Bucher and Noble to defend titles in 2009

Australia’s Andrew Noble and Switzerland’s Renata Bucher will be back to defend their XTERRA Saipan Championship and Tagaman Triathlon titles next year during the 2009 Saipan Sportsfest.

Taga Inc. president Wolf Mojica confirmed the participation of the two and added that other world-class athletes will challenge them in the multi-sport races.

“We have confirmed that Renata Bucher and Andrew Noble will defend their titles.We have at least one athlete from Japan who has registered for both events—the Pacific Islands Club Double—and we have registrations from Japan, Hong Kong, and Saipan,” he said.

Noble and Bucher completed their Saipan Sportsfest sweep winning the 7th XTERRA Saipan Championships and the 19th Tagaman Triathlon en route to taking home the PIC Double last year.

Noble’s combined time from the two races was 5:41:16, while Bucher won her second PIC Double in three years after logging in a total time of 6:38:20. She also won in 2005.

The XTERRA Saipan Championship, considered the crown jewel of the XTERRA Global Tour, and the Tagaman Triathlon, the longest-running endurance race in the western Pacific, will be held in back-to-back weekends in April.

The 8th XTERRA Saipan Championship will be held on April 18, while the 20th Tagaman Triathlon is set for April 25.

The 1.5-kilometer swim, 30-km bike, and 12-km run XTERRA Saipan Championship treats world class triathletes to a swim in the clear warm waters of the Philippine Sea, a bike on coral roads and single-track of Saipan, and a run through jungle and caves while passing World War II relics. The race starts and ends at Micro Beach.

The 2-km swim, 60-kim bike, and 15-km run Tagaman, meanwhile, begins at Pacific Islands Club and traverses the entire 15-mile length of the island of Saipan. Participants will swim the azure waters of the southern end of the island off the Pacific Islands Resort and Hotel.

The bike race is a scenic course that traverses the entire length of the island. The run is through the white sands of the western coastline, through the historic American Memorial Park and finish at Micro Beach.

Aside from the XTERRA Saipan Championship and Tagaman Triathlon, the 2009 Saipan Sportsfest will also feature the annual Sophia Walk, an XTERRA bike race, and the always popular Taga Kids.