Weiss seeks 3-peat in XTerra triathlon

MANILA, Philippines — Bradley Weiss braces for a tougher, rougher challenge from an elite international cast out to foil his record bid in the XTerra Off-Road Triathlon, which makes its grand return to Albay, Legazpi City on June 17.

But while the South African ace stressed his readiness to take on his fellow XTerra warriors in the grueling 1.5K swim-28K mountain bike-8K trail run event looking for a third straight victory after reigning in 2015-16, he also expressed his excitement racing on a course that features a breathtaking view of the majestic Mayon Volcano.

“I can’t wait to race again on such a dramatic scenery. It’s really going to be fun and memorable experience racing at Mt. Mayon, a very well-known volcano,” said Weiss.

The event, presented by the City of Legazpi and produced by Sunrise Events, Inc., was actually scheduled last March but was moved in light of the recent irregular behavior of Mayon Volcano, giving the cast more time to prepare for the demanding challenge in the premier off-road triathlon.

Also on tap in the event, held as part of SEI’s decade of triathlon staging, are the duathlon (2K run-14K bike-4K run) and the lite XTerra (750K swim-14K bike-4K run).

Weiss is actually gunning for a follow-up to his XTerra Danao victory last April but the veteran campaign remains wary of the field that includes New Zealand’s Sam Osborne, who placed second in Danao, third placer Kieran McPherson, also of New Zealand, 2016 XTerra Asia-Pacific titlist Ben Allen of Australia, Japanese Takahiro Ogasawara, the 2016 XTerra Saipan winner, Akihiro Maeda, also of Japan, Kiwis Alex Roberts and Olly Shaw and local ace Joseph Miller.

Meanwhile, SEI founder Wilfred Uytengsu takes pride in staging two XTerra races, including the upcoming one that drew an outstanding cast of pros in both the men’s and women’s sides.