Course changes make a more exciting Tagaman
The 12th annual New Millennium Tagaman Triathlon, sponsored by Continental Airlines, has been generating new interest due to a course change making the event more challenging. This year’s Tagaman, to be held on May 19th, will have some hill climbing and utilize the entire island making it more spectacular for visiting athletes.
The Tagaman Triathlon will begin with the swim at 5:30 am on May 19th, in front of the Pacific Islands Club, a major event sponsor, in San Antonio. The athletes will complete the two kilometer swim course and then mount their bikes and ride up through Koblerville and back to PIC along Beach Road all the way to the Bird Island Lookout, turning around and finishing the 60 km segment at the American Memorial Park/Micro Beach transition station. The triathletes then put on their running shoes and take off on the 15 km course, heading south along Beach Road, then turning back near the Microl Intersection and heading north on the Beach Path, finishing with a short loop through the American Memorial Park running path and finishing at the AMP/Micro Beach Finish Line.
Traffic will be blocked off in sections the morning of May 19th, but no longer than a couple hours at a time, except for the road leading to Micro Beach from the Police Station, which will remain closed for the morning.
The organizing committee has received numerous inquiries from around the world about the event, notably from Bangladesh, Thailand, Palau, Hong Kong, Australia and Japan, and several of the mainland states.
Continental Airlines, the title sponsor, is providing several complimentary tickets from Japan, and special fares from Australia, Hong Kong, Palau, Los Angeles and Honolulu to Saipan. They are also providing round-trip tickets to the Cairns Half Ironman winners to come to the Saipan Tagaman on May 19th, and, two more roundtrip tickets for local winners to compete in the Cairns Half Ironman on June 3, 2001.
The Marianas Visitors Authority is playing a major role in logistics for the event, as well as being a major sponsor. Powerade, will also play a role in providing drinks and sponsoring four triathletes to compete in this event, they have not been selected yet. And the latest sponsor to come on board to assist the event is Verizon, who is also hosting the Tagaman website, (Tagaman.com)
Saipan triathletes, Grant Beauprez and Bob Gardiner recently competed in the Speedo-TLP Invitational Triathlon Challenge, in Batanga, Philippines, a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run. The swim was held at the Coral Bay Beach Resort, the bike to town and back, and the run a five km loop to the Bagalangil Beach Resort and back. Grant placed 6th overall and 3rd in his age division, while Bob had to withdraw due to two flat tires.
Grant, expected to be one of the top competitors in the upcoming Tagaman, commented, “the race was one of the most difficult bike and run courses, however the gracious hospitality of the hosts made it such that we want to go back next year”. Both Bob and Grant invited athletes to compete in Tagaman.
