Whitmore lends championship experience

Almost 50 people gathered at the Napu Room of the Pacific Islands Club on Monday evening to hear reigning world champion and three-time XTERRA Saipan Champ Jamie Whitmore speak about the benefits of pre-race preparation, and the best ways to get ready for an outing as a part of the continuing Saipan Sports Fest.

For some, Whitmore’s advice on preparing for the three disciplines of triathlon was their window to the world of multi-sport, while other listened for ways to improve upon years of training for competitive racing.

The professional noted that she focuses the preparation for each of her races specifically to meet the upcoming challenge. For races like the XTERRA that feature two-lap swims with a short beach run in between, Whitmore advised to train by taking a jaunt down the beach or a run around the pool before returning to the water for the second lap.

“Try to simulate the way your race is going to be. If you teach your body, you’re not going to get a shock on race day,” she said.

The world-class triathlete fielded questions from relative newcomers to the world of multi-sport as well as the seasoned vets from Saipan, Guam, and the mainland, and offered her advice free of charge during the roughly 90-minute class.

Whitmore noted that the local triathletes should take advantage of living in a location that hosts an XTERRA race by getting to know the course well in advance of race day. Though most of the all-terrain course is on private land, a good portion of the trails are accessible all year, provided they are kept clear during the off-season.

Whitmore stressed the importance of brick workouts, or combining two of the disciplines during a training session. “The swim is good too, but train for the run after the bike. Even if you only run for 10 minutes after a long ride it will make all the difference in the your race,” said the reigning world champ.

For those looking to improve their level of fitness and time during races, Whitmore said to train with people who are a little bit faster, but not so much faster that they leave you behind. Though the challenge may be a bit daunting, Whitmore said that the benefits of training up would be worth the extra effort.

Whitmore also explained some of the highs and lows of her racing career, and explained that even at her worst moments that she would never quit on a race unless there was an overriding risk of injury. She said that by following this mind set that she has won races in situations, which were less than ideal.

“Don’t ever give up because you don’t know what’s going to happen. You never know how your competition’s doing,” said Whitmore.