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

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