Triathletes looking good for Mini Games

Before many of the people of Saipan got out of bed, the CNMI’s triathlon medal hopefuls for the 2005 South Pacific Mini Games added a bit of competition to their training as they swam, biked, and ran against some of their fellow multi-sport enthusiasts.

While Natasha Good, Jack Kabiriel, Dirk Sharer, Melissa Coleman, Stephan Samoyloff, and Anneka Sakovich of Team Pepsi will push their bodies to the limits for the Commonwealth in little more than three weeks, all but Sakovich got a little push from local supporters who joined them in a sprint race.

The total of 11 early risers made the pre-dawn journey to Pau Pau Beach to tackle the 1,000 meter swim, 20-kilometer bicycle, and 5-km run, as six people got a jump on the triathlon season by sweating alongside the pride of the Commonwealth.

Unlike the parade of volunteer-rich races hosted by the Northern Marianas Islands Triathlon Federation, Saturday’s event was devoid of all the luxuries afforded to the athletes, such as timers, aid stations, and refreshments.

The team took the challenge seriously, and the frontrunners were Dirk Sharer and Stephan Samoyloff.

“Dirk is on fire. I think that he’s got a legitimate chance for a medal and I think that the team has a very good chance for a team medal,” said Samoyloff.

Sharer was the first to return to the parking lot following the run, and he said that he is just about where he wants to be in his training, and that he will be ready to go for the games.

“I think I will be. I peaked for both of our races in April with the XTERRA and Tagaman, and I went back to base training after that because I was a little bit worn out psychologically with just a lot of racing. Now I’m climbing that ladder again where I want to up the tempo with my workouts. My speed’s picking up which is good for an Olympic-distance triathlon. It’s not a long, long race, so I just want to make sure that I can build my speed leading up to Palau,” said Sharer.

Though most triathletes are at the top of their physical performance in their mid-30s, Sharer is by far an exception to the rule with a number of outstanding finishes in his sport.

“Sometimes I have my days, and at 45 years old, like Lance Armstrong said “You can’t lie on your birth certificate,’ so you do the best you can, you train hard, put in the work, and the race just kind of take care of themselves after a while. You don’t worry so much at my age. You just go out and work as hard as you can and let the chips fall where there may.”

The NMITF president said that the team as a whole looks ready to go, but Samoyloff added that one member has made great strides in the final days of preparation.

“Jack [Kabriel] has been really impressive. He’s improved in his swim so much just in the last three to four weeks. We’re looking really good. I’m pretty excited. We’ve seen some really good progress from Jack and Dirk especially, and the girls are coming along.”

Sharer added that he has noticed the improvements of his teammates, and recognizes the efforts that they have made to get to where they are.

“Jack’s doing really well. Jack’s really come along. He’s a good swimmer, needs to bike a little bit more, and traditionally is a good runner as well. The two girls Melissa and Natasha are obviously good swimmers, they need to bike, and they are improving on their run.”

According to Samoyloff, Coleman is swimming a number of sessions per week to improve upon her strongest discipline, but she made an early exit from the bike portion of the tune-up event. She said that she could’ve done better, but rather than hold out of the race altogether, she rejoined her teammate, Good, for the run.

Sakovich was still in California and unable to make the morning tune-up, but she has been competing in a lot of races, and Samoyloff said that she will come out stronger than she did two years ago when she meets the team in Palau.

The course conditions at the northern end of Saipan are not the same as what the triathletes will encounter in Palau. Reports say that the roads are more rough, and with the island nation’s proximity to the equator, the temperature and humidity are likely to be more intense than locally. Add in the rolling hills and chance of rain and the racers will have their work cut out for them, but Sharer summed up the challenge with his thoughts.

“You never know what the conditions are going to be. There are a lot of things that you can’t control but you just go out there and everybody’s racing the same course, so things happen and you hope for the best.”