New course, new test for Mieko

 CNMI triathlete Mieko Carey will be entering uncharted territory when she competes in the 2011 XTERRA World Championship in Maui, Hawaii, next month.

Carey confirmed the course in the Oct. 23 race shifted from south to the northern portion of Maui with Kapalua Resort hosting the off-road race. Last year, the XTERRA World was held at south’s Makena Beach & Golf Resort.

“I saw the video for the new course and everyone said the bike and run races will be hilly. It will be a big challenge for me and the other participants as we’ve never tried the course and you can’t have a pre-ride or run. I went there once, but just for sight seeing,” Carey said.

According to XTERRA website, the course is part of a 22,000 acre backyard of Maui Land & Pineapple Company and it extends from the mountains to the sea and covers lush rainforests and a group of trails.

“The new location will create a dramatically different challenge for competitors. In stark contrast to the dry and dusty lava-strewn path up Haleakala, the northwest coast is wet and wild with lush rainforests and former pineapple fields that undulate in-and-out of gulches coming down from the West Maui Mountains,” stated in the XTERRA World website.

The 1.5-kilometer swim leg, according to Carey, will take place at the D.T. Fleming Beach, which is known for its huge waves.

“The swim leg will be a very big challenge as there can be big waves. The beach hosts surfing competition every year. But, I think I have a little advantage in the swim leg, as I grew up with waves and I do surfing and body boarding before,” the three-time XTERRA Japan champion said.

The bike leg in Kapalua will be about 20 miles with over 3,000 feet of elevation changes. Trails move from field to field and fall hundreds of feet down to the bottom of a deep forested area and then back up again. The MTB race will also cover the lower slopes of the West Maui Mountains. In the 10-kilometer trail run, runners will pass through lava rock, forest trails, and beach sand.

More than 500 triathletes, pros and amateurs alike, will be racing in next month’s event and this year Carey hopes to move up to the leaderboard again. Last year, the 33-year-old triathlete placed 13th in the women’s division, five notches higher from her 2009 finish. She clocked in at three hours, 21 minutes, and 11 seconds in the lung-busting race, crushing her 2009 time of 3:35:44.

“This year I feel much stronger and with still one month to go before the race, I know I have a lot more to give in my training sessions. I am very excited to go to Maui and represent the CNMI again,” Carey said.