XTERRA trails cleared, ready for rides

  Triathletes can now negotiate the run and bike trails of the 2012 XTERRA Saipan Championship three weeks before the real race kicks off.

Wolf Mojica, president of Taga, Inc., which organizes XTERRA Saipan and Tagaman, along with John Douglas, Dawn Hammermeister and a four-man crew from J.M. & Associates cleared majority of the bike and run trails last Thursday. The crew first cleaned up the backside of the Mt. Tapochao where the breathtaking “Sound of Music” trail is located. From there the crew moved to Banana Rama and Ho Chi Minh trails. Earlier last month, Mojica and crew also made clearing works along McDick trails and the run portion of the trail course, starting at Anak’s.

“The XTERRA bike course, except for the Navy Hill bus stop is open for riding. We just want to caution riders to be careful when crossing Bananarama Bridge. Ride safely,” Mojica said after almost a day-long clearing.

Douglas added that the more bikers hold pre-rides, the better the course will be like in time for XTERRA Saipan, which will be held on March 24.

With only three weeks before XTERRA’s Crown Jewel starts, the annual event has already drawn more than 30 triathletes led by former champions Renata Bucher and Olivier Marceau. Expected to join the two Swiss pros are Jacqui Slack of the United Kingdom, Carina Wasle of Austria, Denison Freitas of Brazil, and Cedric Lassonde, Ben Allen, and Graham Wadsworth of U.K.

Defending champions Shonny Vanlandingham of the U.S. and Sam Gardner of U.K. are missing this year’s XTERRA Saipan, making the battle for the men’s and women’s crowns an open race.

XTERRA Saipan will be the visiting pros third stop of the month as they are heading first to Guam for the March 10 competition and to XTERRA Philippines on March 17. Bucher and some other pros will then stay on Saipan for Tagaman, which is scheduled for March 31.

Registrations for both XTERRA and Tagaman are still open.

Cash prizes will be given away to the Top 7 finishers in XTERRA Saipan and the male and female participants with the best combined timed for XTERRA and Tagaman. World XTERRA slots for various age groups are also at stake in the Crown Jewel race.

Registration deadline for XTERRA is on March 21. For more information, log on to saipansports.com.