Austrian pro joining XTERRA Saipan, wants home stay set-up

An Austrian professional triathlete has expressed interest in competing in the 2009 XTERRA Saipan Championship.

In an email posted at the unofficial website of the Northern Mariana Islands Triathlon Federation, Ulli Katzer said he will be starting his global tour next year and is planning to make a stop on Saipan.

The XTERRA Saipan Championship will be held on April 18 next year.

Ulli Katzer just turned pro this year, racing alongside good friend and three-time XTERRA Saipan Championship winner Renata Bucher.

The 41-year-old Katzer is a native of Anger, a municipality in the district of Weiz in Styria, Austria. Styria is located southeast of Austria and the second largest of the nine Austrian states.

The Austrian pro is ranked 32nd among 40 pros in the European rankings with his 31 ranking points. Katzer gained ranking points from the XTERRA Czech Republic held on June 29 this year.

France’s Nicolas Lebrun leads the European ranking with 400 points, while four-time XTERRA Saipan winner Olivier Marceau of Switzerland is ranked sixth with 231 points.

Bucher is the top European women’s pro with her 300 points. Katzer was last year’s top finisher in the men’s 40 to 49 age group competition in the XTERRA World in Maui, Hawaii. He completed the race in three hours, two minutes, and two seconds.

Katzer timed in at 23:48 in the swim leg, 1:48:54 in the bike portion, and 49:20 in the run part. Katzer defeated 56 other participants in his age group and was ranked 43rd among the 466 finishers in the 2007 XTERRA World.

The Austrian pro in the same email said he is looking for a home stay arrangement during the XTERRA Saipan Championships. He will be arriving on Saipan on April 15 and will stay on island until April 20.

Katzer is one of the several off-island participants who are expected to seek shelter from Saipan residents or fellow triathletes for cost-cutting measures.

Next year’s festivities for the XTERRA Saipan Championship will run from April 15 to 26. Major events for the weeklong fun and activity would be the XTERRA University (April 15); XTERRA Saipan Championship on April 18, 2009; Tagaman Triathlon on April 25, 2009, and simultaneously the Taga Kids Triathlon.

The XTERRA Saipan Championship is a qualifier for the XTERRA World Championships to be held in Maui on Oct. 2009. There will be 34 qualifying slots to be awarded.