Guamanians tell tales from XTERRA trail

In the hours and days that followed Saturday’s XTERRA Saipan Championship, triathletes from all over the planet have exchanged stories, from the strenuous swim and the rigorous ride, to unrivaled run course that challenged every step of the way until they reached the finish line at the American Memorial Park.

Whether they were from Japan, South Korea, China, Russia, Estonia, Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico, Singapore, France, Guam, Saipan, or the United States, each of the multi-sport mavens had something that stood out during their journey along the 1.5-kilometer ocean swim, 30-km mountain bike, and the XTERRA Series’ 12-km signature trail run.

Some of the folks closest to the CNMI recently took some time to share some of their thoughts about the epic race with the Saipan Tribune as Guamanians Art “Sharky” Guerrero, Roland Dela Cruz, and Tom Mendiola relived their experiences before flying back home.

Guerrero is a veteran of the Guam Triathlon Federation’s competitive scene and has raced in each of the five XTERRA events held on Saipan. He said that this year’s edition was the most difficult of them all.

“It was actually harder. The swim was harder—I think everyone would agree with me on that one, and it’s just hot this year also. I guess the heat had a lot to do with it. It’s just tough,” he said.

Guerrero said that he wanted to place first in his division, but his time of 3:33:37 was good enough for second and just seven minutes shy of Korea’s Sang Young Lee. Sharky said that his most memorable moment of the course was the competition between himself and one of Guam’s rising stars.

“The battle between me and Keenan [Tydingco]—we just kept on pushing each other. He’s our youngest athlete from Guam in the XTERRA, and he’s got a lot of potential. I really give it to him—he’s tough,” he said.

While he hasn’t made the decision yet, Sharky said that his next challenge will most likely be the Rock N’ Roll Marathon in San Diego with Dela Cruz and Mendiola.

Dela Cruz is a relative newcomer to multi-sport and doesn’t sport Guerrero’s flashy resume. In fact, the veteran runner only picked up swimming a year and a half ago after hooking up with the guys from the Guam Triathlon Federation. In his first outing on the Saipan course he quickly learned that the distances on paper are deceiving.

“This was grueling. I’ve done three marathons and this was like the worst thing I’ve ever done. I’ve even done the Death Valley Marathon through the desert but this was way more grueling,” he said.

Despite his rough go of things on the course, Dela Cruz reached the finish line 4:41:25 after he started and said that he would still recommend for people to get out there and try the XTERRA Saipan Championship—so long as they prepare themselves for the challenge that awaits them in the Marianas.

“I would tell them to try it but I would tell them to train for it. This is really demanding,” he said.

Mendiola fared better on the course with sub-four hour time of 3:58:32 in his second outing on the full course and, while the swim was difficult and the heat intense, he said that he was happy to beat his personal best by two minutes.

“It was just really hot out there this time around and the water was much rougher than last year. The bike was okay but it was a little hotter so my bike time was a little slower this time around. I was feeling flat out there and just wanted to get through it—just get the bike done and get on the run. It’s kind of like crazy. You have to try not to fall and slip. It’s good,” he said.

When asked about his most memorable moment on the course, Mendiola was quick to respond that it was the overall experience with good friends and a good challenge.

“Knowing I did the event with a bunch of close friends of mine—I’m never going to forget it. The actual event is really good—I’ll tell my kids about it and hopefully in the future they will still have it. Finishing off the day and knowing that maybe you have a bad day and a bad race, but knowing you finished, that’s the whole part right there,” he said.