10 locals brave XTERRA Sport

While many were tackling the 5th XTERRA Saipan Championship, 10 local triathletes were busy working their way through the XTERRA Sport course Saturday.

A total of 22 out of 25 Sport starters finished the race, with Saipan’s Philip Pedernal taking second place overall with a time of 2:22:00 after swimming for 15:15, biking for 1:44:26, and running for 22:19.

John Douglas was the second Saipan representative to cross the finish line, finishing in fourth overall and first in the men’s 40-44 age group with a time of 2:36:35. He swam for 16:04, recorded a time of 1:51:06 in the bike, and conquered the run in 19:25.

Chris Linder placed sixth overall and first in the men’s 30-34 category with a time of 2:40:24. He completed the swim in 24:20, biked for 1:57:50, and smoked the run with a time of 18:14.

For his part, Greg Moretti took eighth overall in 2:41:31 as he finished the swim in 15:10, the bike in 2:00:38, and the run in 25:43.

Heather Morrison was ninth overall and the first female finisher as she clocked in at the 2:42:17 mark after completing the swim in 17:59, the bike in 2:05:08, and the run in 19:10.

Youngster Cooper Graf proved to be a warrior as he placed 12th overall and was second in the boys’ 15-19 division with a time of 2:53:42.

South Pacific Mini Games medalist Natasha Good was sharp again and placed 14th overall while being the fourth female finisher in a time of 3:08:05. With the performance, she won the girls’ 15-19 division.

Ted Parker also had a solid race and placed 16th overall with a time of 3:10:11, Willie Garon finished 18th overall in 3:21:23, and Shan Seman placed 21st in 4:14:46.