Mieko Breaks own Record in XTERRA World

By Roselyn Monroyo
Reporter - Saipan Tribune www.saipantribune.com

Mieko Carey, seen here doing the bike leg of this year's XTERRA Saipan Championships, shattered her 2008 record after timing in at 3:35:44 in the 2009 XTERRA World Championships on Sunday (Monday on Saipan) in Makena, Maui, Hawaii. (Roselyn B. Monroyo) Saipan pro Mieko Carey had a record-breaking performance, while Tinian's Joshua Manglona had an eventful debut in 2009 XTERRA World Championships on Sunday (Monday on Saipan) in Makena, Maui, Hawaii.

Carey completed the weekend race in three hours, 35 minutes, and 44 seconds to eclipse her 2008 time of 3:53:38. The 21-year-old triathlete joined this year's XTERRA World as a pro for the first time and was 18th overall among the 23 pros who took part in the grueling off-road race. She timed in at 23:49 in the 1.5-kilometer swim race, 2:09:20 in the 32-km mountain bike, and 1:02:35 in the 12-km trail run.

Carey placed 161st among the around 500 participants, surpassing her performance last year. She placed 235th out of the 482 finishers in 2008 and won third place in the women's 30 to 34 age group.

“It was hot over here, but I am happy to finish the race without a crash,” Carey said in an e-mail sent to well-wishers and friends from Saipan.

When the around 500 triathletes began the race at 9am on Sunday (5am Monday Saipan time), the temperature in Makena was more than 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Carey said that despite the scorching heat, she, husband Kevin, and Manglona were lucky to avoid crashes, which hurt the bids of other pros, like XTERRA Saipan Championship five-time winner Renata Bucher and one-time winners Sam Gardner and Mike Vine.

“Kevin finished with no broken bones or broken bike,” Carey added.

Manglona loses seat

Manglona was free from crashes, but finished the last 4.8-kilometer of the bike race without a seat.

He completed the bike leg in 3:03:17 and timed in at 38:42 and 1:12:39 in the swim and run legs, respectively, for a total time of 4:54:38. The Tinian triathlete finished 420th overall and was entered in the men's amateur 20 to 24 age group.

Kevin Carey also competed in the amateur division (35 to 39 age group) and finished ahead of Manglona with a time of 4:23:11. Kevin submitted 34:44 in the swim leg, had 2:32:35 in the bike race, and 1:15:52 in the trail run to place at 350th and 47th out of 54 participants in his age group.

Dibens sets record, too

XTERRA Saipan Championship runner-up Julie Dibens of the United Kingdom made a mark in XTERRA World after winning the culminating event for the third straight time.

Dibens had a total time of 2:56:42 to finish first in the women's pro division and 28th overall. She was 15th overall in the swim leg after timing in at 20:25, 36th in the bike portion (1:42:48) and 31st in the run part (51:20).

Lesley Peterson of California finished second with her time of 3:04:16, while Melanie McQuaid of Canada was third at 3:05:46.

Bucher dropped to 14th in the women's pro with a time of 3:22:16. A crash in the bike leg cost her a lot, as she finished 131st in the bike race (1:567:06). She clocked in at 24:41 in the swim leg (115th) and 58:58 (107th) in the run part.

In the men's division, Spain's Eneko Llanos clocked in the race's fastest time of 2:37:22. France's Nicolas Lebrun was second at 2:38:17, while Austria's Michael Weiss (2:40:24) finished third. Former XTERRA Saipan participant Olivier Marceau placed only fourth with a time of 2:41:06.

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