First Xterra, and now the Tagaman race

Competing in the tortuous XTERRA triathlon was not enough for Janet King and Joshua Manglona... they decided to compete in the Tagaman triathlon this weekend during the Flame Tree festival!

Belive it or not, Tagaman consisted of a much longer route than the

XTERRA: a 2-km swim, a 60-km bike, and a 15-km run. Joshua Manglona

had a chance to meet all the pro athletes who came to Saipan to

participate in the race, which was a highlight for him.

The Tagaman Triathlon draws its name and inspiration from the Taga,

the legendary leader of the aboriginal Chamorro people and the

immense hand-carved stones that bare his name and are still the

symbol of his proud descendents.



Joshua is pictured above with Renata Bucher and Jim McConnel.

Renata Bucher of Switzerland is the top woman triathlete in this

year's XTERRA and TAGAMAN individually and as combined events

(called he PIC Double Award, given to the athlete with the fastest

combined XTERRA Saipan Championship and Tagman triathlon times).

Renata is a six-time women's XTERRA Saipan winner, and she also

placed top in TAGAMAN.

Jim McConnel of the U.K. was sixth overall in XTERRA last weekend.

In the 2007 XTERRA Jim finished fifth. This year in TAGAMAN he came

in fifth in his division.

For Janet King, the highlight was bringing home a medal from

TAGAMAN for her mom!



Janet was on a relay team: there was a swimmer (Andrew Kimball) who

swam the 2-km, then Janet biked the 60-km, then there was a runner

(John Douglas) who ran the 15-km. There were 18 relay teams, and the

team Janet was part of came in Third!

Janet says her mom sees these sports competitions as motivation to

exercise her own body. The left side of Janet's mom's body -- her

arm and legs -- were affected by a stroke and brain hemorrhage about

2 1/2 years ago. But she's doing better and better.

Congratulations to Janet for her third-place finish!