Allen, Carey beat heat, competition

Australian pro Ben Allen and former Saipan triathlete Mieko Carey survived the scorching heat yesterday to take the men’s and women’s division crowns in the 2015 Tagaman Triathlon.

Allen completed the 1.9-kilometer swim, 90K bike, and 21K run race in 4:22:17 to lead all finishers in the grueling Half Ironman event and topped the six-man men’s field, while Carey also broke the five-hour barrier with her 4:48:15.

“It was definitely one of the toughest races I’ve ever done. The heat and humidity were intense, my whole body was on fire, especially on the run. I worked really hard on the bike to sustain my lead against the rest of the guys chasing me,” said Allen, who managed to keep his distance against Russia’s Aleksandr Dorovskikh (4:26:59) and France’s Olivier Marceau (4:29:53) despite a wrong turn in the bike leg.

Allen, who missed last year’s Half Ironman race, was heading south to Pacific Islands Club, but a volunteer near the Garapan Fire Station instructed him to return and go to the American Memorial Park. There was also no lead car to direct Allen, who lost more than two seconds of his lead against Dorovskikh after that confusion. Allen clocked in at 2:22:12 in the bike leg against the 2:19:50 of the Russian bet.

Fortunately for the Australian pro he was able to gain cushion in the swim leg at PIC as he was first out of the water, submitting 24:50. Marceau finished second in the swim race with his 25:29, while Dorovskikh was ninth, logging 31:00.

Both Dorovskikh and Marceau were just entering the AMP compound for the bike-run transition area when Allen completed the bike leg and headed out of the park and south for the final part of the race.

“I tried to regain my focus after that problem in the bike race. The run leg was a killer because of the heat so I just kept on pacing myself,” said Allen, who had the fastest time among the men’s pro in the run leg with his 1:35:15.

Saipan pride
Meanwhile, Carey blew away her competitors in the women’s division as she was the only female pro to complete the race in sweltering heat under five hours.

“This win is for Saipan, for my family, friends, and supporters here. It’s always great to win on Saipan, which I consider my home,” said the now Guam-based Carey, who received a loud cheer from the spectators as she crossed the finish line with a wide smile on her face.

“I had a very good swim, good bike race, and nice run despite the heat. In the run, I kept reminding myself not to push so hard because I am worried of getting cramps again,” added Carey, who slid to third from second last year after cramping midway in the run leg.

Carey was not pressured to push further in the last part of the race, as she gained a sizeable lead after the first two legs. She was third overall out of the water after clocking 25:49, about five minutes ahead of the runner-up Renata Bucher. Carey padded her lead after the bike leg, as she recorded 2:00:59 against the 2:39:12 of Bucher.

In the run, Carey completely dominated her field after registering 1:43:14.

“Although I know I had a big lead, still I was cautious. I kept looking back after each 5K. It was really hot during the run leg, but I managed because I had good nutrition and hydration,” Carey added.

Bucher and Daz Park, who completed the race in 5:15:54 and 5:18:59, respectively, agreed with Carey, saying the run leg took its toll on them.

“The last 2K of the run was the most difficult part. I was gassed out with the heat. The run leg was longer than I thought,” said Parker, who had split times of 33:21, 2:46:09, and 1:59:29, falling behind early as she was caught in between two swimmers while doing the first of the two-lap race.

“The heat was brutal and I am just glad I made it safely and will still have energy for next weekend’s XTERRA Saipan,” said Bucher.

Australia’ s Belinda Hadden and Saipan’s very own Kimiko McKagan completed the women’s pro field, timing in at 5:33:02 and 6:10:46, respectively. Last year’s champion Carina Wasle, who decided to join yesterday’s race at the last minute, did not finish after an early flat tire.

“It will be difficult to catch up with me still near PIC and Mieko and company several minutes ahead, I will just burn out and will not be able to recover in time for XTERRA Saipan so I decided not to continue the race,” said Wasle.

Wasle was in a good place after the swim leg, as she clocked in 30:48 and third out of the water in the women’s pro division and seventh overall. However, she lost precious minutes in the second part of the race as before the flat tire, she made a wrong turn in the bike leg. She said volunteers were just asking bikers if bikers were entered in the Half Ironman or Olympic distance event, but failed to point her to the right direction in the bike leg.