Full of energy and life, Reese is usually not only participating in the races, but also volunteering or working the events. Originally from California and Hawaii, Reese has only been in the Shreveport area for six years, but in that time, she has made her mark in the local running and triathlon community.

She is employed by SportSpectrum, the local running store that directs most of the races in this area. She was also instrumental last year in helping start the inaugural Louisiana Trails races held at Eddie Jones Park last November. All of the years of personal running and her years of experience in the running industry definitely complement each other as she strives to do even more.

Her latest goal is to complete eight ultra-marathons in eight months, or 8 in 8. An ultra marathon is usually considered one if it is at least longer than a full marathon, which is 26.2 miles.

Some common distances of ultra events are 50 kilometers, 50 miles, 100 kilometers and 100 miles. In her quest for eight ultras in eight months that began last October, she has completed six so far. Overall, she has completed 13 ultra marathons, including distances up to 50 miles, and she has completed nine regular marathons. Most of these ultra races have taken her five to six hours to complete.

Not only are the distances greater in ultra events, but they are normally run on challenging trails containing dirt, mud, grass, roots, and rocks.

This is one of the things that appeals to Reese so much as she does all of her running these days on trails, even when training. She likes the constant changing of the terrain and feel of the soft dirt beneath her feet as composed to the hard asphalt and concrete that most of us run on.

When asked what inspired her to do the ultra-marathons, she replied, "It was the personal challenge of taking my running to a new place. My forte is consistency in pacing. Once I get in the groove, I keep on going and going. Not speedy, just steady. That's what ultra running is all about."

She continued, "I love the type of people that do ultras. Very laid back and very experienced. Very positive and very happy. Ultra running is more about crossing the finish line with a smile on your face and not so much about what time you finish. I like that."

Although Reese has only gotten interested in ultras the last five years, she is no stranger to distance running as she has been at it for many years. In fact she has been running since age 19.

It is a "family thing" for her. Her husband of 27 years, Mike, has maintained his level of fitness through the years by running. She also has two sons, Elliot (21) and Riley (16) who are runners as well, including running cross country in high school.

After she completes her 8 in 8 challenge late this spring, Annie will take some time off from the ultras to get some rest and also concentrate on summer triathlons. After that, she plans on hitting the ultras hard again next autumn. She also noted that she would like to push herself and try a longer race of 100 kilometers (63 miles) sometime next winter.

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by Mark Poepsel, KOLD News-13 Reporter
posted 3/29/05

"It was the coolest experience running I ever had," said Pam Reed minutes after completing a 300 mile run that lasted from early Friday morning through Monday afternoon.

It took more than 80 hours, with no sleep.

Along the way, dozens of people ran with her, some would have friends drop them off. They'd jump out of the car and run with her for five or 10 miles.   She was almost never running alone.

"It's really cool people are excited about it. Something that's never been done before," she said.

In all likelihood this type of run has never been tried before.   The Guinness Book of World Records website lists records for distance travelled in one hour, but not for distance run without sleep.

The distance is comparable to  running from Tucson to Yuma, then going another 60 miles.

"I'm amazed  I did it," she said. "I'm amazed at how good my body feels compared to even like a marathon."

Pam runs at an even pace, and she has lots of help.    Besides those who run with her,  she has  a support crew of friends and fellow athletes who help feed her and keep her hydrated.

That group is 50 people in all.

"Pam is just an ordinary person with extraordinary talent. It was wonderful to be with her the past couple hours," said Jeff Balmat, an acquaintance who ran with Pam for 15 miles.

Bob Wolfe was up running with her at 2  a.m. every morning on her 25-mile loop  between the Picacho Peak exit and Marana on the east-site I-10 frontage road.  

"First, she's really a nice person, and she's got incredible amount of talent, never seen anybody with endurance like her," said Wolfe.

She ran into some problems but didn't give up.

"I didn't eat enough the last 25 miles. I forgot 25 miles is 25 miles," she said. "Ihope it inspires a lot of people. Any kind of activity is really good for you, makes you feel good."

Pam's family says she will fly to New York and appear on the Tony Danza show.   60 Minutes featured her this Sunday comparing her with her male counterparts in ultramarathon running.

Besides national TVappearances, she's looking ahead to a handful of marathons in the spring and summer.

Congratulations Pam from the SCMT. What an amazing accomplishment!

BRYAN LEE
Tucson Citizen

Xavier Gallegos / Tucson Citizen Tucsonan Pam Reed is training to run 300 miles - without a sleep break.

Pam Reed is at it again, and this time she's taking it to the limit - if there is such a thing for Tucson's world-renowned ultra distance runner.

Reed, 44, a two-time winner of the Badwater Ultramarathon, the sport's top event, will attempt to run 300 miles without sleep, unprecedented in running annals as far as she knows.

She will attempt the run March 25-28 and hopes to complete it in 72 hours.

That would coincide on March 27 with a tentative CBS-TV "60 Minutes" piece with Lesley Stahl on Reed.

"I had no idea that was going to happen, but I guess it fits in well," said Reed, who was featured on "The CBS Late Show" with David Letterman in 2003.

The reason for the attempt has to do with the success and failure of Californian Dean Karnezes, who won the 135-mile Badwater last summer and stole Reed's thunder, including earning a cover shot on Runner's World magazine. Reed, who set a women's Badwater record in 2002 and won overall in both 2002 and 2003, placed fourth in 2004.

"(Karnezes) had said at the time he had tried to do the 300 miles twice and failed," Reed said. "My husband, Jim, asked me after if I could do it. I thought about it for a day and I'm confident I can. Now it's my goal."

Chuck Giles will lead Reed's extensive support group, as he has in her Badwater efforts, and local runners are invited to run with her at their convenience.

Her route will be the Interstate 10 frontage road starting at Picacho Peak and going south 12.5 miles. The loop is 25 miles and she will attempt to run it 12 times.

"If anybody can do it, Pam can," said Giles, who used to support runners in the Race Across America event. "I know of nobody else. She's run over 220 miles in 48 hours without sleeping. It's amazing what people can do. The thing to be concerned about is circumstances beyond our control - a bad day for her, a turned ankle, weather."

Giles said they picked the Easter weekend because there will be a full moon, it's not likely to be wet, it shouldn't be too hot and there will be less traffic on a motorway which is not heavily trafficked at any time.

"We picked the safest course we could think of," he said.

Reed plans careful preparation, which includes some rest. She dropped out of the Old Pueblo 50 ultra run Saturday after 29 miles - she was defending women's champion - because "it was not right."

"I was becoming depleted and it was foolish and my son was sick at home. Why was I out there?" she asked. "I realize I need to save myself."

After the 300-mile attempt, Reed doesn't plan to slow down. She plans to run in the London Marathon April 17, then travel to the Boston Marathon double (52.4 miles) on April 18.

PAM REED FILE

Age: 44

Height, weight: 5 feet 4, 105 pounds

Family: Husband -  Jim, 43. Children - Timothy, 20; Andrew, 15; Jackson, 9. Stepchildren: Greg, 18, Jonathan, 15

Miles per week: 100 to 120

Workout schedule: Run, 5:30 a.m.; run, 11 a.m.; swim, noon; p.m. run as her schedule allows

Favorite running trail: Alvernon/Pontatoc

Usual running companion: Aspen, her Old English sheepdog

Good luck from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team.

By Triathlete Mag Interactive

April 10, 2005 -- Renata Bucher topped XTERRA superstar Jamie Whitmore, and Olivier Marceau outlasted a remarkable effort by Hideo Fukui en route to winning XTERRA Saipan, on the island of Saipan, a U.S. territory in the western Pacific, on April 9.

XTERRA Saipan consists of a 1.5km ocean swim, a 30km mountain bike that climbs 1,500 feet to the highest point on the island and 12km trail run that winds participants through heavy jungle and into caves used during World War II.

Whitmore's race was complicated when her derailleur was damaged by a stick near mile 15 of the 19-mile bike course. Bucher, a pro duathlete and primary-school teacher in her hometown of Lucerne, Switzerland, came into the race with a reputation as a great cyclist, strong runner but slow swimmer. She placed ninth in Germany last year in her first-ever XTERRA. In Saipan, she lost three-and-a-half minutes to Whitmore on the swim but then posted the fastest bike and run splits and finished with a 13-minute margin of victory.

“My race starts on the bike, and the hills are my strength," said Bucher."I like to stand up because I can push much harder, then I am very casual with the downhills. I always think the uphill is more important, and if I push there then I don't have to race too much on the downhills."

That's exactly how it worked out on a course perfectly suited for that strategy with a 1500-foot climb to the top of Mt. Topatchau. Bucher had made up her swim deficit by the halfway point on the bike and only Fukui and Marceau pedaled faster -- and Bucher did it on a borrowed bike.

“She was standing up cranking, and obviously she had been riding that way up to the point she got me and I wasn't," said Whitmore."I was caught off guard, and I don't know if I was snoozing or what, but it woke me up and for the rest of the bike we were battling it out. She was stronger on the hills. She stood every single climb. The last person I'd ever seen climb like that was Ned Overend, someone that could stand the entire time on a mountain- bike course. I was just kind of blown away."

When the course got technical with twisty, turning steep descents Whitmore would catch up, but then disaster struck when her derailleur was damaged, forcing the defending XTERRA world champ to coast and run to T2. Whitmore was 10 minutes down as she headed out on the run.

“It was just unfortunate luck, and if it would've happened any earlier I would have been done. There was nothing I could do," said Whitmore."It would have been a very interesting run though."

First-year XTERRA pro Ingrid Rolles- a native of South Africa now living in Honolulu, Hawaii- finished 30 minutes behind Bucher, in third. Japanese pros, Mami Saito and Misa Nonaka, rounded out the top five.

Marceau unleashes powerful run

The two-time Swiss Olympian Olivier Marceau (32, living in Cannes, France) needed a course-record run to push past Japanese Olympian Hideo Fukui and win his second straight Saipan title.

“He gave me a hard time," said Marceau."I knew he was a very good swimmer, but I was expecting to stay on his feet. I couldn't because he was just a little bit too fast for me, so I was 20 seconds behind him after the swim."

And for Fukui, who was also second in the inaugural Saipan XTERRA in 2002, the bike went just as well.

“At the beginning of the bike I started to catch him and I thought it was good because he won't stay with me for a long time, but he did," said Marceau."I had a problem with my derailleur after I hit it against a tree, and it wasn't working very well so I couldn't ride as fast as I wanted, but he had a very good bike."

The result was a surprising one-minute advantage for Fukui heading out onto the run.

“I started running very fast to catch him and fortunately for me, but unfortunately for him, he got lost and missed an arrow," said Marceau."So Fukui kept going straight and had to turn around to come back. Then I was running a bit faster so I could break away until the finish, but it was very, very hard."

2003 XTERRA Saipan champion Jason Chalker was in third the entire day, posting the third-fastest swim, fourth-fastest bike and third-best run. At 38, Japanese pro and XTERRA Japan organizer Taro Shirato placed fourth. Yu Yumoto, who was second in 2003, struggled with mechanicals but still managed to finish on the podium in fifth place.

XTERRA Saipan served as a qualifying race for the Nissan Xterra World Championship for athletes from Guam, Japan and Saipan. A total of 25 athletes earned Maui slots.

For the second straight year the top overall amateur male was Whitmore's husband, Courtney Cardenas, of Elk Grove, California, with a time of 3:08:24. The top amateur female was Dawn Hammermeister of Saipan, in 3:52:04. The winning relay team was comprised of Ellen Argo (swim), Derek Horton (bike) and Ryun Mouton (run) of Guam. Their time of 3:09:14 was 10th overall and the best of nine teams in the championship.

Congratulations Renata and Olivier from the SCMT!

2005 XTERRA Saipan Championship. Saipan, 1.5km S/30km B/12km R. April 9, 2005.

Men

1. Olivier Marceau (France), 2:33:47
2. Hideo Fukui (Japan), 2:34:48
3. Jason Chalker (Australia), 2:44:13
4. Taro Shirato (Japan), 3:02:22
5. Yu Yumoto (Japan), 3:06:15
6. Kyosuke Takei (Japan), 3:07:27

Women

1. Renata Bucher (Switzerland), 2:51:40
2. Jamie Whitmore (California), 3:04:45
3. Ingrid Rolles (Hawaii), 3:20:34
4. Mami Saito (Japan), 3:23:57
5. Misa Nonaka (Japan), 3:42:26
6. Yasuko Miyazaki (Japan), 3:45:56
7. Yuko Sasaki (Japan), 3:57:14

Courtesy: press release

LUNA, the original nutrition bar for women, has created the first-ever women's professional triathlon team, the Luna Chix Triathlon Team, featuring Heather Gollnick, Desiree Ficker and Terra Castro. The team was born out of a desire to support female triathletes, both age-groupers and pros, who are making triathlon a way of life.

The new Luna Chix Triathlon Team is comprised of:

Heather Gollnick, three-time Ironman Champion, 2003 Wildflower Champion and Ironman Rookie of the Year, and 2001 national and world Triathlon Champion
Desiree Ficker, two-time Professional Duathlete of the Year, two-time Powerman Alabama Duathlon Champion, and 2001 Professional Rookie Triathlete of the Year.
Terra Castro, 2nd place finisher in the 2004 SOMA Half Ironman and USAT All-American Triathlete.

The team will compete in at least eight races in 2005, wear identical uniforms and share the same sponsors. All three Luna Chix Triathlon Team athletes are slated to compete in Ralph's Half Ironman, IM Arizona, Escape from Alcatraz and, should they all qualify, the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii. The team will be introduced to the public on March 15 at the LUNA bar headquarters in Berkeley, Calif. The event is a special benefit fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Fund, a non-profit which LUNA supports year-round with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the bar.

"The LUNA brand is committed to supporting and empowering women through sport, the arts, and personal health awareness," said Dylan Seguin, manager of Team CLIF Bar at Clif Bar Inc., maker of LUNA. "We help do this by building shared communities of women--like we're doing with the Luna Chix Triathlon Team. It creates a more supportive triathlon environment by incorporating the team elements that help athletes in other sports such as cycling."

Triathlons have experienced strong growth since their emergence 25 years ago. First considered to be a male-dominated sport, triathlons are embraced by men and women alike. In fact, women aged 21-35 now make up the fastest growing demographic within the triathlon market, and numerous new "women only" triathlons are debuted each year.

In addition to being title sponsor of the Luna Chix Triathlon Team, LUNA is the team's official energy food. Made with entirely natural ingredients and containing beneficial amounts of soy protein, calcium and folic acid, plus vitamins A, C, E and B12, LUNA is an ideal pre- and post-race or workout food. Other Luna Chix Triathlon Team sponsors include Oomph! Sports (clothing), Felt Racing (bikes), Ironman Wetsuits, fi'zi:k Saddles, InsideOut Sports (event support), Profile Design (bars and stems), Speedplay (pedals), Rudy Project (helmets and eyewear) and Zipp Wheels.

The Luna Chix Triathlon Team is the second women's professional team created by LUNA. The Luna Women's Mountain Bike Team, a.k.a. Luna Chix, is the only internationally competitive, professional mountain bike team comprised exclusively of women. In 2004 the Luna Chix won four U.S. national titles, including the coveted "Team" classification for the most consistent team on the circuit, male, female or otherwise, as well as 41 individual races in national and international competition.

Congratulations to all team members from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team!

By Press Release

Australia reigned victorious in the inaugural dodo Ironman Western Australia Triathlon, with Queenslander and race favourite, 34-year-old Jason Shortis (pictured right), winning the race strongly, crossing the finishing line in eight hours and 16 minutes. Meanwhile 26-year-old Ironman newcomer and dark horse, Queensland's Rebekah Keat (pictured below), was the first woman across the line, beating women's race favourite New Zealand's Karyn Ballance by 21 minutes, with fellow country woman Fiona Docherty placing third.

23-year-old Pete Jacobs of New South Wales was second across the line with a time of eight hours and 33 minutes, followed by Luke McKenzie of Queensland, who finished in eight hours and 34 minutes.

The day started at 6am with ominous dark clouds and choppy water as more than 800 competitors started the Pura Light Start 3.8km swim of the Ironman held in Busselton yesterday.

Local Wardandi dancers officially opened the days proceedings by performing a traditional smoking ceremony on the beach before thousands of spectators who watched the exciting swim from the excellent vantage point of the historic Busselton Jetty.

A strong swimmer, Jacobs emerged from the water first, conquering the swim in 45 minutes and 25 seconds. McKenzie was close on Jacobs' tail at the end of the swim, with just four seconds between them, closely followed by Western Australia's home-grown Ironman, 23-year-old Steven Bishop of Applecross. Shortis exited the water five minutes in arrears and would lose time early on the 180km bike ride but the experienced Ironman athlete paced himself well and with 60km to ride had made up 2 minutes on the front runners.

Denmark's Lisbeth Kristensen, 32, was the first female to finish the swim with a time of 50 minutes and 43 seconds. Keat was hot on Kristensen's heels, finishing five seconds later. Sophie Delemer of France was the third female to emerge from the water, completing the swim in 50 minutes and 52 seconds.

McKenzie and Jacobs attempted to ‘double team' Shortis riding within a few seconds of each other for the entire ride until Mckenzie broke away with 5 kilometers to go entering the run transition with a minute lead over Jacobs. Shortis would begin the marathon with just a 3 minute deficit to McKenzie and once onto the run Shortis would gain the lead within 9km. Renowned for his run strength, Shortis, who was competing in his 35th ultra distance triathlon, was never challenged, realizing a life long dream - winning an Ironman on home soil.

Keat was the first female to finish the cycle leg with a time of five hours and 35 seconds. She rode solo after Kristensen withdrew from the race approximately 95km into the cycle leg claiming she had no energy left after competing in the World Triathlon Championship held in Kona, Hawaii, six weeks ago. The second woman to finish the cycle was Ballance, followed by Delemer.

Once onto the run, Keat, who started conservatively, built her lead to complete the fastest run time of the day and finish in an incredible nine hours and 3 minutes. In what is the fastest debut Ironman time ever, the emotional Keat added the title Ironman winner to her impressive resume of recent half Ironman victories.

TOP FIVE MALE RESULTS

Pos Name Swim Cycle Run Total

1 Jason SHORTIS 0:50:25 4:40:11 2:45:23 8:16:00

2 Pete JACOBS 0:45:25 4:43:05 3:04:53 8:33:24

3 Luke MCKENZIE 0:45:29 4:42:06 3:06:47 8:34:24

4 Petr VABROUSEK 0:51:02 4:48:30 2:56:52 8:36:25

5 Markus STRINI 0:56:46 4:38:55 3:08:13 8:43:55

TOP FIVE FEMALE RESULTS

Pos Name Swim Cycle Run Total

1 Rebekah KEAT 0:50:48 5:00:35 3:12:12 9:03:37

2 Karyn BALLANCE 1:01:41 5:04:43 3:18:24 9:24:48

3 Fiona DOCHERTY 0:56:11 5:15:47 3:17:21 9:29:21

4 Sophie DELEMER 0:50:52 5:17:06 3:30:57 9:38:56

5 Caroline COOKSLEY 0:59:00 5:23:32 3:18:44 9:41:18

By Jay Prasuhn

In the final trial to see a dream come true, America's top short-course talent showed up in Bellingham, Washington at the Baker's Breakfast Cookie Healthy Start International Triathlon to take on several swirling variables to get the cherished final mens and womens spots on the 2004 Olympic Triathlon team. Sporadic showers and cool temps were the least of their worries.

Alabama Hill, however was.

The steep one kilometer climb along Alabama Street in this small Pacific Northwest town, was lined with fans despite the inclement weather. It was also pivotal in the development of the race.

Susan Williams used the hill to put work into her primary threat, Laura Reback, earn a 2:30 gap on the chasers into T2 and carry it to a third place overall finish behind eventual winner Liz Blatchford of Great Britain and runner-up Barb Lindquist, as well as take the final womens Olympic spot.

Among the men, a tactics game on the bike saw Team Kinesys rider and 2000 Sydney Olympics alternate Victor Plata run away from Brian Fleischmann early in the 10k run to earn the final mens spot.

The three-man breakaway group of Hunter Kemper, Andy Potts and New Zealander-turned-American Matt Reed maintain it through the day to take the three podium spots, Kemper winning with Potts taking second and Reed third.

Williams and Plata join Lindquist and Kemper (qualified in April at the Honolulu Triathlon) as well as Sheila Taormina and Potts (qualified at the May ITU World Championships in Madiera, Portugal as the three-man, three woman squad representing the United States in the 2004 Athens Olympics triathlon

Alabama Hill was part of the six-lap bike course, with a 12 to 14 percent kicker at the top that carried athletes skyward before descending to transition to repeat each lap.

The womens race saw Lindquist, Taormina and Blatchford out with Reback, followed only seconds later by Williams. It was only a mile into the bike when Williams bridged the small gap to join the small five-woman group.

But it was also on that first lap—and the first of six efforts up Alabama Street—that broke Reback. The Floridian started the incline at the front of the group. Williams, noted for her bike, matched, then attacked Reback. Blatchford and Lindquist responded; Reback could not.

Taormina, with nothing at stake, dropped from the race after the first lap of the bike.

Subsequent laps saw Reback continuing to lose time to the three women—and that one Athens spot—up the road. With the next chase pack nearly two minutes behind Reback, she was stuck in no mans land, riding the entire bike alone.

The trio of Blatchford, Lindquist and Williams entered run transition nearly three minutes ahead of Reback, Blatchford immediately set tempo, as Lindquist and Williams strung out just behind her. Blatchford carried the lead to the tape, with Lindquist taking second and Williams earning third—but more importantly, taking the final spot to the Athens Games.

In the mens race, the trio of Potts, Kemper and Reed exited the water with a 20-second lead and worked in synergy. With Kemper and Potts already qualified, there was no impetus for any Americans to reel in the break—so they watched one another.

American hopeful Doug Friman experienced what he described as flat day. Unable to get his heart rate up, he was dropped quickly from the group on lap one of the bike, turning over a large gear on the wet roads as the pack spun away up Alabama Hill.

The chase group saw the remaining group of Athens hopefuls—Plata, Michael Smedley and Fleischmann—among them.

On the penultimate lap of the bike, American Joe Umphenour (numerically unable to qualify following an injury) and New Zealand's Kris Gemmell attacked the group. Fleischmann attempted to go with him, but was marked and reeled in as Umphenour and Gemmell rode away.

With the three lead men—Kemper, Potts and Reed out onto the run three minutes up the road, the race to Athens was among the men in the chase. Into T2 side-by-side, Fleischmann and Plata racked their bike, Fleischmann heading out five seconds ahead of Plata.

Plata quickly pulled next to Fleischmann, then picked up tempo to match pace with Australian Craig Alexander to pull away from Fleischmann, who said he was flagging after expending too much energy on the bike. Plata's strong results at Honolulu (fourth American finisher) and World Championships (fifth American finisher), along with his seventh-place finish secured his ticket to Athens.

2004 Baker's Breakfast Cookie Healthy Start International Triathlon Athens Olympic Qualifier No. 3 June 13, 2004, Bellingham, Wash.

Men

1. Hunter Kemper (USA) 1:55:45

2. Andy Potts (USA) 1:56:15

3. Matt Reed (USA) 1:57:25

4. Joe Umphenour (USA) 2:00:48

5. Kris Gemmell (NZL) 2:01:22

6. Craig Alexander (AUS) 2:02:12

7. Victor Plata (USA) 2:02:18

8. Christoph O'Donnel (USA) 2:03:04

9. Brian Fleischmann (USA) 2:04:10

10. Andy Kelsey (USA) 2:05:29

11. Michael Smedley (USA) 2:07:46

12. Doug Friman (USA) 2:08:36

13. Jeff Sneed (USA) 2:10:15

DNF: Bevan Docherty (NZL), Leandro Macedo (BRA)

Women

1. Liz Blatchford (GBR) 2:06:46

2. Barb Lindquist (USA) 2:07:01

3. Susan Williams (USA) 2:07:17

4. Samantha McGlone (CAN) 2:11:54

5. Laura Reback (USA) 2:12:26

6. Jessi Stensland (USA) 2:12:45

7. Julie Swail (USA) 2:13:20

8. Courtney Benningson (USA) 2:13:20

9. Kelly Cook (USA) 2:13:41

10. Sharon Donnelly (CAN) 2:19:17

11. Carolyn Murray (CAN) 2:19:54

12. Amanda Stevens (USA) 2:23:01

13. Alexis Waddel (USA) 2:24:20

DNF: Sheila Taormina (USA)

By Press Release

U.S. elite triathletes Hunter Kemper and Joanna Zeiger each placed second in the men and women's races on Sunday at the International Triathlon Union World Cup race in Cancun, Mexico.

Kemper (Longwood, Fla.) finished second to France's Cedric Fleureton, who completed the 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run in 1 hour, 54 minutes, 1 second. Kemper, who had the fastest run of the day in 31.56, finished the race in 1:54:14. Britain's Tim Don was third in 1:54:30.

U.S. elite Mark Fretta (Portland, Ore.) led the race out of the second transition and went on to finish fourth in 1:54:37. Teammate Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, Wash.) was sixth. Victor Plata (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), a 2004 Olympian along with Kemper, finished 12th in 1:56:16.

In the women's race, Zeiger (Boulder, Colo.) rode with the lead pack on the bike, and led off and on during the run before Germany's Anja Dittmer finally pulled away. Dittmer, who leads the World Cup rankings, finished first in 2:05:51. Zeiger was second in 2:06:07 and Sandra Soldan of Brazil was third in 2:06:24.

Julie Swail (Irvine, Calif.) rode with the leaders on the bike, but didn't keep up on the run and finished 14th.

The final ITU World Cup race of the season will be Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kemper, Zeiger and Fretta are all expected to compete.

USA Triathlon is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. For more information on this and other stories related to USA Triathlon, please contact communications and media relations manager B.J. Evans at 719-597-9090, ext. 105 or at [email protected]. USA Triathlon's web site is www.usatriathlon.org.

ITU World Cup

Oct. 31, 2004; Cancun, Mexico

Women 1. Anja Dittmer (Germany) 2:05:51 2. Joanna Zeiger (Boulder, Colo.) 2:06:07

3. Sandra Soldan (Brazil) 2:06:24

4. Samantha McGlone (Canada) 2:06:35

5. Liz Blatchford (Great Britain) 2:06:47

6. Ana Burgos (Spain) 2:06:53

7. Carol Montgomery (Canada) 2:07:22

8. Nadia Cortassa (Italy) 2:07:32

9. Jill Savege (Canada) 2:07:54

10. Tara Ross (Canada) 2:08:05

Other U.S. Finisher

14. Julie Swail (Irvine, Calif.)

Men 1. Cedric Fleureton (France) 1:54:01

2. Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla.) 1:54:14

3. Tim Don (Great Britain) 1:54:37

4. Mark Fretta (Portland, Ore.) 1:54:37

5. Volodymyr Polikarpenko (Ukraine) 1:54:42

6. Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, Wash.) 1:54:46

7. Daniil Sapunov (Kazakhstan) 1:54:55

8. Stuart Hayes (Great Britain) 1:55:10

9. Samuel Pierreclaud (France) 1:55:17

10. Dmitriy Gaag (Kazakhstan) 1:55:41

Other U.S. Finishers

12. Victor Plata (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) 15. Andy Kelsey (Cupertino, Calif.) 16. Doug Friman (Tucson, Ariz.) 27. Derek Kite (Malibu, Calif.)

By [email protected]

Eneko Llanos of Spain and Jamie Whitmore of California won their respective pro divisions at the 9th annual Nissan Xterra World Championship on the south shore of Maui Sunday.

The morning of off-road triathlon‚s greatest day started with exactly 50 pro men and 28 pro women standing side-by-side with 377 amateur athletes on the cool sand of Wailea Beach until the cannon blast at 9:00 a.m. sent them plunging into crystal clear and calm turquoise waters for the first of two 750-meter laps.

Jan Sibbersen of Germany navigated the Pacific Ocean course faster than anyone for the second straight year, posting the top swim split at 18:45. A 1-kilometer uphill run to the swim-to-bike transition negated much of his early advantage, along with many of the other strong swimmers, as the sprinters positioned themselves for the punishing 32-kilometer mountain bike course.

The Maui course changed significantly for the first time since it‚s inception in 1996, adding a new transition area for both T1 and T2 (bike-to-run), a relentless up and down new bike section towards the end of the ride, and a calf-burning mountain climb and ankle twisting descent on the run.

"This was the hardest this race course has ever been," said last year‚s champ and this year‚s runner-up Melanie McQuaid. "Straight from the swim, the run to transition went to a hard bike ride. It got really hard, really early and there was a lot of suffering going on out there." Indeed there was. Among the men‚s favorites Olivier Marceau got a flat and crashed, Nicolas LeBrun got a flat, Conrad Stoltz broke a pedal, Sylvain Dodet ran out of energy fighting a bad back, Peter Reid crashed, and countless others did the same, bonked, or worse.

Except Eneko Llanos, who for the second straight year was solid all day long. The defending champ posted the fifth fastest swim, second best bike and third strongest run of the day, and his winning time of 2:28:44 was a minute better than Marceau.

"He's just really well-rounded and good at everything. He's even good in the heat, you just can't give him an inch," added fifth-place finisher Justin Thomas.

When asked what was the key to victory Llanos responded by saying "all the race," and then noted that Marceau's flat towards the end of the bike also played a big part.

Marceau took the lead on the bike very early in the course and widened the gap as the race went along - it was his strategy. His climbing skills, the same that he showed to a worldwide audience at the Athens Olympics, were on display once again ˆ although this time on a different bike and dirty trails.

"This race was my goal after Olympics and I knew I had to go hard on the bike because Eneko was such a good runner," said Marceau. "I was trying to break away and it was working but bad luck I had this flat tire about 5k to go and finished with a flat."

After leading for about 18 miles of the 20 mile course Marceau surrendered the lead to Llanos just a mile or so before T2. "I realized my tire was getting flatter and flatter and I crashed because of that so I stopped to try to fix it and it didn‚t work. I knew it was the end of the bike and I thought it was not worth to change the tube so I kept going carefully with a flat tire and Eneko passed me," explained Marceau. "I lost about 1 min. 40 seconds with that flat tire, but it's part of the race. To win here you have to be a bit lucky and I wasn't today. I'm happy with second place and Eneko deserved to win it."

Marceau went out onto the run about 40 seconds back, and ran at the same clip as the speedy Llanos (who was 20th in Athens) to hold on to second place and the $15,000 paycheck that goes with it.

On his tail was rising American star Josiah Middaugh. He came out of the water almost three minutes behind the leaders, got 30 seconds back on the 0.7 mile sprint to transition, then pedaled his way to the fastest bike split of the day, churning out the 32k in 1:27:12. It's the fourth time in five championship races this year that he's had the best bike time.

"Faster swim and a faster run and I could‚ve won this race," joked Middaugh.

Dominic Gillen had unquestionably the best XTERRA race of his career to finish in fourth. Retired from full-time professional racing - instead working a steady job and paying rent - Gillen used the fresh legs to his advantage.

Justin Thomas finished in fifth despite grinding through a season of injuries. He was third here last year and sixth the year before.

WHITMORE'S "ICING ON THE CAKE"

The last two season's Jamie Whitmore had won almost everything - three straight XTERRA U.S. Pro Points Series crowns, two XTERRA European Tour titles, she even became XTERRA‚s all-time winningest athlete - but she'd never won Maui. The last two years she'd been favored coming in, and left the runner-up.

Now she's got it all. Twenty-one career wins, 10 this year alone, and the grand daddy of them all - Worlds.

It didn't come easy.

Melanie McQuaid came in with the belt, had the better swim (by about 30 seconds), and powered through the bike course in 1:45:09 - second only to Melissa Thomas‚ incredible ride of 1:41:02.

"The first time I crashed, I was sweating it a little bit," said Whitmore. "I was flying downhill and staying real loose but fell victim to the plunge and went down. I was riding through a whole bunch of really big rocks and my front wheel nailed one of them and threw me to the side. I fell on the derailleur side so I was worried about what I did to my bike, got a little flustered and the next thing I know I go down again. I don't even know how it happened, but I flipped over the handlebars and face planted, or the bike hit me and shoved my face into the ground, I'm not sure - but it knocked me a little silly. So at that point, I was pretty hurt."

Hurt, and thinking McQuaid is slipping away (which she was).

"When I started back up a bunch of guys kept encouraging me as they were riding by saying 'keep going, keep going, you can do it‚'" recounted Whitmore. "Then Melissa passed me and told me to hang in there. When she said that, I felt like I had to."

Despite the nasty falls Whitmore had the fourth best bike time and went out on to the run less than three minutes behind McQuaid. She got a glimpse of her rival heading out onto the run while she headed into transition, and at that point knew she was in striking distance.

On the other side of the coin, McQuaid was having problems of her own.

"Today I was going as hard as I could but I didn't have that 'I‚m going to win today' feeling‚ and you know when you have it - you think you‚re going to rip everyone's legs off - and I was'‚t ripping legs off. My own legs wanted to leave me behind," said McQuaid.

It wasn't until the run that they did leave her, however. The new course has a lot of up and down, and turning an ankle at the top made it that more difficult for her to come down.

"Jamie had a great day and ran strong, she was turning it over on the downhill and I wasn't. I couldn't turn it over on the downhill. I was blowing going up the hill and coming down the hill, and because I wasn't right I turned my ankle and was hurting on the downhill so I was losing time all the way downhill," said McQuaid.

A steep, rutted out loose rock section called Heartbreak Hill, about half-way through the 8.5k run course is where the lead changed hands. Jamie was at the top of the section when she saw McQuaid below.

"When I saw Melanie I knew I could win the race. All of a sudden whatever hurt, didn't hurt anymore, and I just started charging as hard as I could to catch her."

That she did, and even put on another three minutes making for a comfortable stroll down victory lane.

In what turned out to be a good equipment move, Melissa Thomas blistered the bike course with 29-inch wheels.

"I was going so fast on the downhill it was unbelievable. That 29'er is so good on the rocks - climbing and descending. I really think my bike helped me a lot," said Thomas. "For me to beat Jamie and Melanie, though, I'd have to run more and I hate to run. I like these events don't mind swimming and love to bike, but I hate running."

Danelle Kabush, who ran the 1500 in college, took advantage of that to pass Thomas in the last half-mile of the run to finish in third. It was just her second-ever XTERRA (along with the Canada Championship in August).

XTERRA Germany Champion Katrin Helmcke rounded out the podium in fifth and as with the men's race, the women‚s field encountered its fair share of heartbreak, punctuated by 2002 World Champ Candy Angle's crash during the plunge that left her bruised and battered. Angle, a pre-race favorite, finished ninth.

THE DOUBLE:   Canada's Peter Reid, who placed second at the Ironman Championship in Kona last week, placed 16th overall today and won his fifth Hawaiian Airlines "Double" Award in seven years (including the last three). His combined time was 11:27:59 (8:43:40 in Kona and 2:44:19 in Maui). Another Canadian, Heather Fuhr, who placed 3rd at Ironman last week ˆ won the women's pro double in 13:18:17 (9:56:19 and 3:21:58). It‚s the second straight Double title for Fuhr. Hawaiian Airlines awarded $2,500 cash to both.

In the amateur division Giuseppe Solla from Quartu Santelana, Italy completed the Ironman in 9:50:14 and XTERRA in 2:54:01 for a combined winning time of 12:44:15. On the women‚s side Claudia Frank from Vauey, Germany tallied an 11:15:24 and a 3:18:30 for a total of 14:33:54. Solla and Frank will receive round trip airfare on Hawaiian Airlines from the West Coast to Maui.

2004 Nissan Xterra World Championship Results ($130,000 Pro Purse)

Men

1. Eneko Llanos (SPA) 2:28:44

2. Olivier Marceau (FRA) 2:29:45

3. Josiah Middaugh (USA) 2:33:28

4. Dominic Gillen (USA) 2:33:53

5. Justin Thomas (USA) 2:34:31

6. Nicolas LeBrun (FRA) 2:36:58

7. Sylvain Dodet (FRA) 2:38:26

8. Hektor Llanos (SPA) 2:39:04

9. Jimmy Archer (USA) 2:40:39

10. Robert Latschen (AUT) 2:40:41

Women

1. Jamie Whitmore (USA) 3:01:35

2. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 3:04:25

3. Danelle Kabush (CAN) Canada 3:05:19

4. Melissa Thomas (USA) 3:05:38

5. Katrin Helmcke (GER) 3:07:43

6. Sibylle Matter (SWI) 3:08:17

7. Erika Csomor (HUN) 3:14:14

8. Lynley Allison (NZL) 3:15:28

9. Candy Angle (USA) 3:16:34

10. Stefania Bonazzi (ITA) 3:16:19

NISSAN XTERRA WORLD CHAMPIONS (FEMALE AGE GROUP)

Division Name Time Hometown

15 - 19 Jana Chocholova 4:22:29 Hluboka, Czech Republic

20 - 24 Suzi Snyder 3:36:03 Springfield, Massachusetts

25 - 29 Amber Monforte 3:21:29 Reno, Nevada

30 - 34 Ingrid Rolles 3:15:23 Honolulu, Hawaii

35 - 39       Birgit Johnston 3:27:32 Los Gatos, California

40 - 44 Josie Sinclair 3:42:25 Epsom, Australia

45 - 49 # Barbara Peterson                     3:43:21 Berkeley, California

50 - 54 ! Lorenn Walker 4:08:27 Waialua, Hawaii

55 - 59 $ Wendy Minor 4:40:23 Honolulu, Hawaii

# Two-time Nissan Xterra World Champ, $ Four-time Nissan Xterra World Champion

! Five-time Nissan Xterra World Champ, Top Amateur Female

NISSAN XTERRA WORLD CHAMPIONS (MALE AGE GROUP) Division Name Time Hometown

15 - 19 # Taylor Tolleson 2:51:56 Pacific Grove, California

20 - 24 Petr Vejvoda 2:59:41 Liberec, Czech Republic

25 - 29 Jim Vance 2:45:06 San Diego, California

30 - 34 # Matt Boobar 2:53:17 Plymouth, New Hampshire

35 - 39 Curt Chesney 2:46:38 Boulder, Colorado

40 - 44 * Tom Lyons 2:59:04 Reno, Nevada

45 - 49 Bruce Wilson 3:11:10 Temecula, California

50 - 54 Chris Robinson 3:45:46 Vancouver, Washington

55 - 59 * Kent Robison 3:23:27 Reno, Nevada

60+ Peter Wood 3:44:18 La Jolla, California

65+ Armin Beyrich 4:09:36 Eresing, Germany

# Two-time Nissan Xterra World Champ, * Three-time Nissan Xterra World Champion, Top Amateur Male

By Press Release

Picture perfect Rocky Mountain conditions with blue skies and cool breezes greeted another stellar field for the second-of-four big events in the Nissan Xterra National Championship Series.   The race was as exhilarating as the weather, with Middaugh - the young up-and-comer - shocking a strong contingent of international superstars by posting the fastest bike split of the day and holding on during the run for his first-ever major victory in the sport.

It's the first win for an American in the last 12 XTERRA Championship races, and how it all unfolded made for a truly memorable day.

Middaugh came out of the water in 20th place, nearly two full minutes behind XTERRA Italy champ David Henestrosa from Spain, and more than a minute-and-a-half behind Conrad"the Caveman" Stoltz and Richmond winner Sylvain Dodet.   In his first pro race Hawaii's Chad Seymour had the fastest swim.

"It was my best swim ever," said Middaugh, who's also a two time national snowshoe champion.  "I was still two minutes behind the leaders but was ahead of Justin Thomas, and with Tyler Johnson, and some of the other guys that are usually a minute ahead of me, so I knew I had a good swim and I just had to put everything else together."

Did he ever.  In what was universally attributed to his familiarity with the altitude (lives half-hour away in Vail and likely rode the course more, and traveled less, than anyone) Middaugh peeled off one rider after another during the 2,000-foot climb to the Summit of Keystone Mountain at more than 11,000 ft. elevation.

More impressive was what he did when he got there.   Dodet, LeBrun, Henestrosa, and Justin Thomas were all within striking distance (30 seconds or so) at the top- until Middaugh started down.

“I knew I could bomb the downhill because I've been riding the course and I was going to go as hard as I could down that hill.   I bombed everything pretty good," he said.   His split was 1:12:19, a minute-thirty faster than the second–best split put up by Justin Thomas.   LeBrun estimated that he put 1:30 on him and Dodet during the descent.

“He was just in front of me and every time I saw him he'd go a little faster, and I kept saying,"Who is this guy".   I catch Sylvain and only two guys ahead but they are very close like 20 seconds at the summit, but he put a lot on the downhill," said LeBrun.  â€œI didn't want to play with my luck by going very hard on the downhill and risk losing everything.   But I think Josiah was very, very strong today.   He was great in the altitude."

By the time the chase pack got to the bike-to-run transition Middaugh had been on the run course for more than two minutes.   Still, it was not a comfortable cushion.

“I was excited when I got off the bike and had a big lead but then when I saw who was coming, I was like, oh crap, because I knew that Henestrosa, Sylvain, Justin and Nico can post run times two minutes faster than mine sometimes.   I knew if I ran hard I could give up a minute, but that was about it."

The thin air would work in Middaugh's favor, however.   Henestrosa was the closest, followed by Thomas and then the two Frenchmen.   Dodet and LeBrun pulled in Thomas quickly, and Nico dropped Dodet at the climbing section midway through the run.   The ensuing cat-and-mouse game with LeBrun and Henestrosa that followed could have cost both the win.

“When I caught Henestrosa I thought he could run very fast and I was afraid about him at the end so I tried not to run faster than I could because I knew he could stay with me and then maybe go faster at the end for the win," said LeBrun, the 2004 XTERRA Czech Champion.  "Maybe that's why I lost the race."

They both had Middaugh in sight, but while they worried about each other Josiah kept going right on through the finish arch filled with hometown fans.

LeBrun, who won the XTERRA Czech Championship three weeks ago, turned it on in the last half-mile to come in second.   Nico is currently second in both the XTERRA European Tour (with only XTERRA Germany remaining) and XTERRA U.S. Series standings.   He trails 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Jan Rehula in Europe, and friend Dodet in the U.S.

Henestrosa, who racing in just his third-ever XTERRA led on the bike all the way until the summit, placed third.   Only 27 seconds separated the top three.

Dodet held on for fourth place and now leads the pro series after two events with 175 points, and Justin Thomas finished on the podium once again despite racing with a leg injury.

“I suffered like a dog on the run," he said.  "I had a pretty good descent on the mountain bike and came into t2 in third and was telling myself just to get top 5 and I'd be pleased.   It's probably the hardest top five I've ever had so I'll take it."

He now has five straight podium finishes, and currently sits 4th in the XTERRA European Tour Standings.

Stoltz had an admittedly bad day but still finished sixth- five minutes behind Middaugh.   Greg Krause from Denver, in his second XTERRA as a pro, had an impressive day finishing 7th.   Australian Jason Chalker, and Colorado standouts Ryan Ignatz and Brian Smith rounded out the top 10.