Elite field seen for 2013 XTERRA Off-road Triathlon Series

Expect tough competition among the elite triathletes who will be gunning for spots in the XTERRA World Championships in Maui, Hawaii, when the 2013 Vaseline Men XTERRA Off-road Triathlon Series reels off in Liloan, Cebu on March 2 and 3. Organizer Fred Uytengsu, the president of the Sunrise Events, Inc., said that top XTERRA triathletes from around the globe are converging in Cebu to vie for the 40 age-group spots for the XTERRA World Championships. "We are again expecting the participation of world-class triathletes this year. They may not be household names but in the triathlete world, these athletes are highly respected," said Uytengsu during Tuesday's media launching at a hotel in Makati City. Notable among those who are competing in the professional category on March 2 for the XTERRA Philippine Championship are defending titlist Ben Allen from Australia, Oliver Marceau of France, Dan Hugo of South Africa, Sam Gardner of Great Britain, Matt O'Halloran of Canada, Rory Downie of Scotland, Bradley Sean Weiss of South Africa and Shahrom Abdullah of Malaysia. Allen is a huge favorite to win anew this year following his awesome 2012 season, which saw him winning five XTERRA world tour races and two second-place finishes, one of which was at the US National Championships. Marceau, a two-time Olympian who competed for France and Switzerland in the Summer Games' triathlon event, is expected to crowd Allen for the top spot. Gardner is also a favorite for a podium finish, as shown by his 2011 results, which saw him winning the inaugural XTERRA Philippines and the XTERRA Saipan. Hugo, who regularly competes in the XTERRA world tour, together with O'Halloran, Weiss and Abdullah are expected too to fight for podium finishes in the third edition of the XTERRA Philippines. However, the spotlight will also be on Downie, the current Scottish and European Under-23 Cross Triathlon Champ. In the women's professional category, defending champion Renata Bucher, Jacqui Slack from Great Britain, Lesley Peterson and Carina Wasle of South Africa are considered as the contenders for the top spot. Bucher finished as runner-up in the 2011 edition of the XTERRA Philippines and won the title last year, making her an easy favorite to repeat. Like Bucher, Slack is a consistent winner in the XTERRA tour, conquering the Italy and New Zealand XTERRA World Tour races, while placing second in several competitions like the Phillippines and Saipan XTERRA World Tour stops. Paterson is likewise a competitive triathlete, having won the XTERRA World Tour races in Maui, Alabama, Utah and the USA series championship event. Uytengsu said that there will be two XTERRA events on March 2 - the XTERRA Lite and the XTERRA Philippines championships. The XTERRA Lite is a 500-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and a 5-kilometer run event while, the XTERRA Philippines Championship is a  grueling 1.5-kilometer swim, 35-kilometer bike and a 10-kilometer run.   The next day, March 3, there will be trail runs, which will cover the 21, 10 and 5-kilometer distances for both the male and female categories. Uytengsu added that top age group finishers in the 21k trail run can qualify for the world championships for the XTERRA Trail Run slated in Hawaii this year. "Before this year's edition, we usually hold the trail run prior to the triathlon, but many triathletes want to also compete in the trail run [so] we decided to hold the trail run on the last day," Uytengsu explained. - AMD, GMA News