Tagaman preparations off and running

Representatives of businesses throughout the CNMI met in the conference room of the Marianas Visitors Authority to discuss the details associated with the successful running of next April’s 16th Annual Tagaman Triathlon.

One of the major changes to next year’s event is that the course has been altered to eliminate the turnaround at the Grotto due to the dilapidated condition of the circular drive of the local landmark.

“The road is just not in the proper condition for the athletes to avail of the unique geography. It’s due to the weather, age, but mainly caused by the salt water that comes off the divers when they walk to their car. After a while, that stuff eats away at the road and we just can’t use it next year,” said Taga Inc. vice president Wolf Mojica.

To supplement the loss of the Marpi turn, organizers have opted to use a course that makes use of the southern part of Saipan, by taking the Beach Road south, past the Pacific Islands Club, passing the Coral Ocean Point Golf Resort, continuing along the airport perimeter road to As Perdido Road, to As Teo Road, before making the journey out to Bird Island, Banzai Cliff, and back to the American Memorial Park transition point.

The committee also focused on repairing the potholes on Beach Road that will be made use of by Tagaman, the 2005 Xterra Saipan Championship, and the Sports Fest.

There was plenty of good news as well, as one by one the professionals from last year’s race have been registering for the endurance challenge that the Tagaman offers.

Last year’s men’s champion, Olivier Marceau, will be returning to defend his title from last year, and women’s champion Jamie Whitmore has as well, but the list of pros has grown every year, and a list of new names is in the works.

Letters have been sent out to all of the prior competitors, and others have answered the call of the 2,000-meter swim, 60-kilometer bicycle, and 15km run of this region’s longest running triathlon event, and organizers promised to release more of the high-profile names in the weeks that follow.

A total of 144 racers showed up at the starting line for the multi-sport showcase in 2004, and organizers believe that 2005 will be even better—in part because of the increased homegrown interest.

“We should have even more than the 30 plus local members that showed up last year due to the huge upswell of first-timers this year,” said Northern Marianas Islands Triathlon Federation president Stephan Samoylof.

Organizers also made arrangements for the necessary equipment for the race, to include turnaround buoys for the ocean swim, bike racks for the first transition point, fencing for the American Memorial Park, and the return of volunteers for the medical tent.

The group will next meet to discuss their progress after the holidays, and in February they expect the return of Taga Inc. president Bill Sakovich, who is now based in Hawaii.