Noble wins XTERRA Guam; Torgeson, Carey finish strong

Aussie Andrew Noble added the 2008 XTERRA Guam to his resume of wins in the Marianas region when he topped the March 29 race held in Piti, Guam.

Saipan was well represented with Eli Torgeson finishing second overall to Noble, while Mieko Carey came in fourth behind the Top 3 male finishers.

Noble, who won the 7th XTERRA Saipan Championship and successfully defending his title in the 19th Tagaman Triathlon last month, completed the XTERRA Guam course in two hours, 13 minutes and 57 seconds.

XTERRA Guam is composed of a 1-kilometer swim with two 500-meter loops at Apra Harbor; a 27-kilometer mountain bike that began in Piti and climbing up Nimitz Hill through the terrains of Mt. Alutom before winding down to Mannengon Hills; and a 7-km trail run, which serves as XTERRA Guam’s highlight bringing runners to slippery water falls and waist-high jungle river sections.

Noble finished the swim in 15:12 and had a 43-second transition to the bike leg, which he completed in a blistering time of 1:17:25. He completed the race 40 minutes and 14 seconds after a 23-second split at the run.

Torgeson finished second overall to Noble as he tried to shadow the veteran triathlete all throughout the race. He had a total time of 2:31:21 to enjoy a 58-second lead over closest pursuer Hideo Sato of Japan, 2:32:19.

Carey, meanwhile, was the overall winner in the women’s division with a combined swim, bike, and run time of 2:47:15, finishing eight minutes and 13 seconds ahead of Guam’s Shannon Cutting, 2:55:28.

Tamuning’s Susan Seay finished third with a time of 3:07:39.

Other Saipan triathletes that competed in XTERRA Guam were Butch Sublemente (3:02:13), Russ Quinn (3:06:22), and Kevin Carey (3:15:17).

Sublemente finished fourth in the 35-39 age group, while Quinn was sixth in the 40-44 division. Carey placed eighth in the 35-39 class.

Newly elected Northern Mariana Islands Triathlon Federation president Quinn commended Guam Triathlon Federation president Eric Tydingco for organizing the race.

A total of 100 persons participated individually and in teams in the race that started at Apra Harbor. Quinn said the bike leg was composed mostly of downhill courses.

“The run was fun too, the first mile was flat road to work out those jello legs, and then things got exciting. After a small climb, we dropped into a ravine with waterfalls, and shallow pools,” said Quinn.