XTERRA returns to Saipan on April Fool’s

One of the most physically demanding challenges on the planet is returning to one of the harshest climates on the globe as the XTERRA Global Tour kicks off the 2006 season in the land of Taga with the XTERRA Saipan Championship.

The most highly tuned triathletes from all corners of the Earth will descend upon the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands late next month to adjust to the extreme environmental conditions unique to the topics, including two-time returning champion Olivier Marceau of Switzerland.

This year’s race begins on the pristine shores of Micro Beach on April 1 with the 1.5-kilometer ocean swim, where challengers will make their way through two 750-meter laps in the crystal clear waters of the Philippine Sea.

Upon reaching the sand, competitors will make the transition to the unmatched 30-km mountain bike course that offers a unique mixture of rocky terrain, single track descents, and the jaw-clenching 1,540-foot climb to the top of Mount Tapochau.

Those who survive the bike will trade their helmets for trail shoes and put their fitness to the test through dense jungles, bamboo forests, and caves of Saipan during the Global Tour’s signature 12-km trail run.

A quick jaunt through the American Memorial Park quickly fades into a history lesson as runners are whisked back in time when passing the tools of World War II en route to the final stretch down the beach to the famed arch of champions.

With the passing of typhoons and a glut of rain in the past several months, local sages of multisport have surveyed the course and already predicted one of the most difficult races in the event’s history.

Those finishing with the best times qualify for the 2006 Nissan XTERRA World Championship, as a total 34 top triathletes will be awarded entry to Maui’s main event on Sunday, Oct. 29.

The professionals stand to make a sizable gain as well, as the $15,000 XTERRA Saipan Championship purse has attracted some of the world’s finest competitors to Saipan—including three-time XTERRA Saipan, XTERRA Europe, and XTERRA USA champion Jamie Whitmore, who will be back to reclaim the throne from last year’s women’s champion Renata Bucher.

This year there will be more than 100 XTERRA races in 17 countries, but with the perfect balance between beauty and adventure, Saipan remains the “Crown Jewel” of the XTERRA Global Tour.

In addition to the XTERRA Saipan Championship, the tropics offer a second challenge with the PIC Double. After enjoying a week’s worth of activities during the wildly popular the Saipan Sports Fest, triathletes push themselves once again during the 17th Annual Tagaman Triathlon in April 8.

The Sports Fest starts in March 31, and includes a number of training clinics, an evening Hash Run, tank-to-tank swims, XTERRA Scrambles, TagaKids Triathlon, a fishing cruise, barbecue’s, and a 7k/10k Walk through April 9.

The most daring triathletes will challenge the Pacific Islands Club Double competition, which awards the man and woman with the fastest combined XTERRA and Tagaman times.

According to Acting Managing Director of the Marianas Visitors Authority, Tess P. Castro, the XTERRA Saipan Championship has attracted award-winning producers to film and edit the race a half-hour feature of XTERRA Saipan, the Sports Fest, Tagaman Triathlon, and the warmth and hospitality of Saipan’s people.

Castro said that the show will be broadcast to over three million households nationwide from Hokkaido to Okinawa on Gaora TV in Japan, as well as throughout the U.S., Saipan, and Guam later this summer.

“This year’s XTERRA was just as extreme and challenging as it has been in the previous years, and having all these competitors come in from all over the world, the CNMI is sure to get the media exposure that it well deserves and needs,” Castro said.

For more information visit www.xterraplanet.com, www.xterrajapan.net, www.tagaman.com, or contact the MVA at (670) 664-3200/01 or by email at mva@mymarianas.com.