Pinoy pro Macasieb raring to come back

Arland Macasieb had such a great time in the 2009 Saipan Sports Fest that the Filipino pro triathlete is already contemplating a return next year.

The New Jersey-based Macasieb said he will look at his schedule for 2010 and make sure to encircle the dates for the 9th XTERRA Saipan Championship and 21st Tagaman Triathlon.

After a slow start in the Saipan Sports Fest, which saw him finish 17th overall in the off-road XTERRA Saipan (3:30:37), Macasieb showed his true worth by finishing fourth in last Saturday’s Tagaman Triathlon (3:11:31).

“It was a great race and a great day! It was really great to have so many people cheering for me!” said the 33-year-old Filipino-American triathlete who beat out by a mere 10 seconds the United Kingdom’s Jim McConnel for fourth place in the Tagaman.

The triathlon bronze-medalist in the 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games added that the Tagaman’s flat course suited him better than the local XTERRA.

“Well I’m not really a mountain biker—as a matter of fact I don’t even own a mountain bike! But I love climbing. It’s just the descending that I have trouble with off-road. But I’m really a roadie at heart, so today was more my cup of tea.”

Macasieb also said that the hospitality showed by people on Saipan, especially its Filipino community, made his two-week stay on the island a very memorable one.

“The most memorable part has been all my new friends that I’ve met ever since I’ve come to Guam and Saipan. All my new Filipino friends have all contributed something to my races here—either letting me stay in their homes, lending me a mountain bike, helmet, so many I can’t count. I am very blessed and lucky to have so many friends—the Filipino triathlon community really is the best!”

Macasieb will follow up his 2009 Saipan Sports Fest stint by taking part in the Subic Bay International Triathlon next month. Incidentally, he was the top Filipino finisher in the race last year.

May will also see him compete in the Honolulu 70.3, which will be staged on the actual Ironman World Championship course in Hawaii on May 30.

He then plans to return to New Jersey in June to take part in several U.S calendar races.

Macasieb hopes to fly back to the Philippines in August to compete in the Inaugural Philippines 70.3 in Camarines Sur.

“Hopefully a good showing there will earn me a spot in the 70.3 (Half Ironman) World Championship in Clearwater, Florida in November,” he said.

Japan’s Masayuki Matsumaru topped the 20th edition of the Tagaman last weekend with a time of 2:59:41, followed by 8th Annual XTERRA Saipan Championship winner Sam Gardner of the United Kingdom (3:02:03), and deposed Tagaman champion Andrew Noble of Australia (3:04:53).

On the women’s side, Switzerland’s Renata Bucher won her second straight Tagaman Triathlon after posting a time of 3:28:18. Saipan’s Mieko Carey and Japan’s Noriko Takano came next, finishing in 3:32:52 and 3:39:50, respectively.