Dedicated athletes gathered at Tumon on Sunday morning to participate in the XTRAIL Southern Mountain Gear Off-Road Triathlon Challenge. 

The triathlon was the first off-road XTRAIL challenge in five years.

James Sardea, owner of Urban Fitness and organizer of the event, works to keep Guam moving and active in spite of the pandemic. 

“People really miss it,” Sardea said, regarding the experience of participating in challenges like the triathlon. 

He emphasized how the experience was different compared to those that were not restricted by the pandemic. The allotted number of participants was kept low to maintain social distancing guidelines.

The event was split into two categories: 10 competitive personal goal participants and 10 recreational personal goal participants. 

Athletes dove head-first into the event, starting with a 1000-yard swim at the Lotte Triangle by Tumon Beach. 

They then made their way up to the Two Lovers Point Trail, circling two laps around the northern part of the track. 

After returning to the starting point at Lotte Hotel transition parking, participants ran from Gun Beach to Ypao Beach, finishing off by running the road back to the start.

First place finisher of the challenge and longtime triathlon competitor, Cameron O’Neal, enjoyed another experience of challenging himself and pushing the limits with familiar faces.

“There’s a lot of support too,” O’Neal said. “I’ve got friends that weren’t in the race, but still came out to support. That’s the goodness of a tight-knit community like this.”

The triathlon started at 6:30 a.m., but participants finished to their own accord.

Each one received a finishers medal, an SMG BOCO endurance hat, an Urban Fitness Sports towel, and a UGM race pack for completing the challenge.