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Japanese triathletes warm up on Saipan
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Posted on May 11 2009
Two Japanese triathletes were on Saipan last month and competed in the 20th Tagaman Triathlon to prepare for the fabled 29th All Japan Triathlon Kaike.
Daisuke Kawabata finished sixth in the open division of Tagaman after completing the 1.5-kilometer swim leg, 60-km bike part, and 15-km run portion in three hours, 27 minutes, and 30 seconds.
The 26-year-old triathlete timed in at 39:05 in the swim race for 21st place, was eighth in the bike part with his 1:47:45, and first in the run leg with a time of 58:07.
Masami Okada was the other Kaike participant who used Tagaman to warm up for the Japan event. She finished first in the women’s 25 to 29 age group after completing the race in 4:05:43. The 25-year-old Japanese clocked 31:54 in the swim leg for 10th place, was 40th in the bike part with a time of 2:14:17, and 13th in the run portion with her 1:12:57.
Kawabata and Okada are two of the 850 selected triathletes who will compete in the Kaike race on July 19.
The Kaike event is the first triathlon competition in Japan. The race started in 1981 at Yumigahama Beach, well known for the beauty of its white sand and pine trees.
The Kaike race consists of a 3-km swim in the waters of the Japan Sea and Kaike Onsen [hot spring], a145-km bike leg, and 42.19-km run.
The bike portion will have participants climbing up and going down Mt. Daisen, a volcanic mountain located in Tottori Prefecture. It has an elevation of 1,729 meters and is the highest in the Chukgoku region and the most important volcano on the Daisen volcanic belt.
The run leg will take triathletes to a tour around Kaike Onsen. Kaike Hot Spring is located in Yonago City, which is on the western side of Tottori Prefecture. It is a hot spring resort by the seaside that overlooks the Yumigahama Peninsula’s beautiful sandy beach with white sand and green pine trees and faces the Sea of Japan.
