The husband and wife team of Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack-Allen will try to keep it all in the family when they compete in the XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon Asia Pacific Championship which fires off Sunday in Danao, Cebu.
The globe-trotting adventure race couple of Jacky Boisset and Myriam Guillot-Boisset of France as well as Brodie Gardner and partner Kate Schultz of Australia will likewise compete for the XTERRA men’s and women’s titles.
The pairs will try to foil Bradley Weiss and Carina Wasle’s back-to-back title drive and pull off a rare sweep by a couple of the cross country competition.
XTERRA is a race unlike any other. It is not so much a contest but more a commune with nature. The Allens said they find XTERRA to be more than just a competition but an experience to be savored. A double victory for any of the couples cements the race’s reputation for being different.
“We enjoy the variation and the opportunity to mix it up with different types of athletes from multiple disciplines. It’s fun and exciting to explore different places swimming, biking and running. They offer something so much more than just doing one discipline,” they said.
XTERRA involves going to places off the beaten track. You never know what’s coming up around the next corner.
“The Off-Road Triathlon journey is exciting and unique compared to racing on the road. The people you meet are super chilled and share the same love for living life on the wild side,” said the Allens.
Adding to the excitement of the event is the exotic locale. Many of the foreign participants have come to the Philippines for the first time and easily appreciated its unique sights, locale and culture.
The Allens placed third and second in the Albay edition in 2016 and then missed the inaugural XTERRA Danao last year. Both are coming into this weekend’s event eager to compete against the best in the world.
Weiss and Wasle will want to repeat their decisive victories over a crack international field last year when they ruled the men’s and women’s category. The present field presents a tougher challenge this year as Allen aims to add to his collection of XTERRA victories in Malaysia, Asia Pacific Tour, Saipan and Guam.
Also competing for the men’s top honors are Frenchman Fabien Combaluzier, Alex Roberts of New Zeland, American Will Ross, New Zealand’s Sam Osborne, Japanese Takahiro Ogasawara and local ace Joseph Miller.
The women’s field include Laura Dias of Brazil, Kristy Jennings of New Zealand, Laura Dias of Brazil and Aussies Leela Hancox and Penny Slater.
Watch all the exciting action at XTERRA Danao on HD at Cignal TV on May 7, 10 pm with replays on May 8, 9 and 10 at 11 am and 7 pm.
Male Elite:
1 Bradley Weiss ZAF
2 Sam Osborne NZL
3 Ben Allen AUS
4 Kieran McPherson NZL
5 Joseph Miller PHL
6 Takahiro Ogasawara JPN
7 Alex Roberts NZL
8 Brodie Gardner AUS
9 Jacky Boisset FRA
10 Fabian Combaluzier FRA
11 Will Ross USA
Female Elite:
16 Carina Wasle AUT
17 Jacqui Allen GBR
18 Penny Slater AUS
19 Myriam Guillot-Boisset FRA
20 Laura Dias BRA
21 Kristy Jennings NZL
22 Leela Hancox AUS
23 Kate Schultz AUS