Gardner, also last week’s XTERRA Saipan Championship winner, reached the finish line with the fastest time of three hours, five minutes, and 43 seconds. He took first overall, beating the all-Korean team of Byun Eun Jeon (3:06:05), Hwa Mok Jang (3:06:05), and Yun Ho Seo (3:13:28) in the men’s open division.
“I’m really, really pleased to win it,” the United Kingdom-based athlete told Marianas Variety.
“Somehow it feels nice to win it when you had a real battle and when you’ve come back from behind and had to work really hard for it. I think I came out of the swim about seven and a half minutes behind, which is a lot more than last year. I think I was three minutes behind last year so I think the Korean guys got a lot faster and I think I just had a bad day and lost a lot more time.”
Gardner had a slow start, finishing the 2000-meter swim in 32 minutes and 22 seconds at 17th place. He rallied north to Banzai Cliff before falling and crashing on the way. He still finished the 60-kilometer bike race in first place (1:31:50) and limped toward the finish line at the American Memorial Park to complete the third leg.
“On the bike I felt like I was going quite well but I had a little bit of a crash when the winds sent me all over across the road. When I first started the run, the first few steps, I was really stiff and I couldn’t run at all. I nearly pulled out straight away. I thought to myself, ‘I’m not going to do this, I’m not going to finish the run,’ and I thought even if I walked around it might be enough to do the PIC double which is obviously worth the stay here for next year and everything. It’s worth quite a lot to me,” Gardner added.
“Luckily after two or 300 meters I felt a lot better and I managed to finish the run basically. The further I got on the run, the stronger I felt and all of a sudden I see the guy ahead of me. People were saying I was one minute and 50 [seconds away] and someone said it’s one minute and 30, so I realized I was catching him. Someone else said it was one minute and two seconds. At the turn around I knew it was 30 seconds. By then, I could see him and he was getting a lot closer.”
Jeon, taking second place, finished the third leg with the fastest time of 56:39, beating Gardner’s 59:18 mark.
“Usually I do best on the bike but here, it’s both the bike and the run really. I think I probably did have the
quickest bike and probably made the second quickest run. If I hadn’t had a good run like that, I wouldn’t have won it. Three or four of us could have won it, it was very close today. The guy that came in second wasn’t far behind me. Even the guy that was in sixth place, he was only 10 minutes down. In the first 10 minutes all the top-six people were there.” said Gardner.
Meanwhile, winning the women’s open category wasn’t an easy one for Snyder.
She finished the course in three hours, 20 minutes, and 41 seconds to beat Saipan’s Mieko Carey (3:27:30) and Austria’s Carina Wasle (3:28:55).
Rain pouring every five minutes didn’t seem to bother Snyder, who took fourth in XTERRA Saipan’s pro women’s division.
“It was really good. It was interesting. I wasn’t expecting the change of temperature and everything out there. But I’m really thankful that it rained and it was cool. I came from cooler weather so I was happy with the cold. And then, when the sun and the heat came out on the run I got a little nervous because I started to get too warm. And then, I struggled to cool myself down a bit but I was able to get myself a bit of a lead on the bike. So, I was ok when I had to ease off on the run. Around the middle part of the run, I started to overheat and I started to cramp up a little bit,” she said after the race.
Snyder finished the swim in 29 minutes and 40 seconds — just 13 seconds behind Mieko — and cruised through the bike course in 1:46:45. Carey went all out, reaching the finish line nearly out of breath. Renata Bucher of Switzerland settled for fourth place at 3:32:13. Daz Parker completed the women’s top five in three hours, 32 minutes, and 41 seconds.
“During the bike course I was kind of conservative because I didn’t want to crash,” Snyder told the crowd later that night at the awards banquet.
“I just took it real slow around the turns and played it safe. I just pushed it hard when I could. I built myself up a little bit of a lead and I tried to hang on for the run. I knew the girls were chasing me and I know they’re good runners so I just tried to push it the best I could and stayed ahead.
It was a great experience. Everyone down the course was great with the support and cheering and everything. It was a great race. I had a good time. I had a lot of fun.”
Wasle — along with Gardner – bagged the PIC double award, which went to participants with the fastest combined XTERRA Saipan and Tagaman time. Wasle placed second last weekend at 3 hours, six minutes and 33 seconds, behind American pro Shonny Vanlandingham.
Vanlandingham didn’t enter Tagaman as she was due to do another race in the United States.
The Austrian triathlete said the race was hard and windy and she complained about going against the wind.
She said, “I was quite happy with my bike and on the run. I like running and I could catch up with Renata.”
She also expressed elation over winning the PIC double award.
Wasle also told Variety her appreciation for the Saipan race. “I like to race here. The organization is very good and the people are very nice, and I’m looking forward to coming back again next year,” said Wasle, still shivering from Saturday morning’s chilly weather.
Meanwhile, Bucher also hopes to return to improve on her record.
“Today, I tried, but I was not feeling so good. I’m really happy for Suzy, Mieko, and Carina — they did a really good job. I hope to come back better and stronger next year,” said the Swiss triathlete.
Saipan’s best bet, Carey, echoed the sentiments of the others. “The weather was bad. Some people crashed.”
She told Variety that in six years of joining Tagaman, it was her first time to encounter the worst weather. “The road was really slipper.”
Heading toward the American Memorial Park in the last 2,000 meters, Carey said she didn’t save up energy. “I saw Carina coming. I know she’s a really good runner. I was thinking she still has the chance to get me so I had to push. Otherwise I would finish third. That’s why I used all my energy.”
She told Variety she was exhausted by the time she crossed the finish line.
She added, “Running was the hardest. I knew Suzy was ahead of me but I never gave up. I never slowed down. I gave my all to win the race,” said Carey in an interview.
Gardner, Carey, Bucher, Wasle, Snyder, and a handful of other triathletes now prepare for XTERRA Guam this Saturday, March 26.
“The injuries I got, I don’t think they were too bad. I’m not sure how much swimming practice I’m going to get this week because of all my injuries,” Gardner told Variety.
“I probably won’t swim for two or three days. I’m sure I’ll be fine when I get to Guam. If you get a good start in the swim, you can stay on the feet of the fastest swimmers so I’m going to try and have a fast swim and get towed along in the fast group if I can.”
