It's Hawaii bound for an extreme sporting challenge

Oct 25, 2006

Competing in the X-TERRA World Championships is not a sporting event for the faint-hearted.

There will be 16 representatives from Australia competing in the extreme sporting challenge in Maui, Hawaii, on October 29 with the University of Wollongong (UOW) having two competitors selected to take part.

The race consists of a 1.5km ocean swim, a 30km mountain bike ride with more than a 1,000 metre vertical climb up the slopes of Maui's Haleakala volcano and 11km of trail run covering a dozen different surfaces from sand to lava rock.

Natarsha Jazepczyk from UOW's Personnel Services will be joined by third year Bachelor of Primary Education degree student Mark Feeney.

They have been training with another Wollongong athlete selected to participate, David Power, who will travel with them to Hawaii.

Natarsha said that she and her training partners have been mountain bike/triathlon competitors for several years competing mainly in mountain bike endurance events as well as road triathlons, dirt criteriums, club road races and cross country.

The trio has an impressive record of success as individuals and in teams including a range of podium places for all of them. None has ever failed to finish a race.

The world championship is limited to 450 of the world's best X-TERRA athletes who have qualified at events around the world. It will be televised for a one-hour feature in the United States and overseas.

Sponsors for the Wollongong trio include Pigs Fly Pale Ale, McGills Transport, Travelscene, Enervit, Hot Design, Niteflux, Nike Vision, Island Spirit Australia and High Gear.