XTERRA Saipan Race Report Chapter 5: The Result & The Appreciation

Prize presentation: DD, Yuji Ono and Alex Oviedo

The bonus was that as I crossed the line I still felt strong and, dare I say it, had I needed it, I still had something in the tank too deal with an “emergency”.

The icing on the cake was crossing the line ahead of rather than coming in closely behind Yuji-san as well as being the first age grouper home overall and therefore the Amateur Champion for the event.

Surprised myself & surpassed the challenging expectations I had set

These last two facts have not yet really sunk until this morning when I heard that I have been selected to represent Team GB in my age group at the 2016 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships.

This was been my primary goal for the 1^st half of 2016. The goal now is to step up the training and aim to finish as high as possible for this event and the XTERRA World Championships in Maui this year. This means being inside the top 5 but ideally being on one of the steps of the podium. Yuji-san was 6 minutes and 28 seconds away from doing that in Maui last year so tomorrow this next leg of the journey begins in earnest as I now have a new plan to make me better and stronger.

In closing I’d like to thank the quality team that helped put this event on.

Image source: Saipan SportsFest

People like Eric, Kelly & Kaz at Pivot who organized it. People like Bobbi Grizzard and the team of trail repairers and architects that she inspired to help her prepare the bike and run courses. People like Yuji, Ryan and Charlie that pushed me on to surpass my expectations on the day and all of the other passionate people that came to volunteer and participate in this beautiful but brutal event. Their energy and contribution was invaluable in making it truly a quality experience for me.

I’m aiming on being back next year as a result and am hoping to be better for it just as I am this year. See you soon Saipan and hopefully will see the age group winners and you Yuji-san sooner at XTERRA Malaysia in May.

Langkawi the Jewel of Kedah, Malaysia

Finally, whilst I don’t have any sponsors to thank I really would like to thank all the people that have supported me and believed in me to help me get to Saipan and perform as I have done.

This includes people like my amazing Mother, my beautiful daughters Tabitha and Sorcha and the rest of my family. It also includes others who have become part of my family through our shared passions, values and beliefs. People like Sean, Elsa, Navin, Simon, Paul, Rob, Andrew and Dale and many other friends who have all helped to inspire, motivate and educate me to be the best I can be. Your contributions and thoughts have never gone unnoticed and make a huge difference and I want to end this post by expressing my gratitude to you all for these efforts and gifts that you’ve given me.

Onwards and upwards now to the new summits of Haleakala on Maui & the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia.

Over n Out for now. D