage over Jamie Whitmore (third).  Whitmore won the PIC Double last year (and in 2004).

Mieko Carey of Saipan is in good position to defend her amateur PIC Double title and Courtney Cardenas from California is poised to reclaim the amateur crown he owned in 2004 and 2005.

Here’s a partial list of the international competitors who raced in the full-distance XTERRA Saipan Championship and are signed up to race in the Tagaman on Saturday.  Dozens more who competed in the XTERRA Sport race or as part of a relay team in one or both of the races are also signed up, but not included here.

 
Pro Men                                                XTERRA Time                                             

Sam Gardner, ENGLAND                          2:37:04                          

Andrew Noble, AUSTRALIA                       2:39:56

Jim McConnel, ENGLAND                          2:55:00

Sergey Makarenko, RUSSIA                     3:48:06

 
Amateur Men                                        XTERRA Time

Petr Vejvoda, CZECH REPUBLIC               3:01:35

Courtney Cardenas, CALIFORNIA             3:03:11                          

Paul Chetwynd, JAPAN                             3:37:43

Lewie Tenorio, SAIPAN                             3:39:56

Florian Brag, SAIPAN                               3:41:29

Kevin Carey, SAIPAN                               4:12:40

Nate Hawley, SAIPAN                               4:13:16

Manny Sitchon, SAIPAN                            4:31:56

                  
Pro Women                                          XTERRA Time

Julie Dibens, ENGLAND                            2:48:57

Jamie Whitmore, UNITED STATES             2:51:24

 
Amateur Women                                   XTERRA Time

Mieko Carey, SAIPAN                               3:33:10

Rachel Bandelin, SAIPAN                          4:16:25

Kimiko Hasegawa, SAIPAN                        4:43:06

Sue Knecht, SAIPAN                                 5:45:25

SAIPAN SPORTSFEST:

More than just a race, the XTERRA Saipan Championship and Sports Fest is a weeklong, island-wide adventure with a diverse group of international athletes.  The locals in Saipan go out of their way to treat the visitors to a magnificent time with a thick schedule of activities during the week including beach barbeques, hash runs, paint-ball wars, go-cart racing, bike tours, scenic swims and runs, golf, triathlon and bike clinics.  This year the chants of “I’ll be back, I can’t wait” have been louder than ever.  The XTERRA TV crew is on island and at the events filming all the action – along with Saturday’s Tagaman – for a half-hour feature show to be broadcast in Japan and across the U.S. via national syndication.

GATORADE FINDER:

Gatorade announced this week that it has launched a new online store locator for its Endurance Formula so now participants can find out where to pick it up. It's easy to use: go to www.enduranceformula.com, type in your zip code in the "store locator" section, and a map will be generated with every grocery and specialty store in your area that carries Endurance Formula ready-to-drink or powder mix.   

The Gatorade Endurance Formula (Lemon-Lime flavor) will be served at each aid station along the course at this year’s XTERRA Championship events. Gatorade Endurance Formula is available in 1 Liter ready-to-drink bottles at major grocery stores and 50.2oz powder canisters in specialty stores nationwide.

Gatorade Endurance Formula is a specialized sports drink that contains approximately twice the amount of sodium (200 mg per 8 ounces) of Gatorade Thirst Quencher, along with chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium to help sustain hydration by more fully replacing what is lost in sweat. Gatorade Endurance Formula also contains a 6% carbohydrate solution (14 grams per 8 ounces), just like Gatorade Thirst Quencher, which research shows is optimal to help speed fluid back into the body and fuel working muscles.

BELLY OF THE BEAST:

XTERRA and the Knoxville Track Club have teamed up again to bring exhilarating off-road trail runs to East Tennessee.  The 2005 and 2006 races drew such interest, that for 2007 the club is hosting not one, but three events formatted inside the XTERRA Trail Running Championship Series.  This means that in addition to regional champions being crowned, the top five finishers in each age group will be invited to compete in the XTERRA National Trail Running Championship, held in Lake Tahoe, NV this September.

The series kicks off on Saturday, April 21st with the XTERRA Belly of the Beast Trail Run at 3:00 pm -- a 5-mile trail-running race in Knox County’s Melton Hill Park.

“We’re thrilled that Knox County Parks and Recreation is sponsoring the series with access to their wonderful parks” noted series coordinator Larry Brede.  “Their venues offer incredible scenery, challenging courses, and a great opportunity for the participants to see parts of the county they may want to run in more often”.

At the Belly of the Beast Race -- participants get to scamper through fields, wooded trails, up and down capricious hills, and all over the park. All proceeds from this series benefit the Knoxville Track Club’s Youth Athletics Program (YAP).  The YAP benefits thousands of children every year through outdoor track, indoor track, and cross-country programs from Elementary through High School.

For more information visit www.ktc.org.