Marceau, Bucher win PIC Double

The Swiss duo of Olivier Marceau and Renata Bucher capped a memorable stay on Saipan Saturday by winning the Pacific Islands Club Double, which is awarded to the man and woman with the fastest combined time from the 2005 XTERRA Saipan Championship and the 16th Annual Tagaman Triathlon.

Both events have grown in popularity, earning the respect of many due to its intense requirements, and what makes a Double win even sweater is that the events are held just seven days apart.

Marceau and Bucher displayed just how durable they are, and were rightfully recognized for their efforts during an awards banquet Saturday night at the PIC beachside.

Marceau, who also competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics, was as dominant as last year, taking top honors in both events by posting a combined time of 5:31:31 after completing the rigorous XTERRA Saipan in 2:33:47 and the long Tagaman in 2:57:44.

“I’m quite happy,” he said. “My aim was to win the double which I did, and I’m having a good time on Saipan, just enjoying.”

For Marceau, also known to many on Saipan as the Swiss Machine, the win is nothing new after taking home the same award a year ago, setting the bar at the inaugural season with a combined time of 5:16:17. He topped the XTERRA in 2:33:20 and the Tagaman in 2:42:57.

Australia’s Jason Chalker, who won the XTERRA Saipan in 2003, posted the second-best combined time. He finished third in this year’s XTERRA with a time of 2:44:13 and did the Tagaman in 3:00:01 for a combined time of 5:44:14.

Bucher, whose visit was her first on Saipan, had a tough battle with three-time XTERRA Saipan champion Jamie Whitmore before moving ahead and winning in a record 2:51:40. The previous record of 3:04.31was set by Whitmore in 2004.

She then finished behind Whitmore in the Tagaman at 3:22:31, still good enough for the Double with a combined 6:14:11.

Whitmore, who won the Double last year, settled for a runner-up finish in a time of 6:16:50. She, however, still has a hold of the Double record at 6:07:32 when she completed the XTERRA in 3:04:31 and the Tagaman in 3:03:01.

With the Double win, Marceau and Bucher each earned $500 and six-days, five-nights stays at the PIC, as well as free roundtrip tickets to and from the island for next year’s Saipan Sports Fest.

Both had earlier expressed their interest in returning to defend their crown.

“It feels great, I’m so happy,” Bucher said earlier. “It’s beautiful to be here. I found such good friends and such nice people.”

In all, 33 triathletes tackled this year’s Double test.