Great Britain\u2019s Jacqui Slack came home in first place at Xterra Saipan on the weekend as Ben Allen (AUS) won the men\u2019s race for the fourth year running.<\/p>\n
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Both athletes led from start to finish in wet conditions that threatened to make the already challenging course all the more difficult.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[They were] some of the worst conditions I\u2019ve ever raced in. The rain didn\u2019t let up and it made for super slippery conditions,\u201d explained Allen.<\/p>\n
Men\u2019s race\n<\/p><\/div>\n
As one of the sport\u2019s best swimmers, it was not surprising to see Allen open a 1min lead over Bradley Weiss (RSA) during the swim.<\/p>\n
He then went on to record the fastest bike and run splits of the day to win in 2:40:25, 6mins ahead of second placed Weiss who finished in 2:46:45.<\/p>\n
Weiss, who currently leads the Xterra Asian Tour with 190 points, had missed a chunk of his training due to an injured iliotibial band but is still remaining positive for the year ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously I am far from my best shape now but was still very excited for my trip out to the islands. My hopes are to finish well in the Xterra Asian Tour and take some momentum into the U.S. Tour,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third place was taken by Takahiro Ogasawara (JPN) who finished a further 2mins behind in 2:48:19, while Austria\u2019s Markus Benesch crossed the line in fourth with a time of 2:52:24.<\/p>\n
Top 5 professional men\u2019s results: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
1. Ben Allen (AUS) \u2013 2:40:25
2. Brad Weiss (RSA) \u2013 2:46:45
3. Takahiro Ogasawara (JPN) \u2013 2:48:19
4. Markus Benesch (AUT) \u2013 2:52:24
5. Aleksandr Dorovskikh (RUS) \u2013 2:55:51<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s race<\/p>\n
Slack dominated the women\u2019s race from the start and was the first elite woman out of the water. The British athlete also had the best bike split and finished in 3:02:01, a full 5mins ahead of second placed Carina Wasle (AUT) who crossed the line with a time of 3:07:33.<\/p>\n
Speaking of her win, Slack said: \u201cI thrive on the more challenging conditions. I love the added dimension the rain throws in, and always seem to perform well when it\u2019s slick and muddy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy biggest challenge was myself today. I knew I was coming into the race fit but I was more concerned about being recovered from\u00a0a 100km MTB race I did last weekend in Melbourne.\u201d<\/p>\n
>>>\u00a0Jacqui Slack on the benefits of training off-road<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s Mieko Carey crossed the line third in 3:20:45 and was closely followed by Renata Bucher (SUI) who finished with a time of 3:22:11.<\/p>\n
Great Britain\u2019s Daz Parker put in a solid effort to round out the top five in a time of 3:36:40.<\/p>\n
Top 5 professional women\u2019s results: \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
1. Jacqui Slack (GBR) \u2013 3:02:01
2. Carina Wasle (AUT) \u2013 3:07:33
3. Mieko Carey (JPN) \u2013 3:20:45
4. Renata Bucher (SUI) \u2013 3:22:11
5. Daz Parker (GBR) \u2013 3:36:40<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The weekend\u2019s results mean that Weiss leads the men\u2019s series with an eight point buffer to Allen while Slack leads the women on 190 points following her second place in the Philippines.<\/p>\n
In the amateur races, Chuck Fortier (CAN) claimed his third island win in a row while Kyoco Urashima (JAP) took the women\u2019s title.<\/p>\n
Tyce Mister (CNMI) managed to maintain his accomplishment of being the only athlete to have competed in all 14 Xterra Saipan races since its launch in 2002.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
You can view the full race results here or head to www.xterraasia.com for more information on the 2015 Xterra Asian Tour.<\/p>\n
(Images: Mark James)<\/p>\n
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