Gardner who spent time in Hawaii to train and prepare himself for the heat was confronted instead by slippery trails caused by the rain that battered the island prior to the event.
And if he endured the heat last year to win the 2009 XTERRA crown, last Saturday’s weather turned to be much more favorable taking away any reason for him not to do better this time.
Of course, he did.
Gardner beat his own record by 30 seconds despite a number of times that he fell in the run-course down hill from Mount Taputchao.
From a record of 2:34:32 last year, the English triathlete crossed last Saturday’s finish line at 2:34:03.
He was over 40 seconds ahead of Canada’s Mike Vine who came at 2:34:46 and won the second place and also beat his own record. Vine was the first to saddle up after finishing the swim course at 16:51 minutes but things change when Gardner caught up on him in the middle of the bike-course.
“I’ve in Hawaii to train and make myself used to the heat,” Gardner said, adding that although the race was tougher this time, he liked the weather condition.
Despite the slippery trails, Gardner never fell in the bike course. He even went past Australia’s Jason Chalker halfway towards the end of the bike course.
In the run-course however, Gardner fell a number of times downhill from Mount Taputchao but that was the time he was not seeing any body too close behind him.
“I led all the way in the run course,” he said.
Chalker completed the entire course at 2:48:19 to settle for the third place.
Also making it to the first five male finishers were Japan’s Takahiro Ogasawara who completed the race in 2:57:46, and London’s Michael Hiscott who made it in 3:06:20.
In the women’s division, Switzerland’s Renata Bucher was also not leading the whole time but passed U.S.A’s Shonny Vanlandingham on Mount Taputchao and Saipan’s Mieko Carey along Navy Hill trail to reach the finish line first with 2:58: 19 hours.
“I felt really good. I had a good training which I started it one month earlier,” Bucher said after crossing the finish line rope.
Vanlandingham was just over a minute behind Bucher, reaching the finish line at 3:07:04 and Carey came at 3:11:07.
England’s Emma Ruth Smith came fourth with 3:14:47 and Caroline Colonna finished fifth with 3:35:03.
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