Allen, Slack grab XTERRA Guam
Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack struck again and won the XTERRA Guam Championship event in beautiful conditions. Allen had a close battle with Dan Hugo until the end of the bike, and Slack managed to take the lead right at the start.
The men
Defending champion Ben Allen was first out of the water in 19:06 with Brit Rorie Downie and South African Dan Hugo a few seconds behind him.
Once on the bikes Allen and Hugo rode away from the other competitors but neither athlete could shake the other. When it was all said and done, the best bike split of the day belonged to Hugo who managed a very fast 1:24:29, but Allen was right there with him with a split that was only 4 seconds slower.
The fast Aussie then put the hammer down during the run and recorded a race best 39:22 time to take the win and sweep the March Triple Crown for the second straight year. Hugo held on to second place and fellow South African Bradley Weiss grabbed third place.
"I felt good at the start of the run and just went for it, went as hard as I could from the get go," said Allen.
"It’s great to be racing again, but the story today starts and ends with Ben," said Hugo. "That was a pretty flawless effort. I can look in the mirror tonight and I’m OK with who I’ll see. There is disappointment because I wish the body had enough to win. It would’ve been great to end the trip that way, but Ben raced not just flawlessly, but confidently and positively. We rode together and he was happy to come to the front, happy to make the plays."
The women
Jacqui Slack started the day with a 21:22 swim that bested her likely fiercest challenger and defending XTERRA Guam champion Renata Bucher by more than 2:30 and give her a nice advantage for the upcoming bike segment.
Slack's 1:41:39 was only bested by Bucher who had a race best 1:40:44, but most other competitors were now out of the picture.
"I’m really happy with way things have come along. I think my mountain bike and running skills have improved heaps," said Slack. "Last year Renata caught me early on in the bike, so every minute that went by and she wasn’t there was major motivation to keep me going."
And going she did indeed. Slack reached the second transition with a solid lead and then added another minute to her advantage during the run with a 49:43 effort. Bucher held on to second place and Darelle Parker rounded out the podium.
XTERRA Guam Championships
Piti, Guam / March 23, 2013
Top men
1. Ben Allen (AUS) 2:23:01
2. Dan Hugo (RSA) 2:26:48
3. Bradley Weiss (RSA) 2:36:06
4. Sam Gardner (GBR) 2:37:48
5. Rory Downie (GBR) 2:39:44
Top women
1. Jacqui Slack (GBR) 2:52:44
2. Renata Bucher (SUI) 2:55:35
3. Darelle Parker (GBR) 3:01:05
4. Daz Parker (GBR) 3:06:33
5. Mieko Carey (JAP) 3:12:59
