A new venue served as a fitting place to crown new XTERRA world champions.

The 16th XTERRA World Championship turned into a sweet celebration for Michael Weiss, Lesley Paterson and Kapalua, Maui.

Weiss and Paterson earned their first XTERRA world titles on a new course that was described as both beautiful and brutal. After 15 previous years at Makena, the XTERRA World Championship off-road triathlon moved to the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua this year. A total of 675 athletes representing 28 countries and 42 states participated in the event, which featured a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 30-kilometer mountain bike and a 10-kilometer trail run.

INSPIRING BIKE SURGE LEADS WEISS TO WIN
Weiss was the overall winner, completing the course in 2 hours, 27 minutes, including an astonishing bike split of 1:19:32. No other competitor finished with a bike time under 1:21:03. It was a breakthrough win for the 30-year-old Weiss, who had finished second at the 2008 XTERRA Worlds, and then third in 2009 and 2010.

“It’s amazing,” said Weiss, who is from Vienna, Austria. “I still cannot believe it. A big dream came true, and it was a really tough course.”

Weiss was in the middle of the pack after the swim, but made his remarkable move to the front on the bike. By midway through the bike course, Weiss and South Africa’s Dan Hugo were riding next to each other in second place.

The only rider in front of them was the legendary seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, who was competing in the XTERRA World Championship for the first time.

Weiss and Hugo actually talked about working together so that they could conserve energy in their pursuit of Armstrong.

“That was a critical moment for me, about three-quarters of the way through the bike and I was with Weiss, and we said let’s work together, but (Weiss) was one notch stronger and he kind of took off from me and he bridged to Armstrong,” said Hugo.
Shortly after breaking away from Hugo, Weiss closed in on Armstrong, and said it gave him an adrenaline rush that pushed him all the way to the finish line.

“It felt amazing,” Weiss said. “I had goose bumps. It’s something very special to catch Lance on a climb. It was an amazing feeling, and even motivated me more.”

Weiss used that motivation to do the unthinkable – he passed Armstrong on an uphill bike climb.
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Where Imagination Is Your Only Limit

A Look at Pain, Suffering and Success at One of the World’s Most Gruelling Races.
By Steve Hay

When I first signed up for the 2009 UltimateXC, a 56km trail run in the rolling hills of Mont Tremblant, Québec, I thought to myself “great…another long happy trail run.” Nothing could have been further from the truth. The race ended up being an utter, and complete slog from beginning to end and challenged me to reconsider how I view racing.

Taking part in adventure racing for the past ten years, I believed I was an athlete who had become accustomed to the pain and suffering that comes along with the sport. If I could get myself through a sleep-deprived, 1000km expedition race such as Primal Quest, then surely I would be able to handle a mere 56km “trail run.” With the race start and finish at the base of the Mont Tremblant ski village, the setting is serene, beautiful, and it lulls racers into a false sense of security. Being able to run a comfortable marathon in 3 hours, the UltimateXC should have taken me no longer than 5 hours to complete.

But, after crossing the finish line in over 9.5 hours I was humiliated, and defeated. After a couple of days of pouting, I vowed to return the following year to recover my pride. In order to do
so, I would have to learn to love pain and make it my best friend.

When 2010 rolled around, the UltimateXC itself had changed. Not only was there a 56km trail section, but it began with a 67km down-river paddle, and ended with an arduous 110km mountain bike ride. Now this was more like it. Long distance, hard conditions, and challenging terrain. Again, I believed that my race experience had prepared me for this type of race. After all, expedition adventure races were my thing. Wrong again.

Although I largely dominated the kayak section, I managed only 31km of the trail run before bowing out of the race after falling several times on my recently recovered fractured wrist. The pain in my hand was too much to handle the next days mountain bike ride. I would have to deal with those dreaded feelings that come from seeing DNF (did not finish) beside my name. It had no longer become a question of wanting to win, but merely finishing. Again, I was going to have to find a way to deal with pain. If I was going to defeat this race, I needed to focus all my energy on pain management. Continue Reading

New Zealand’s number one multisport and adventure racing athlete, Richard Ussher, is changing his focus for 2011 after a closely fought win at the Paymark XTERRA New Zealand Championship today.

The four-time Coast to Coast Champion and world class adventure racer took top honors in the 1km swim, 29km mountain bike and 11km trail run race by more than a minute from last year’s defending champion Scott Thorne from Hamilton.

“It was a really hard day at the office today but I am really pleased with the win” said Ussher.

Ussher will now, for the first time in his career, turn his major focus to XTERRA off-road triathlons, including racing in Europe leading up to the XTERRA World Championships in Maui on October 23rd.

“The XTERRA format is a really good mix of racing for me with the off-road element but still the triathlon structure. I have been to the XTERRA World Champs in Maui twice now, in 2009 my seat post broke and I finished 11th, in 2010 I crashed my bike and finished in 7th place. So I definitely have some unfinished business there – I want to go back and give it a better crack. I have really been working hard on my mountain biking, getting my technical skills up.”

This tactic worked well today with Ussher leading off the bike and Thorne right behind (all pictures here courtesy alphapix/John Cowpland). Ussher’s experience and strength got him through to his second XTERRA win in Rotorua, having also won in 2009.

“I tried to get a bit of a gap on him (Thorne) from the start on the run, then I relaxed and got into my rhythm, halfway through I was able to surge again and then just held on,” said Ussher.
It was a different story in the women’s race with first time triathlete, Karen Hanlen, upsetting the women’s field with a come from behind win. Hanlen, from Whakatane, surprised even herself with the win, especially given her inexperience.
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At the XTERRA West Champs in 2009 Conrad “the Caveman” Stoltz and Josiah Middaugh traded paint Nascar-style for most of the run before the World Champ pulled away and took the tape by 32 seconds. It was some of the best back-and-forth spectator friendly racing XTERRA has ever seen.

Last year, same spot in the southern Nevada desert, Stoltz heads out on the run with a 2:15 advantage over Middaugh but energized with a fresh set of legs (Middaugh had fixed an IT band issue in the off-season) the American nearly chases Stoltz down and the margin of victory for the Caveman narrowed to just 39 seconds.

April 10 – Round III – “the Duel in the Desert”.  With all due respect to the other 20 guys on the pro start list, the desert seems to be a ring reserved for Stoltz and Middaugh.  Both are animals in the off-season and are sure to come in to this one in fine shape.

Stoltz has the advantage.  He’s won the last four XTERRA West Championship races to start the season. The Caveman spent his off-season in his hometown of Stellenbosch, South Africa – won a 94.7 mountain bike race (where he upset MTB legend Burry Stander), finished fourth at the South Africa Time Trials, and won XTERRA Buffelspoort.  He was sick at the XTERRA SA Champs and did not finish, but that had nothing to do with conditioning.

Middaugh (pictured below) did all his “off-season” training in the cold temps he feels right at home in having grown up in northern Michigan. Among his winter achievements, he won the USAT Winter Triathlon National Championship, the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon and the North American Snowshoe Championship (for about the eighth time).
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16th Annual XTERRA World Championship headed to Maui’s Northwest Coast

The sport of XTERRA was born on Maui in 1996, and after 15 years on Maui’s south shore, the XTERRA World Championship is headed north to the Kapalua Resort, which will serve as base camp for off-road triathlon’s greatest day on October 23, 2011.

The opportunity arose when the Maui Land & Pineapple Company graciously welcomed XTERRA to play in its 22,000 acre backyard which stretches from the mountains to the sea, and encompasses verdant rainforests, and a network of trails. A pair of the finest hoteliers in the world will host competitors. Race headquarters will be at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, with Outrigger Hotels & Resorts’ Maui Condominium Collection properties as a co-host.

The Kapalua Resort is located on the northwest coast of Maui and its shoreline is distinguished by five lava peninsula-guarded bays and three white sand beaches considered to be among the best in the world. In fact, the XTERRA swim is planned for D.T. Fleming Beach, named “America’s Best Beach” in 2006.

The new location will create a dramatically different challenge for competitors. In stark contrast to the dry and dusty lava-strewn path up Haleakala, the northwest coast is wet and wild with lush rainforests and former pineapple fields that undulate in-and-out of gulches coming down from the West Maui Mountains.

“This new course will give our competitors a new and exciting taste of Hawaii,” said XTERRA managing director Dave Nicholas. “We’ll be able to provide a fantastic mountain bike experience in Kapalua. First blush of the course shows 18 miles with just over 3,000 feet of elevation changes. As the trails move from field to field they drop hundreds of feet down to the bottom of a heavy forested area, and then back up again.”

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**2011 SUMMER REGISTRATION OPENS FEBRUARY 2011**

The Teva Mountain Games are the country’s largest celebration of adventure sports, art and music and they return to Vail, June 2-5, 2011.

Professional and amateur athletes from around the world converge upon the mountains and rivers of Vail to compete in eight sports and 24 disciplines for more than $100,000 in prize money. This year’s sporting events include kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, road cycling,World Cup Bouldering, amateur climbing, fly fishing, stand up paddling, trail running and ahalf  marathon.

Lifestyle components include the Mountain Click Photo Competition, the Outside Adventure Film School, Outdoor Reels Film Festival, Mountains of Music free concerts and the Teva Mountain Ball. The weekend is rounded out by the Gear Town and Green Light District expo areas and the interactive family zone, Adventure Village.

The Teva Mountain Games are a project of the Vail Valley Foundation.

“Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery” certainly rings true in the case of the enormously successful Teva Mountain Games in Vail as the Vail Valley Foundation announced plans for a new Winter Teva Mountain Games presented by Eddie Bauer event to be held February 9-12, 2012. The announcement was made today at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City.

“The idea of a Winter Teva Mountain Games is something we have talked about for several years,” explained Ceil Folz, President of the Vail Valley Foundation. “We believe the success of the summer Teva Mountain Games lends itself well to creating a similar event for the winter season. And with great collaboration from partners like Teva, Eddie Bauer and Vail, we are able to make this happen.”

With the inaugural event set for 2012 in Vail, the Foundation plans to utilize the summer model to create a similar vibe among outdoor winter adventure athletes and fans. Created in 2002, the human powered, environmentally-friendly Teva Mountain Games has quickly grown to the point of hosting more than 2,500 adventure athletes and 40,000 spectators over the course of the annual four-day event.

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Last summer we announced that Merrell and Vibram had joined forces in the creation of a line of barefoot running shoes. For the uninitiated, barefoot running is a somewhat back-to-basics movement. Yes, there are some who actually run with no shoes on. Most wear a low profile, almost sock-like,  shoe dubbed the barefoot running shoe.  These shoes provide the needed arch support, a minimum of padding, grip on sketchy surfaces, and protection from injury.

Barefoot running aficionados claim that this form of running will strengthen the muscles in the lower leg and actually make the runner faster. According to those who use these kicks exclusively, they can complete longer distances with better times. I’m known for being an “open-minded skeptic” when it comes to new trends, always leery but ready to try it at the drop of a hat. So I got a pair of Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove shoes and jumped right in.

My biggest apprehension with the barefoot running craze is the fear or injury. If you’ve ever  tried to run to the mail box in your bare feet you know it can be painful. Not only if you step on a rock but the mere force of the heel strike can send sharp pains up your leg. With barefoot running, style is the key. Changing the habit of landing on your heel first, to landing mid-foot (the part right in front of the arch) is the game-changer. This seems simple but will take a few runs to get the hang of. Then there is posture. Ensuring that elbows are back and that your body is straight will also reduce the chance for injury.

So, how is the testing going? Here is a breakdown of what I’ve learned so far. Continue Reading

XTERRA Heads Back to Northern California May 14-15

This May 14-15, XTERRA heads back to Northern California with a championship race for the first time since Half Moon Bay hosted the XTERRA West Champs in 2002.

The new spot is Santa Cruz – just an hour’s drive south from Half Moon Bay along historic Highway 1.  The new name is the XTERRA Pacific Championship.

Dave Nicholas, the managing director of the XTERRA World Tour, has been working behind the scenes to bring XTERRA to Santa Cruz for more than a year-and-a-half and thinks the XTERRA Tribe is going to love what they find in this super cool city known for its great surfing, majestic redwood forests, and slimy banana slugs.

“Santa Cruz is one of the premier surfing meccas in the world, and on any given day you can cruise along West Cliff drive and see tons of surfers waiting for waves,” said Nicholas, in explaining what’s unique about Santa Cruz.  “The Pier is famous for having loads of restaurants and hundreds of Sea Lions who bask in the sun and live beneath the pier barking and raising hell.  Alongside the pier you’ll find the beach boardwalk and famous Big Dipper – an iconic wooden roller coaster.  The boardwalk was built in 1907 and still operates year round with dozens of rides including a pipe organ carousel, carnival attractions and eateries.  It is so original the entire boardwalk is listed as a Historical landmark.”

While the pre-and-post race sightseeing options are off the charts, so too is the course itself. The cold-water, wetsuit legal swim will take place right alongside the pier on Cowell’s Beach and feature two 750-meter laps with a beach shuffle in-between.

After the swim racers will face a fairly long run uphill to the swim-to-bike transition at Depot Park. The first part of the bike course is on the road along West Cliff drive headed towards Wilder Ranch State Park – where the real mountain biking begins.  The course at Wilder starts with a whole lot of climbing, not especially technical, but loose and steep in places.  Riders will find a combination of open roads and single track trails that lead to a steep and rocky downhill.  The more skilled rider will make lots of time on this descent. At the bottom of Baldwin Loop riders will climb again to just over 800′ before getting into some neat trails near the top of the park.

“From there we have some very technical, twisty single track downhill with a few places most folks will walk; some stream crossings with short, steep climbs and then a blistering fast downhill back to the Wilder Ranch tunnel and T2,” said Nicholas.  “Total distance of the bike is roughly 19 miles with 14 miles on trails at Wilder.  I rode about 70% of the course and it is superb. Well, actually, of that 70% I rode about 80% and walked the rest as there were some very steep climbs and a few treacherous downhills.”

The run is not very technical but perhaps the most scenic of any 10k on earth.  Runners will have to drop off a cliff on a very narrow trail to a beach, cross the beach and scramble up the other side to return to the bluffs.  Depending on the tides and surf, they may get wet!  The run back takes athletes past artichoke, pumpkin and rather smelly Brussels sprout fields with a wicked diversion from the flats about 1/4 mile from the finish.  The run will be fast but keep a lookout for the famous on-shore winds.

Another thing for racers to keep a look-out for is all the uber-talented XTERRA locals.  Among  the area greats you’ll find XTERRA age group World Champs like Laura Home, Kathy Frank, Tim and Birgit Johnston – even Ned Overend has called Santa Cruz home.  Northern Cali is also where the sport of mountain biking originated and you can bet they’ve been refining the craft in Santa Cruz ever since.

In addition to Sunday’s Pacific Championship race that will dish out $10,500 in prize money to elites, plus points in the America Tour and qualifying spots into the XTERRA World Championship for amateurs – XTERRA will also host a half-distance sport race and a new bike/run event dubbed “XTERRA Two” that combines a 13-mile mountain bike and a three-mile trail run.

On Saturday trail runners take the main stage with scenic 5km, 10km and 21km races that traverse the coastline from the bluffs to the beach.
To get a feel for just how fun this course is check out the unsolicited chatter about Wilder Ranch State Park on Yelp. http://www.yelp.com/biz/wilder-ranch-state-park-santa-cruz

By Harper Forbes

Generally speaking, racing in the endurance world requires three main components – equipment, training and nutrition. For each one you can find countless articles associated with each; below are a few general tips for each.

Equipment:
Get the right equipment. Seems like an obvious statement but you’d be surprised with how many racers competing in technical trail or adventure races are wearing road running shoes. Or how many triathletes or cyclists fail to utilize clipless pedals, which increases efficiency, power and therefore speed. Understandably many people with improper equipment may just be trying it out before making any substantial investment… which brings me to the next point.

Budget accordingly. One of the hardest sacrifices with endurance racing is found in your bank account. Usually the faster and lighter the equipment, the more expensive it is. So keep this in mind if you plan to enter the world of multisport versus something like ultrarunning. More disciplines = more money.

Train with the equipment you’ll race in. Don’t be afraid to only use those pricey wheels or carbon mountain bike on your local rides. If you don’t know how you’re equipment will handle in various conditions you’re taking a risk of learning that while racing.

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By Ty Stevens

The 2010 Ironman Louisville delivers blazing temperatures and equally hot competition. Louisville is home to a few of “the greats” – Muhammad Ali, The Louisville Slugger, and Kentucky bourbon. There is no question as to why this humble yet colorful town serves as the backdrop to what has become a milestone in the multisport world, “The Ironman.”

Over 1500 triathletes toed the line race morning. The temperatures were high, surpassing 90 degrees by mid-afternoon. Many were forced to withdraw during the bike and run due to the extreme conditions. Those that did prevail had a lot to be proud of.

For the women, defending champion Nina Kraft was first out of water, followed by Maki Nishiuchi of Japan. The heat proved too much for even the top contenders. Kraft and Nishiuchi did not finish the bike leg. This cleared the path for Rebekah Keat who took over the lead by the finish of the 112 mile out and back bike ride through Kentucky’s rolling countryside.

Turning in the fastest bike split on the day, Keat would continue that effort into the 26.2 mile run, finishing the run course in 3:23:50, and an overall Ironman win in 9:33:15. Her chase pack included Kim Loefler of Colchester, VT, finishing second and Bree Wee of Kailua-Kona, HI, in a respective third.

1. Rebekah Keat (Australia) – 9:33:15
2. Kim Loefler (USA) – 9:44:23
3. Bree Wee (USA) – 9:50:35
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A head to head encounter in The North Face Peak to Peak on Saturday (July 24) saw the defending open champion team Outside Sports (Queenstown), ousted by a dynamic young side fielded by Queenstown’s Fergburger, who crossed the finish line at Coronet Peak in a record time of just over two hours.

Race Director Geoff Hunt says it was one of the most exciting races the event has seen in its 17 years. “We had a real race on our hands from the outset and it was a tribute to both teams who exhibited fantastic skills in every section.”

The 44km multisport race attracted 90 teams and 69 individual athletes. It began with a 2km ski or snowboard on The Remarkables finishing at the access road, followed by a 17km mountain bike ride down the high altitude road to Lake Wakatipu. A 7km paddle to Queenstown Bay led to a 9km run from Queenstown via Arthurs Point to a changeover point near the foot of Coronet Peak, for the final 9km cycle ride to finish at the base building at the top of the ski area.

“In the run Fergburger’s Grant Guise took on the guru Adrian Bailey then the cycle up Coronet Peak was an incredible battle between Scott Lyttle and Scott Rainsford with Lyttle making the charge to cross the line in first place,” says Hunt.

Fergburger won in 2.02.51 and Outside Sports was forced to take second place in 2.04.19. Outside Sports team manager Jim Hawkridge praised the Fergburger team for its outstanding performance.

“It was great to have a race like that and we don’t mind losing to such a class team. They are all good athletes and the competition was fantastic.”
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