This appears in the Monday, March 19, 2012 edition of the Business Mirror.
Xterra Philippines: Adventures in Pain
by rick olivares pic by brosi gonzales
Ben Allen’s bike chain broke. He had a
sizeable lead over the rest of the field but this stoppage could have cost him
the lead. “I just had to fix my bike. Pump the tires. Their cost me some
precious minutes but I didn’t panic. My motivated myself to fix my bike and get
back to the race.
The Australian, who is in the midst of
a 13-city triathlon tour that spans some 15,000 miles, quickly got back in the
race and finished first in the second staging of Xterra Philippines at Liloan,
Cebu, with a time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, and 5 seconds. Frenchman Oliver
Marceau was second with a time of 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 22 seconds.
Englishman Cedric Lassonde was third with a time of 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 38
seconds.
“A race like Xterra demands that you
never quit; you never give up,” quipped Allen who doused himself with a bottle
of water. “The bike leg was the most difficult and the most technical and you
have to think fast and quick. But you also have to have a cool head to navigate
that.”
Austrian Carina Wasle, who came behind
Swiss sensation Renata Bucher, was a close second out of the water but she did
not have such luck as she was nowhere in sight after the bike leg. The second
leg of the Xterra course calls for bikers to traverse a 35-kilometer course twice
with a breathtaking view of the adjacent Camotes Sea. But behind the
tranquility lurked danger. There’s a stretch along the bike course called “the
Boneyard” – a treacherous path of dirt, gravel, dried up bushes, and jagged
rocks leading up to the 100-year old Liloan lighthouse. Wasle blew out her bike
on “the Boneyard” and never recovered. One rider fell, hurt her arm and required stitches on her chin. And Bucher, finished first in the
women’s pro division with a time of 2 hours, 53 minutes, and 33 seconds,
unchallenged. “It’s a challenging course all right. It was difficult for many
of us. You had to adjust quickly and pray for some luck,” said a relieved
Bucher.
Jacqui Slack, from Stoke-on-Trent,
England, was second with a time of 2 hours, 56 minutes, and 39 seconds. Her
compatriot, Darelle Parker, who is a stuntwoman in his spare time, was third
with a time of 3 hours, 29 minutes, and 44 seconds.
“I got the adventure I was looking
for, all right.” Thus spoke American triathlete Will Kelsay as he crossed the
finish line of the 2012 Xterra Philippines in Liloan, Cebu several places
behind overall winner Ben Allen who finished first in all three courses – the
swim, bike, and run legs. “The thing about Xterra is it’s a whole lot of fun
even when it hurts and you’re bleeding.”
Dehydrated during the run course as he
(and several other runners did as well) thought there were not enough water
stations along the course. “Mercifully it wasn’t as hot as we thought it would
be. But it was brutal. It was awesome.”
Triathlon is one of the world’s most
demanding, grueling, and punishing sports. Now when you take the sport off-road
– and that is what Xterra is all about – then you can double the difficulty
factor.
“That’s what makes Xterra the most
extreme competition in the world,” added Alaska Milk Corporation President and
Chief Executive Officer Wilfred Steven Uytengsu. “It isn’t simply the distance
and nature of the race but because off the rugged terrain and challenging
course.”
For the second year in a row, Xterra
Philippines was held at the Amara Estates in Liloan, Cebu. Like its parent
triathlon, Xterra has three different races - the 1.5 kilometer swim course in
the Camotes Sea, the 70-kilometer bike leg, and lastly, the 10-kilometer run
that also goes through a challenging half-meter wide walkway of bamboo sticks
lashed together.
Said taskmaster Guy Concepcion, Xterra
Philippines Race Director, “It’s a slightly different course from last year but
its more challenging. I think the athletes will appreciate it.”
“I heard about Xterra Philippines from
Shonny (Vanlandingham),” said American Branden Rakita who hails from Boulder,
Colorado. “She said many good things about the race and it was good to get away
from the cold of Colorado. And it’s always good to experience a different
culture.”
Rakita, who is in his fifth year as a
pro and who earned a degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University
isn’t the only one who was enticed to participate in Xterra Philippines.
“It’s a great test before the start of
the European season,” said Englishwoman Jacqui Slack who along with Australian
Ben Allen are both in the middle of a 13-race and 15,000 mile journey through
Asia and the Pacific. “It’s a great way to get ready and fit.”
Renata Bucher, the Swiss Miss who is a
four-time Xterra European Tour champion and six-time Xterra Saipan champion is
one of three returnees to the event the others being Austrian Carina Wasle and
Englishwoman Darelle Parker. “I knew that I would come back. It was a beautiful
experience and having all the people and the kids cheer and smile for you are
one of the things I remember a lot. They were there to cheer for the entire
race. Residents of Liloan took to the streets to cheer on the athletes last
year.
The second staging of Xterra also drew
some star power as Philippine celebrities like Jericho Rosales, Richard
Gutierrez, Drew Arellano, Mateo Gudicelli, and Paolo Abrera to name a few
participated. “I’m both nervous and excited,” chimed in Arellano. “Bahala na si
Batman!”
Added Rosales who ran the race leg of
a relay team to constant cheers from the crowd, “It’s a good start
(participating in Xterra) although I just ran. But from what I can see these
triathletes superb athletes with a high tolerance for pain. And how can you not
want to do this again with all these people supporting you?”
Notes: This year’s
Xterra Philippines drew 330 participants from 14 different countries. That is
three times the number of last year’s participants. Counting the participants
of the Trail Run that was the Saturday event, the total number of participants
goes up to 600. In the Filipino Elite category, Neil Catiil repeated as
champion with a time of 2 hours, 54 minutes, and 47 seconds. Elmo Claraval was
second at 3 hours, 2 minutes, and 38 seconds. Arland Macasieb came in third at
3 hours, 7 minutes, and 11 seconds.
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