Swiss sweep 2005 XTERRA Saipan

Defending champion and Olympian Olivier Marceau and Renata Bucher made it an all-Swiss celebration yesterday, working past a tough field to take top honors in the 2005 XTERRA Saipan Championships.

Marceau and Japan’s Hideo Fukui were in a neck-and-neck battle for the overall lead, with Fukui leading after the swim and Marceau moving ahead in the early goings of the bike course.

Fukui, however, pedaled back into the lead, only to lose it after taking a wrong turn in the early moments of the run, giving Marceau a golden opportunity to regain the lead.

The defending champion seized the opportunity and after only a couple minutes running together, the Swiss charged ahead and eventually reached a cheering crowd at the finish line at the Micro Beach in a sterling time of 2:33.47, only 27 seconds off his record-setting pace last year.

Marceau was second out of the water, finishing the 1.5-kilometer open water swim in 21:26, just 18 seconds behind Fukui, who headed to the transition point after swimming for 21:08.

Marceau completed the rigorous 30-km bike course in 1:21.35 despite going through mechanical problems, and had more than enough gas left in his tank to flash through the 12-km run course in 50.46.

“It was dryer, still hot and very tough and I enjoyed it,” he said. “I broke my derailer against a tree, so I couldn’t go very fast in the uphill, and Hideo had a very good bike and went away. He got lost on the run, missed an arrow and had to turn back and I caught him and started together again and I was a little bit faster.”

Marceau, who will also see action in this Saturday’s Tagaman, confirmed that he will return next year in hopes of a three-peat.

“I really have a good time on Saipan and I can’t miss it now,” he said.

Fukui finished second in a time of 2:34.48, biking for 1:21.35 and running for 50.46.

Australia’s Jason Chalker, the XTERRA Saipan champion in 2003, placed third overall after pushing for 2:44.13. He posted a time of 23.46 in the swim, 1:26.05 in the bike, and 54.22 in the run.

For her part, Bucher recovered from a little over three-minute deficit to catch three-time XTERRA Saipan champion and reigning XTERRA World champion Jamie Whitmore and held on for the victory in the women’s field.

After coming out of the water at 30:29, or 3:32 behind Whitmore, Bucher hurried through transition and amazingly began to inch her way closer while on the bike.

“I was very happy to start the mountain bike,” Bucher said shortly after taking the women’s crown. “First, I couldn’t find my bike, but for me, the race starts with the mountain bike. I like swimming but I’m not a fast swimmer so I was happy to start the mountain bike and running. I love both.”

Whitmore suffered a crucial setback, catching a bad break when her bike sustained mechanical problems, resulting in Bucher taking the lead and cruising to the finish line, completing her day and shattering the previous record held by Whitmore in a time of 2:51.40. The previous record of 3:04.31 was set last year.

“It feels great, I’m so happy,” Bucher said. “It’s beautiful today to be here. I found such good friends and such nice people.”

Despite losing time because of her bike problems, Whitmore showed just what a warrior she is and why she has found success in the sport, finishing more than a mile of the bike course running alongside her bike.

“The derailer hanger got stuck on a spoke, so I was carrying my bike for a little while and I said ‘I can’t finish this way,’ so I stood, unhook the derailer, and did what I could to get to the finish,” Whitmore said.

She continued to pursue Bucher in the run but the gap was just too much for her to overcome. Whitmore settled for second place with a time of 3:04.45. Despite her setback in the bike, Whitmore still finished just 14 seconds off her pace last year.

“You just go and try not to think of anything and worry about anyone and you just go, and that’s what I did,” Whitmore said. “Everything else was good. It was a very exciting race. I was really into the race and was just stoked that there was just great competition and I got to say I was bummed when that [setback] happened to me because you don’t know how it was going to turn out…and that’s what’s the hardest part, not knowing how it would’ve gone.”

Ingrid Rolles of Hawaii rounded up the top three after storming through the course in 3:20.34. She swam for 28:28, completed the bike in 1:46.16, and capped a respectable finish by clocking the run in 1:05.54.

Marceau and Bucher each earned $2,200 with their win, while Whitmore and Fukui took home $1,700 each. Chalker and Rolles received $1,200 each.

Other pros that took part in the men’s action were Taro Shirato (3:02.22, $800), Yu Yumoto (3:06.15, $600), and Kyosuke Takei (3:07.27, $400).

Women finishers include first-time XTERRA racers Mami Saito (3:23.57, $800) and Misa Nonaka (3:42.26, $600), Yasuko Miyazaki (3:45.56, $400), and Yuko Sasaki (3:57.14, $300).