Miller excited to return to Xterra Saipan

The warm welcome of the Filipino community in Saipan makes Xterra pro Joseph Miller feel he is racing at home. Miller, the lone Filipino Xterra pro, is back in Saipan as the 2017 Xterra Asia-Pacific Tour gets underway in Saipan tomorrow.

The 16th annual Xterra Saipan, which covers 1.5-kilometer swim, 40K off-road bike and 10K trail run, is the first leg of the 2017 Xterra Asia-Pacific Tour.

“There are a lot of Filipinos here in Saipan, it’s one of the reasons why I keep on coming back here every year because of the warm welcome by the Filipino community,” said Miller, 37, of Ford Forza Triathlon.

Miller will be up against a tough field anew as some of the world’s top off road warriors will be in the stack field, including Saipan’s defending champion Aussie Brodie Gardner.

“I think I’m much stronger every year and hopefully I’ll be on my top shape on race day. I look forward to enjoy the race,” said Miller, who finished third in Saipan last year.

Miller who lives in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu said that he has already tried the race course during the practice run in the previous days.

“I tried the course, some are new open bike course. As expected the course is so difficult,” he said.

Other races that are part of the Xterrra Asia-Pacific Tour are Xterra Thailand, Xterra New Zealand, Xterra Danao and the Xterra Asia-Pacific Championships in Malaysia. /