Photo: Xterra

Off-road triathlon is to road racing what monster trucks are to Formula 1. Both require a big engine and lots of skill, but they are very different races. Aerodynamics and pure speed don’t count in off-road triathlon; handling skills, power and strength-to-weight ratio are what will make or break you on a mountain bike course. Xterra favors strong, technically proficient cyclists since the format is heavily weighted toward the bike. The difficulty of each course ranges from relatively smooth fire roads to steep, rocky single-track where even the most technically proficient athletes will dismount and “hike-a-bike” at times. No matter how fit, rookie mountain bikers often find they lose a significant amount of time navigating through the tricky sections. Trail running is also a different breed of running, requiring strength, agility and sturdy ankles rather than pure speed and high turnover.

In other words: Yes, you should definitely try an off-road race! Don’t let the courses scare you—the scene at Xterra is all about fun. Off-road is more about getting dirty and having fun, rather than comparing splits and downloading wattage files. This isn’t to say that Xterra athletes don’t take their events seriously; many top pros have crossed over from successful mountain bike or Olympic triathlon careers. The races are fast and competitive, but with the more laid-back attitude of the mountain bike scene rather than the Type-A intensity of Ironman racing. The world championship in Maui, held two weeks after the Hawaii Ironman, has only 600 competitors. Therein lies the appeal of Xterra for the uninitiated: Its more intimate, friendly nature makes it accessible to all and instantly welcoming.

Personally, I felt so welcome that I decided to make my Xterra debut in Maui in 2010. I bought a mountain bike only three weeks beforehand. My ignorance was only encouraged when I asked my friend, Melanie McQuaid, what she thought about me attempting Maui. “Sure you can do Maui—that race is basically a road course with some dirt on it,” she said. A three-time Xterra world champion, Mel’s perception of “technical” might have been a little skewed. My posing was quickly exposed at mile 2: It seems that wildly shifting while grinding up steep climbs is a recipe for a broken chain.

RELATED: Trail-Running Tips For Triathletes

My second Xterra experience was a large improvement; I had actually ridden my mountain bike over the summer and entered Xterra McCall in Idaho on a whim. After the brutal, 7-mile, uphill section that seems to be the trademark of Xterra bike courses, we were faced with “the Rock Garden,” a couple of miles of single-track through a field of large boulders and loose rocks. Needless to say, I hiked (a lot) and my early lead was short-lived, but the race was a blast.

Xterra is tough and challenging and totally exhilarating; it is a chance to get out of your comfort zone and try something completely different. Adding new stimuli throughout the season helps avoid monotony and burnout while providing a fun, new dynamic to the usual swim/bike/run. Mountain biking and trail running add some serious strength workouts to a road-focused training program. Plus, many Xterra races are held in breathtaking locations (think Maui, Vail, Whistler).

If Xterra seems a little intimidating at first, just remember that it’s still a triathlon. Off-road racing still comes down to swimming, biking and running—it’s just that the road is going to have a little dirt on it.

PHOTOS: 2011 Xterra World Championship

The high surf that was forecasted for today’s race never materialized, and the capacity field of 650 racers enjoyed relatively calm waters for the 2-lap, 1.5K swim at D.T. Flemings beach in front of the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua here in Maui. First men out of the water were Richard Stannard from Great Britain, German Olympic champion Jan Frodeno, Aussie Ben Allen and Spain’s Ivan Rana—all ITU racers. Lance Armstrong was also among the first men out of the water, and he was third leaving transition. On the women’s side, 2008 Olympian Erin Densham of Australia was the first out of the water with a healthy lead over Melanie McQuaid getting on the bike.

Photo: Xterra

At mile 6 on the bike course, which was a 30K tour of the slopes of the western Maui mountainside, Armstrong led the race, followed less than a minute back by Olivier Marceau, then Rana, Frodeno, Dan Hugo, Weiss and Eneko Llanos. Stoltz was 1:45 back. On the women’s side, by mile 6 Melanie had overtaken Erin Densham, who was in second, followed by France’s Marion Lorblanchet, Renata Bucher of Switzerland and Paterson. But by mile 17, Weiss had opened up a 20-second gap over Armstrong, who was followed by Hugo, Stoltz, American Josiah Middaugh and Llanos. Melanie was riding alone at the front, but Lesley Paterson was gaining ground, riding in second place. Melanie entered T2 with a small lead over Lesley.

Weiss started the 6.1-mile run around Kapalua with nearly a 2 minute lead over the next competitor, Dan Hugo. Eneko Llanos was just behind Hugo, and Middaugh was running in 3rd at mile 2. Lance Armstrong rounded out the top 5 in the early miles. In the women’s race, McQuaid was still leading, but Paterson, known for her running strength—especially on downhills and technical terrain—and Lornblanchet were closing in. Weiss held his lead through the finish, with Hugo thirty seconds behind for second and Llanos running into third.

“I can’t believe it, my wildest dream came true,” Weiss said after the race. “I have to celebrate big time tonight! I think I deserve it after a second place and two thirds. Congrats to all the competitors—you’re all Xterra warriors.”

Armstrong ultimately finished 23rd after suffering a crash at the end of the bike.

“When they already have you on the ropes in the swim, then the first part of the bike seems to be even harder,” said Armstrong.  “And it’s hard just because you’re transitioning from upper body work to lower body work, I was already in the red so it took me longer to get into a groove on the bike. That course starts hard and stays hard.”

Photo: Xterra

Paterson passed McQuaid on the stretch of beach sand leading to the uphill finish to claim the win.

“After the [fast] swim I thought, ‘I don’t believe this,’ and then I got to transition and saw that my tire was flat,” Paterson explained. “I thought that was it—that my race was over. Then I thought, ‘No, I’m not going to let myself do that. I’ve come all this way and I’ve trained really hard.’ So I fixed it, and I think it just gave me the aggression I needed.”

Lornblanchet also passed McQuaid in the final stretch, and McQuaid had to be assisted by the medical team after collapsing just before the finish line. Helena Erbenova of the Czech Republic rounded out the top 3 women.

XTERRA World Championships
Maui, Hawaii – Oct. 23, 2011
1.5km swim, 29.5km mountain bike, 9.8km run

Men
1. Michael Weiss (AUT) 2:27:00
2. Dan Hugo (RSA)  2:27:33
3. Eneko Llanos (ESP) 2:28:26
4. Josiah Middaugh (USA) 2:29:31
5. Ivan Rana 2:29:31 (ESP) 2:29:40

Women
1. Lesley Paterson (SCO) 2:45:59
2. Marion Lorblanchet (FRA) 2:48:08
3. Helena Erbenová (CZE) 2:51:51
4. Renata Bucher (SUI) 2:52:02
5. Danelle Kabush (CAN) 2:54:35

Click here for complete results.

Described as a “passion project” of a group of triathlete employees at Terryberry, XTERRA Jewelry is the latest division being added to the Grand Rapids, Mich. based recognition product company. Featuring handcrafted jewelry designs for men and women such as rings, neck chains, bracelets, pendants and rugged dog tags, the XTERRA line of jewelry boasts the XTERRA triathlon logo on every piece to celebrate the “XTERRA lifestyle” of today’s triathlon warriors.

Designed by Terryberry with the support of 3-time XTERRA world champion Julie Dibens of the United Kingdom, XTERRA Jewelry is the official jewelry line of the famed off-road triathlon bearing its name and features athletic jewelry designs for today’s triathlon athletes as well as for fans of the sport or the XTERRA triathlon itself. Many of the items from the jewelry line can be personalized with the athlete’s name, finish time and race date as a powerful, wearable trophy or passionate memento or gift.

“I’m a self-confessed triathlon geek,” admits Mike Byam, managing partner at Terryberry and part of the team developing the XTERRA jewelry line. “I love the sport and what it requires of the men and women who compete. Terryberry is all about recognizing remarkable achievements, so reaching out and partnering with the XTERRA triathlon folks just made sense. Getting involved with triathlete Julie Dibens, whom XTERRA Jewelry is now sponsoring, has been a terrific opportunity for our newest division. I’m very excited and pleased at what Terryberry is doing through XTERRA Jewelry!”

Read more: xterryjewelry.com

Men’s Race

It’s the third straight year Stoltz, a two-time Olympian and four-time XTERRA World Champion, has won the event and it’s his sixth victory in Richmond since 2005. Even more impressive, the day marked Stoltz 10-year anniversary with XTERRA.

Stoltz is a veteran of XTERRA. Photo: XTERRA

“Back in 2001 I was just an innocent roadie thinking I had reached the pinnacle of triathlon going to the Olympic games and I came to Richmond for my first XTERRA,” said Stoltz.

“I borrowed this 35-pound soft ride bike a week before the race and came out just to see what XTERRA was all about, and I was blown away. Mike Vine won, I got second, Nico Lebrun was third, Steve Larsen was fourth, and Ned Overend was fifth. After the race Steve and Ned came over to me and said ‘welcome to XTERRA, great to see you.’ The people were so friendly and I had such a good time that XTERRA became my goal. I really lost my heart to XTERRA in Richmond.”

Likewise, Richmond is infatuated with Stoltz, and the forest surrounding the incredible James River Park System trails are packed every year with locals coming out to see the “Caveman” crush it.  Today he did not disappoint.  Stoltz splashed out of the James River in third place just a few seconds behind Craig Evans and fellow countryman Dan Hugo. He was four seconds behind Evans leaving the transition area, and in first place just a few moments later.

“An 800 watt sprint out of the transition area and he’s gone, and I’m still trying to get in my shoes.  It’s amazing.  The first kilometer on the bike he’s putting down 500 watts and I’m thinking to myself this is the moment, I’ve got to be on his wheels, but the power he generates…,” said Hugo, who has now finished second behind Stoltz in the last three XTERRA regionals and second here in Richmond for the third time in four years.  “Just call me silver Stephanie,” he joked, and added that the “fun factor” of this course was off-the-charts.

Indeed, Stoltz had more than two minutes on Hugo by the second 10-mile loop of the bike, with Evans another two minutes behind Hugo, and Branden Rakita and Nicolas Lebrun a close fourth and fifth. His 20-mile bike split through the forest maze was 1:24:12 – three minutes faster than Hugo, six better than Evans, seven quicker than Rakita, eight faster than Lebrun and on, and on.

Stoltz never let down on the run, posting the third best time, and pumped his fist high as he crossed the finish line for his 41st XTERRA championship win since 2001. To celebrate, he’ll head home to South Africa for the first time during the winter in 20 years.

“I’m going to visit my Dad on the farm and celebrate Father’s Day with him, spend time with my fiancée, plan a wedding, and gear up for the South Africa time trials to see if I can qualify for the Olympics,” smiled Stoltz, who will return to the U.S. in late September to defend his XTERRA USA Championship in Utah and try to win the XTERRA U.S. Pro Series for the ninth time.

While the duo from Stellenbosch were cooling off and talking with the media Frenchman Nico Lebrun – who like Stoltz started his XTERRA career here in Richmond in 2001 – was hard at work posting the fastest run split to overtake Evans and Rakita to finish 3rd – his best result of the season (and sixth time in the top 3 in Richmond).

“Today for the first time in a while I had good energy and was able to catch Branden on Belle Isle, but it is amazing what Conrad and Dan can do on this kind of course.  I was really far away from them,” said Lebrun, who is amazing himself when the course is better suited to his strengths (altitude and climbing).

Rakita, incredibly, had the fourth best swim, bike, and run times and finished in fourth place. Evans had the fastest swim and third-best bike to enter T2 in third, but was passed by Rakita and Lebrun on the run and finished 5th.

Brad Zoller, a pilot who rowed crew at Purdue, had the best race of his pro XTERRA career to finish in 6th and the young Will Ross from Anchorage, Alaska had his best result in 7th.

Women’s Race

After finishing 3rd in 2008 and 2nd in 2009 and 2010, Shonny Vanlandingham finally won it all in Richmond. The reigning XTERRA World Champion had the fastest bike and run splits by far to erase a two-minute deficit coming out of the water.

“I’ve been working on my swim and I felt like I improved. I know it’s a shorter swim than normal but when I heard I was only two minutes back I was excited,” said Vanlandingham.

The Richmond swim is shorter than the typical 1.5km course, but the most unique you’ll find anywhere. It starts underneath train tracks and zig-zags its way side-to-side going with and against river currents (that you can’t see but certainly can feel). The water level in the James was about perfect this year, but there were still sections where competitors had to stand and walk. Then they have to get out of the water at Belle Isle, shuffle across a dirt trail, jump in and zigzag their way back across the river. It took a little more than 14 minutes for the leaders this year, about five minutes longer than in years past. Likewise, the new two-loop bike course was significantly longer, and was reflected in the winning times which we’re the longest in race history. The course consisted of a one-kilometer swim, 32-kilometer mountain bike, and a 10-kilometer trail run.

For Vanlandingham, getting through this wacky course the quickest was of utmost importance.

“It was do or die here today because I needed the points if I was going to challenge for the overall Pro Series title. The pressure was on and I was happy to pull this one out,” said Vanlandingham, the most successful NORBA mountain biker of all-time and seven-time member of the U.S. National mountain biking team.

Vanlandingham is the reigning XTERRA world champ. Photo: XTERRA

Vanlandingham trailed XTERRA U.S. Pro Series points leader Melanie McQuaid from Canada by two minutes after the swim, caught her at about mile 15 of the bike and the two rode together for a few miles before Vanlandingham pulled away.  She finished more than three minutes ahead of McQuaid.

“I’m happy with today,” said McQuaid.  “It went well and I stayed in the race for a while considering I didn’t have the power I would’ve like.  I’ve been racing a lot and I’m not as fast as I was earlier in the year.”

McQuaid is juggling a 70.3 racing schedule on top of XTERRA, and just finished third at a 70.3 race last weekend.

“Now I’m going to go home, take a month off and recover,” said McQuaid, who will not race at the last regional of the season in Colorado next month.  What that means is Vanlandingham has the chance to secure big points at the Mountain Champs and make it a head-to-head duel for the Pro Series title at the XTERRA USA Championship at Snowbasin Resort in Ogden, Utah on September 24.

Suzie Snyder, the two-time age group XTERRA World Champ who turned pro last year, came into the race healthy and rested for the first time in a while and it showed.  Snyder reeled in Christine Jeffrey early on the bike to move into second place, was passed by Shonny on the first lap and stayed in third the rest of the way. It’s her best-ever XTERRA result as a professional but not unprecedented, remember she placed 5th at XTERRA Worlds last year.

“Fun day,” said Snyder.  “The weather was great, the course was fantastic, I felt strong, and was able to race hard all day.  I couldn’t have asked for much more.”

Jeffrey was solid all around to finish in fourth, while Jessica Noyola cracked the top five for the first time in her pro career.  Also of note, Caroline Colonna – at 47-years-old, finished sixth on the day and sits in seventh in the Pro Series standings.

Race recap provided by XTERRA.

XTERRA East Championship
June 12, 2011 – Richmond, Va.

Men
1. Conrad Stoltz (RSA) 2:20:21
2. Dan Hugo (RSA) 2:22:37
3. Nicolas Lebrun (FRA) 2:28:02
4. Branden Rakita (USA) 2:28:10
5. Craig Evans (USA) 2:32:12

Women
1. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) 2:37:58
2. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 2:41:53
3. Suzie Snyder (USA)2:49:01
4. Christine Jeffrey (CAN) 2:59:35
5. Jessica Noyola (USA) 3:00:20

Click here for complete results.

TriCenter Update: Triathlon Returns To Annapolis.

Photo Gallery: TriRock Annapolis Race Race Shots.

Stolz and Paterson Victorious At Inaugural XTERRA Pacific Championship.

Photo Gallery: XTERRA Pacific Championship

Reed and Cave Take The Titles At Rev3 Knoxville.

Photo Gallery: Rev3 Knoxville

Read Quotes from the pre-race pro panel here.

Potts and Snow Pick Up Ironman 70.3 Florida Wins.

Photo Gallery: Potts, Snow Win Ironman 70.3 Florida.

Rapp And Naeth Claim Leadman Tri Titles.

Collins And Warner Win Altered 5150 New Orleans Event

ITU Re-Schedules Yokohama Event For September.

After a nine-year absence from the Northern California coast, XTERRA debuted a new venue this weekend in scenic Santa Cruz. Long known as a surfing haven and an outdoor lover’s paradise, Santa Cruz welcomed over 200 off-road triathletes to the XTERRA Pacific Championship event. An overnight downpour muddied portions of the bike and run course in Wilder Ranch State Park, but despite threatening clouds the predicted rain held off for the majority of race day.

Swimmers were greeted with typically frigid Northern California waters, and more than a few reported numb extremities as they headed onto the bike. Americans Brandon Rakita and Seth Wealing led the men’s pro field out of T1, followed quickly by South Africa’s Dan Hugo. A fast-swimming female, Canadian Christine Jeffrey, was 4th overall onto the bike leg, with a pack of three professional men, including four-time XTERRA World Champion Conrad Stoltz of South Africa, not far behind.

The first four miles of the bike course allowed riders to speed alongside the coast on smooth pavement and bike paths before heading into Wilder Ranch, where they were greeted with grinding climbs, swooping downhills and treacherous single track trails darkened by the forest canopy. Dan Hugo took an early lead inside the ranch, but his hard-chasing countryman Conrad Stoltz overtook Hugo halfway through the bike leg. The 40-50 second gap secured by Stoltz remained intact throughout the run, and despite battling illness for the past two weeks Stoltz won an historic 39th career XTERRA victory in a time of 2:12:51. Hugo held his own for an impressive 2nd place finish in a time of 2:13:38. Seth Wealing claimed the third podium spot with the fastest 10k run of the day (34:15) with an overall time of 2:14:49. American Josiah Middaugh, lacking a hilly run which better suits his abilities, finished in 4th, followed by Rakita in 5th. Unfortunately illness sidelined 2005 XTERRA World Champion Nico LeBrun of France, who was unable to start the race.

On the women’s side, Switzerland’s Renata Bucher came from behind in the swim but managed to make fast work of the bike course, gaining the lead into T2. Her foot speed was not quite enough to hold off Scottish running sensation Lesley Paterson, however, as Peterson passed her rival a mile and a half into the run, winning her first XTERRA title in a time of 2:33:13. Bucher followed into the finish chute in 2:35:50, and moments later American Emma Garrard clinched 3rd place in 2:36:17. Reigning XTERRA World Champion American Shonny Vanlandingham, still struggling with a recent illness, claimed 4th while Canadian and three-time XTERRA World Champion Melanie McQuaid, feeling the fatigue from a recent win at the ITU World Cross Tri Championship in Spain, followed in 5th.

In the physically challenged category, XTERRA World Champion and cancer survivor Jamie Whitmore graced her first start line in over three years, racing side-by-side with husband Courtney in the Sport distance event. Legally blind athlete and XTERRA World Championship competitor Michael Stone also tackled Sunday’s course in Santa Cruz, followed closely by race partner Jared Berg, who called out details of the course to help guide Stone.

Here’s what the top professionals, as well as Whitmore and Stone, had to say about Sunday’s race:

Conrad Stoltz: “I’ve been sick since I’ve been back from Spain. I had a really tough week. I swam once, I ran once, Friday I was in bed all day and on Saturday I didn’t feel like racing. So today I just hung in there. I could see Dan much of the time so I knew he was quite close. I knew Seth was riding really well and he’s a good runner. It was tough and I’m glad I won this race despite everything not going too well. That’s what the Caveman is all about. I’m also really lucky that the Specialized crew was out here. Two days ago my bike broke so they drove to Morgan Hill, got a completely new frame and rebuilt the whole bike. Apart from World’s last year this was the first time we’ve had the Specialized crew at an XTERRA and it means a lot to us riders. “

Dan Hugo: “I kept hoping I would catch Conrad on the run. I know he’s probably not his sharpest because he’s had a bit of illness, so I was hoping I could catch him. I know I’ve done double the running work, but still when he needs to he just performs – it’s amazing. I have to give credit where credit’s due. My pace was creeping down to about 3:22 per kilometer, but he was running the same. I felt cold and perhaps biomechanically a bit restricted, but otherwise I felt good. And it was so fun! I haven’t raced an XTERRA since South Africa about two and a half months ago. It’s excellent to have a new XTERRA venue and good to be back in California. Santa Cruz is an iconic mountain bike location. It’s magical. “

Seth Wealing: “The course was an anaerobic monster! It’s not as technical as some, but you’re just going as hard as you can the whole way. You’re just flat out. That makes it really difficult. The bike course has no rest sections – it’s all pedaling the whole time. Conrad and Dan are both so good at that. I went really hard on the bike, and I was doing OK on the run but I was hurting pretty badly at that point. And all credit to them, they ran really fast.”

Lesley Paterson: “I had a good swim. I just pushed forward, got out, got my wheel on the road and then hit it hard the whole way on the ride. My favorite part was the bike – it was awesome! And the run really suited me. It’s a leg speed course and that’s what I’ve got, so it worked well for me. I was out with injury and not able to run for several weeks, but it made me hungry to get going again. It was great to get the win!”

Renata Bucher: “I was far behind off the swim, so I just tried to push hard as possible on the bike. I attacked every hill. Pre-riding the course was beautiful – looking at the ocean, the views – but during the race I couldn’t look. I was just trying to stay focused. It was very slippery.”

Emma Garrard: “There were some really fun sections of single-track where your heart rate goes down, but then you’ve got to get it up again and push hard. The run was beautiful all along the coast, and you can mostly see people in front of you, which really helps. It’s pretty motivating. It’s so cool to have some fresh blood in the women’s field, and to have Lesley win one. “

Jamie Whitmore: “I have no glute muscle and no nerve in my leg from the cancer, so there’s no stability. To get back on the bike was a huge thing. It’s been three years. I’ve only been on the bike for three weeks now and this was only my third off-road ride. The hard part for me is that I knew how to ride well before, whereas a lot of challenged athletes who decide to take up mountain biking are developing a new skill. The competitiveness just never goes away. So here I am making ground on a descent, and then someone passes me on a hill and I’m like, ‘No!’ But just racing again in general was amazing. Also racing with Courtney. It was really special doing something like that together again.”

Michael Stone: “This course pushed me beyond limitations that I didn’t know I had. It was the coldest swim I’ve ever done. It was also one of the rougher swims I’ve ever done. On the bike it poured on us for about 20 minutes. It was the first time I’ve ever had to deal with mud. Terrain-wise it wasn’t the toughest race I’ve ever done but everything about it played to every weakness I have. Except for the run. The run was fun, except for the side of the cliff coming up from the beach. I didn’t know it dropped off! But I really liked it because it took XTERRA racing to another level for me. It was a very, very special day.”

With the odds stacked against her, Victoria’s Melanie McQuaid used those endless hours of training to overcome the adversity and climb to the top of the podium.

Last week, the 37-year-old McQuaid went to the first-ever ITU (International Triathlon Union) Cross Tri world championship in Extremadura, Spain. When she arrived in Europe, she wasn’t feeling 100 per cent health-wise and then to make matters worse, her bikes were lost by the airline company.

“After we got to Spain, we were told that the bikes would be coming the next day,” said McQuaid. “After that, it was just a comedy show. Each day, they were supposed to show up but they never did. There was nothing I could do about so I had to rely on my fitness.”

McQuaid used a borrowed bike and won the ITU world championship, which also has a running and swimming portion in the event.

Read more: Times Colonist

April 17–On a picture-perfect, breezy, 75-degree afternoon at Cameron Park in Waco, Texas, Conrad Stoltz and Melanie McQuaid continued their dominance in the offroad triathlon scene with wins at the XTERRA South Central Championships.

With just 15 seconds separating the top three men, it took every ounce of energy Stoltz had to pull off his win over American Josiah Middaugh. Middaugh, who was more than three minutes behind Stoltz at the bike-to-run transition, made up all but eight seconds by the finish line.

“I looked behind me with about one kilometer to go and just saw these elbows and knees coming at me and knew I had to kick into another gear so Josiah wouldn’t catch me,” said Stoltz.

In the women’s race, Melanie McQuaid came out of the water behind only Christine Jeffrey and after passing her on the bike she never looked back en route to winning her second XTERRA race in as many weeks. The top three–McQuaid, Shonny Vanlandingham, Jeffrey finished in the same order as last week at the XTERRA West Championship in Vegas.

Read More: XTERRA Planet

Men’s Recap

Josiah Middaugh, 32, of Vail, Colorado and Melanie McQuaid, 37, from Victoria, B.C., Canada, won the pro races at the XTERRA West Championship in 2:13:39 and 2:32:29, respectively, on a beautiful blue sky day at the Aston MonteLago Village Resort in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada this morning.

In each of the last two seasons here in the desert Middaugh had come close to defeating everyone’s chief rival – 4x XTERRA World Champ Conrad Stoltz – only to fall seconds short (by 32 seconds in ’09 and 39 seconds last year).

This year it looked like deja-vu all over again with Stoltz taking a seemingly commanding one-minute, 40 second lead into the run, however, Middaugh – fresh off a winter spent crushing the competition on snowshoes – put together a ridiculously fast run and caught Stoltz on the last big climb at about the four-mile mark and never looked back.

“Josiah is crazy. It doesn’t matter if it’s flat, downhill, or uphill he runs the same speed – fast,” said Stoltz after the race.

“I thought I had it but this course is very hilly, and he is such a great hill runner that I needed a bigger lead. I was walking up that last big climb and he just came flying past.”

Middaugh had the fastest run of the day, a 37:59 to Stoltz’ 40:47, and said he ran as hard as he could the entire time.

“I’ve been snowshoe racing all winter and we run up stuff steeper than that hill so I really tried to peg it, get my heart rate going and just go for it,” said Middaugh, who won the North American Snowshoe Championship and USAT Winter Triathlon National Championship in the off-season.
“I knew the climbing was done by mile four so I had to attack the run. Conrad crushed the bike, and put more time on me than I had hoped for, so I had to ran as hard as I could on every climb to try and make it back early.”

The outcome could have been different had Stoltz’ not gone off-course on the bike and lost a minute or more heading in the wrong direction.

“It’s really my fault. I pre-rode the course and new it well but ended up following some age groupers and we got off course,” said Stoltz. “It probably added a minute to a minute-and-a-half on the bike. I still thought I had it but in the end it was too much. But all credit to Josiah, he had a great race, especially considering he came right out of winter. He’s got good form, it’s going to make for a great summer of racing.”

While Stoltz had the fastest bike split, and Middaugh the fastest run, Branden Rakita – who was the top American at XTERRA Worlds last year – had the best swim and a solid bike and run to finish third, tying his career-best (he was also third at the XTERRA Canada Championship last year).

“It was really tight on the bike today, with a lot of guys hanging around up front like Branden and Seth Wealing so I was worried they’d sneak up on the run,” said Middaugh.

Former XTERRA World Champion Nico Lebrun was more than four minutes back out of the swim but made up that time with the third quickest bike and fourth-best run to propel himself into fourth place.

Chris Stehula, last year’s USAT collegiate national champ, had his best-ever XTERRA showing to round out the podium, while Jim Thijs from Belgium finished sixth and Wealing seventh to round out the money spots.

“This course was more technical than I thought it would be,” said Stoltz of the sandy, rocky, moon-like surface.

“I rode it on Tuesday and it was hard-packed and I thought it would be so easy, but with all the riders churning it up over the week it really got loose and more technical than you’d think, so anybody that rode well today should be proud.”

Women’s Recap

It was a tough off-season for long-time XTERRA great Melanie McQuaid having to live with the memories of an 11th place finish at XTERRA Worlds, a race she dedicated so much time and energy into. Nothing like today, then, to start the 2011 season where she’d like to finish it – on the top step.

“Nice to erase the bad memory of Worlds,” said McQuaid, who’s won World’s three times. “Unfortunately you’re only as good as your last race so I had to deal with that, but this is much better and anytime you can win one of these it’s a pretty special day.”

Fellow countrywoman Christine Jeffrey provided perhaps the biggest competition to McQuaid on this day. Jeffrey came out of the water with the top men and put together a strong bike that had McQuaid chasing her for most of the first 10 miles.

“Christine is riding really well and I didn’t catch her until the end of the first lap,” said McQuaid, who came out of the water third behind Jeffrey and XTERRA newcomer Kelsey Withrow (who later pulled with a mechanical).

“Once I past Christine it was hard to tell what was going on behind me because this course is really fast moving, almost criterium style, so you couldn’t tell where anybody was until you came up on them.”

While most expected reigning XTERRA World Champ Shonny Vanlandingham to make her move on the bike, she was so cold coming out of the water that she never really warmed up.

“That’s the coldest water I’ve ever been in. I was hypothermic, came out of the water in a total daze and just couldn’t get it together,” said Vanlandingham, whose swim split was 29:46, five minutes off McQuaid and more than eight minutes back of Jeffrey.

The water temp was 62-degrees earlier in the week, but one-and-all said it was a lot colder than that today. “It was probably in the high 50’s,” said Branden Rakita, and both he and Vanlandingham said they couldn’t even feel their toes until the second mile on the run.

Vanlandingham actually had the second-best run split, behind only the speedy Danelle Kabush, but couldn’t bridge a five-plus minute gap and was happy with second place.

Jeffrey ran past mountain bike expert Kelley Cullen, who was racing in her first off-road tri, to finish in third with Cullen in fourth. Kabush rounded out the podium, with Emma Garrard and Suzie Snyder placing sixth and seventh, and Jessica Noyola eighth in her first race as a pro.

Click here to see photos from the race.

XTERRA West Championship
Lake Las Vegas, Nevada – April 10, 2011
1.5km swim, 30km mountain bike, 10km trail run

Men
1. Josiah Middaugh (USA) 2:13:39
2. Conrad Stoltz (RSA) 2:14:38
3. Brenden Rakita (USA) 2:17:46
4. Nicolas Lebrun (FRA) 2:19:16
5. Chris Stehula (USA) 2:20:13

Women
1. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 2:32:29
2. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) 2:35:50
3. Christine Jeffrey (CAN) 2:37:02
4. Kelley Cullen (USA) 2:38:56
5. Danelle Kabush (CAN) 2:39:06

Saipan’s Mieko Carey reclaimed the women’s division crown, while United Kingdom’s Sam Gardner notched his third straight men’s title after ruling the 2011 XTERRA Guam on Saturday.

Carey, who topped the 2008 edition of the annual race and placed only third last year, this time was the first female finisher in the field and fourth overall to win her second XTERRA Guam crown. The Saipan triathlete timed in at two hours, 58 minutes, and 37 seconds in the one-kilometer swim, 31-km mountain bike race, and 8.2-km trail run of the weekend race.

Carey was the lone female triathlete to complete the event in under three hours and she beat U.K. pro Daz Parker (3:10:11) and Guam’s Kelly Dawes (4:01:56). The 32-year-old Carey submitted 16:08 (fifth best) in the swim leg in the waters off Piti, 1:49:06 (eighth overall) in the uphill bike race, and 53:23 (fifth) in the trail run.

Read More: Saipan Tribune

For the second straight year, the 2011 Tagaman Triathlon had a surprise winner in the women’s division.

Suzie Snyder stunned the favored triathletes in Saturday’s race, as she emerged the top female finisher in the two-kilometer swim leg, 60K bike race, and 15K run after clocking in at three hours, 20 minutes, and 41 seconds.

The U.S. pro finished ahead of Renata Bucher, Carina Wasle, and 2010 champion Dan Bi Hong and surprised herself with her victory.

“I love doing mountain bike races and trail runs, but to my surprise I usually finished better in road races,” said Snyder, who was fourth in the swim leg in the women’s division and 11th overall with her 29:40, behind against three Koreans, including Hong.

The American triathlete then grabbed the lead at the halfway mark of the bike race. She timed in at 1:44:17 in the bike leg (seventh best) and submitted 1:04:16 (eighth fastest) in the run portion.

“It was a good race for me, I love the weather, it was cold and windy,” Snyder said.

Read More: Saipan Tribune

She’s just three years old, but Zoe Rapatel already knows that when Mommy laces up her sneakers it probably means she and her little brother, Nico, will be tagging along, too.

That’s because her mother is Danelle Kabush, a 35-year-old Calgary-based athlete who always seems to be in training for a major athletic event. She’s a professional mountain biker who raced on the Canada Cup national circuit, a three-time Xterra World Champion off-road triathlon medallist, and a regular half-Ironman competitor. She spends at least 15 hours a week cycling, swimming and running to keep her body in tip-top shape. Yet despite such a feverish pace, the devoted wife and mother always looks for ways to combine her two greatest loves: sports and family.

“Since having kids, it has taken the whole race routine up to a whole other level of organization,” she says. “Before kids you just have to think about what you need for race day. Now I have to organize the whole family and make sure I have milk pumped for my baby and help my husband get organized with the kids. I’ve definitely gotten better at it.”

Read More: Canada.com

Men’s Recap

This was a hometown race for Hugo. Photo: oakpics.com/Xterra

There’s no place like home for Xterra star Dan Hugo as the 25-year-old won the eighth running of the Xterra South Africa Championship at the Grabouw Country Club in the Western Province for the third time in four years today.

Hugo, who’s hometown of Stellebosch is less than an hour away from the course, finished the 1.5km swim, 25km mountain bike and 10km trail run in 2:15:30 – nearly four minutes ahead of runner-up Kent Horner.

Hugo, who picked up his first Xterra championship win in Grabouw in 2008, also won here last year. The sports rising star now has six championships to his credit, including three on his home course, plus Xterra A Mexico and Brazil championships last year, and the Xterra Northwest Cup in Idaho in 2009.

Hugo’s biggest challenger on the day, four-time Xterra World Champion Conrad Stoltz, pulled early due to illness. Stoltz spent much of the last few weeks laying low with bronchitis. ”Besides feeling very disappointed, Conrad is doing fine and in good spirits,” said Xterra SA communications director Jacky McClean.

According to Hugo, winning on home ground in the company of family and friends is an awesome experience. “Today’s event drew an epic crowed. I had a good swim, exiting the water a head of Conrad Stoltz. I pushed hard to ensure a smooth transition onto the mountain bike discipline, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before Conrad closed in. I was saddened by the news of Conrad having to withdraw from the race due to illness, but that is the nature of the sport. I no longer had to push myself to the limit and just maintained a steady pace. The run discipline was great. Being welcomed home by the largest crowed that Xterra Grabouw has ever attracted was just a memorable experience,” said Hugo.

For the second straight year Kent Horner came in second, and Nico Pfitzenmaier from Germany finished third.

Women’s Recap

In the women’s race, Austrian Xterra standout Carina “Ini” Wasle won the Xterra South Africa Championship for the second time in three years, having also won in 2009. The victory marked a terrific start to an early season Xterra World Tour adventure that will take her to the inaugural Xterra Philippines Championship next week, and the Xterra Saipan Championship the week after.

Wasle now has seven Xterra championship wins to her credit since winning her first of three Xterra Germany titles back in 2005 (she also has two Xterra Czech Championships).

“I had a very good race today,” said Wasle. “After a great swim, I exited the water in second place behind Carla van Huyssteen. Managing to catch her within the first 5km of the mountain bike discipline, I kept a steady pace and basically lead until the finish. I enjoyed the run discipline the most as it included a lot of up-hill running. The DUESOUTH XTERRA Grabouw is one of my favourite events. It features extremely beautiful landscapes, while the people are really friendly. I am definitely going to try my best to be back next year.”

For the second straight year Michelle Lombardi came in second, while Carla van Huyssteen finished third.

Xterra South Africa Championship
Grabouw Country Club, Western Cape, South Africa – Feb. 26, 2011
1.5km swim, 25km mountain bike, 10km trail run

Men

1. Dan Hugo (RSA) 2:15:30
2. Kent Horner (RSA) 2:19:22
3. Nico Pfitzenmaier (GER) 2:22:13
4. Lieuwe Boonstra (RSA) 2:26:31
5. Justin Porteous (RSA) 2:26:34

Women
1. Carina Wasle (AUT) 2:41:47
2. Michelle Lombardi (RSA) 2:44:59
3. Carla Van Huyssteen (RSA) 2:46:55
4. Susan Sloan (RSA) 2:50:57
5. Tanya Rabie (RSA) 3:05:53

Race recap provided by Xterra.

You have to have an open mind when entering an Xterra race. Photo: Xterra

Still, off-road racing is serious business when it comes to being prepared. His three tips for making a successful transition to the off-road world:

1.     Mountain bike with mountain bikers whenever possible. Ride behind a technically advanced rider and note the lines he takes. Learn about tire pressure, play with your suspension and be prepared for a few spills.

2.     Trail run wherever possible. It will strengthen your ankles and the stability muscles and improve coordination on tricky footing sections. Trail running is different, and many courses have gradients too steep for the best of runners. Different strength and conditioning is needed, so train as race specifically as is practical.

3.     Do a few runs off the mountain bike, perhaps off a longer ride. Your back position is different than in a road tri, and it’s incredible how much one’s body can adapt. It just needs to experience the stimulus a few times.

Don’t miss the April issue of Triathlete magazine, dubbed The Adventure Issue, which is jam-packed with advice and tips for taking your training and racing off-road.

Xterra U.S. Series Pros Branden Rakita and Jenny Smith are among an all-star cast of South American pros including Brazilians Alexandre Manzan, Alexandre Ribeiro, Felipe Moletta, and Rodrigo Altafini, Ezequiel Morales from Argentina (just finished 2nd at Ironman Brazil) and Chilean legend Cristian Bustos.  Among the women elites are Maria Soleda Omar from Argentina, 2009 Brazilian Tour champ Carla Prada and adventure racing star Cris de Carvalho.

You can watch it live on the internet at Amazonsat.com.br starting at 9am on the East Coast.

The race consists of a 1.5km swim, a 30km mountain bike, and 9km trail run – all on a military base where athlete safety will be supported by the Brazilian Army.

Preview provided by Xterra.

What they’ve discovered is an entire community of friendly and helpful locals, some amazing forested single track trails that go up and down, and up and down, and spring flowers in full bloom in the middle of May.

“I was surprised to see how hard it is,” said Renata Bucher from Switzerland, who has already won races in Portugal and Saipan this year. “They aren’t long climbs but it’s constantly hard, like a long dance where you just have to move all the time.”

Conrad “the Caveman” Stoltz remarked about how racers best make sure that their granny gears are in good working condition, saying there were some 20 climbs where he was in the granny gear while pre-riding today.

“It’s very different from anything we’ve done before,” said Stoltz. “It’s only my second time in Texas so for me it’s a cultural experience at the same time, and I’m looking forward to enjoying the barbeque. My dad is a cattle rancher in South Africa so I’m eager to compare the barbeque down here.”

For Shonny Vanlandingham, who grew less than a few hours away in Arlington, racing here in Texas gives her the opportunity to brag about some of great riding that can be found in her home state.

“This park is great. I feel like it’s one of the best parks in Texas and not a lot of people know about it. You think of Waco and you think of Baylor University, but this park has so many great activities from water sports to hiking, and trail running. And the community has been great and really embrace the racers.”

Indeed, from homestays for the visiting pros to the Waco Bicycle Club president Scott Prauge building a 50-foot bridge so a special section of the course could get ridden, the locals have gone all out. Ian Moore from Bicycles Outback and his crew pre-marked the course two weeks ago and have arranged for aid stations in the forest to bring some serious energy (And music) to the race atmosphere. Kim Jennings, a park ranger at Cameron and a very fast amateur Xterra racer herself (she qualified for Maui in Vegas) has connected everyone from the city to the trails in a united effort to welcome Xterra.

“The locals have really done an amazing job getting this park and the trails and all the details fine tuned so we could make a big splash here in our first year,” said Dave Nicholas.

Race preview provided by Xterra.

Also this weekend in the Mariana Islands several pros – notably Xterra Saipan Champ Sam Gardner, four-time Xterra European Tour Champ Renata Bucher, and Xterra U.S. National Champ Shonny Vanlandingham will take on the tropical challenge of XTERRA Guam.

Check back to Competitor.com for the latest Xterra results.

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Men’s Recap
Eneko Llanos, 32, of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain and Julie Dibens, 34, from Bath, England (living in Boulder, Colorado) won the XTERRA World Championship and $20,000 first place prize money that goes with it at on a hot and sunny day at the Makena Beach & Golf Resort in Maui this afternoon.

Llanos finished in 2:37:22, 55 seconds ahead of Nicolas Lebrun from France, to collect his third XTERRA World Championship and first since winning back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004.

The men’s race was amazing, with all the sports heavy weights battling it out on the dusty slopes of Haleakala. Seth Wealing and Eneko Llanos were the first two contenders out of the one-mile warm water Pacific Ocean swim, followed by Olivier Marceau, Franky Batelier, and Conrad Stoltz.

Per his Maui routine, Stoltz jumped to an early lead on the mountain bike and was the first to hit the infamous “Heartbreak Hill” section at about mile 4, but the chase pack was thick and persistent.

By midway through the 20-mile bike Stoltz was still in front but with a tail that included Batelier, Llanos, Marceau, and Lebrun – one-by-one and separated by mere seconds. Just past the halfway point “Ned’s Climb” takes riders up some 1,400 feet in a matter of a mile to the highest point on the course at where the “Plunge” begins.

It’s here where Stoltz’ has built his legend and the spot where in past years he could put guys away with his fearless downhill riding. This year the course was as smooth as it has ever been and minimized the fear factor for his foes. Not to say that the Plunge isn’t still a gnarly, loose, jagged lava rock riddled stretch, it is – just not as bad.

“This was a tough race, but the bike course was a little smoother, a little faster,” said Llanos, who became the first racer in 14 years to win XTERRA Worlds after competing at the Ironman World Champs. “The course was a little less technical, and I went at a steady pace and it went really well.”

Stoltz cleared the section but didn’t put any time on the lead pack and at mile 15 Llanos and Batelier were right behind him with Josiah Middaugh pushing his way into the conversation just 30 seconds back, and Lebrun and Marceau within a minute. There hasn’t been a race in recent memory here in Maui where six guys were this close this far into the race, and another big name was about to be added to the mix.

Michi Weiss, last year’s runner-up, came out of the water in 79^th place a full four minutes behind the leaders, but carved two minutes off his blazing fast bike split of a year ago (1:28:11) to close in on the leaders.

At the bike-to-run transition the spectators lining the lush luau grounds at the host hotel got to see for themselves just how exciting the racing action was with Stoltz, Llanos, and Middaugh all coming into and exiting together. Llanos got the early jump and once he got in front he never gave it up.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to be this strong,” said Llanos, who finished 14th at the Ironman World Championship in 8:37:55 and captured the Hawaiian Airlines Double award for the fourth straight time. The award is given annually to the pro man with the fastest combined time at Ironman Worlds and XTERRA Worlds. “Just two weeks ago I was really disappointed in Kona, and now here I am so happy. I came here with no pressure and just wanted to have fun and then I felt strong from the swim and had a good day. When I crossed the finish line I couldn’t believe it, how fast feelings change, and something amazing happened and I’m just so happy now.”

Batelier was fourth into transition, then Lebrun, Marceau and Weiss. Any given day and any of the seven could do something special on the run and win. Lebrun did his best, and picked off everyone but Llanos on his way to 2nd place, his best finish in Maui since winning it all in 2005. Middaugh, who hasn’t done a legit training run in nearly a year due to injury, dropped to 9th by the finish line.

Weiss had a really good run, especially considering he was coming off the Ironman two weeks ago (he was 25th in Kona), and moved all the way up to 3rd.

“Last year I felt like I lost the race since I was so close to Ruzafa, but 3rd place was like a victory for me after the Ironman and not knowing what to expect recovery-wise,” said Weiss.

Marceau was his usual professional self and had a solid run to finish 4th for his fifth top 5 in Maui, Stoltz slugged it out for 5th, Batelier hung on for 6th, Felix Schumann worked his way into 7th, and Seth Wealing came across as the top American in 8th.

Women’s Recap

Julie Dibens is a cool cat. She’s calm, collected, confident and an absolute monster on this Maui course. She actually trailed in this race for the first time in two years, with Christine “Big Fish” Jeffrey coming out of the water 38 seconds up, but that lasted all of about five minutes and then Julie was Julie – making it look easy and putting more on more time on her competitors with every turn of the pedal.

By mile 11 she had a four-minute lead and was mixed in with the top 15 men. A few seconds later Brian Smith (one of XTERRA’s all-time fastest men’s mountain bikers) rode by and said “Wow!” – referencing the fact that he was halfway through the bike and Dibens was still in front of him.

At mile 15 Dibens was up by nearly five minutes, it was more than that at transition, and when she finished with a women’s event record time of 2:56:42, the finish line crowd waited another seven-and-a-half minutes before seeing Lesley Paterson. She had the day’s fastest bike split, even better than Marie-Helene Premont (an Olympic silver medalist in the 2004 mountain bike competition in Athens), Shonny Vanlandingham (NORBA’s all-time best) and Melanie McQuaid (a Canadian National Team rider for years).

Dibens is the first pro – man or woman – to win this race three years-in-a-row and joins the exclusive club of three-time winners with Conrad Stoltz, Melanie McQuaid, and Eneko Llanos.

“I felt good all day except for that last stretch of the run on the lava,” said Dibens. “I was able to ride in control and run smart. I’m delighted to be up here on the podium again and to win this race three times in a row is really special.”

In the ultimate display of class, Dibens deflected talking about her own race at the awards ceremony dinner but rather praised Paterson, who she had raced against on the ITU circuit nearly a decade ago, and told the assembled masses that this course was good for her and on any other course Melanie McQuaid could “kick my a#*”.

“To me, Melanie and Jamie Whitmore are still the queen’s of XTERRA and I’m certain these guys out here in the audience feel the same way,” said Dibens.

Lesley Paterson is a rising star in the XTERRA World and had it not been for that one Brit – this race was hers. She finished in the top 3 in all three championship XTERRA’s she entered, however, this result was by far the most impressive and her run split was the fastest of the day by far at 49:50.

“I was real consistent on the bike today and was able to stay with Shonny until the plunge when she took off,” said Paterson. “I worked so hard on the bike this year and it really paid off, and I’m really excited about my finish today.”

For McQuaid, the dream of an unprecedented fourth world title is still just that. She didn’t have a bad day, it just wasn’t enough.

“I didn’t have an amazing day today and you have to in order to win here,” said the 3x World Champ. “I’m not happy with my performance, I just wasn’t snappy enough, but I had a good season.”

Carina Wasle had a breakthrough race here in Maui to finish 4th, her best result in five attempts, and Shonny Vanlandingham raced through a cold to finish in the top five.

To see complete results click here.

Picking winners isn’t easy, and in a sport as unpredictable as Xterra – with Mother Nature lurking around every corner in the form of kiawe thorns, lava rocks, soft sand, and the hot sun – its downright impossible.

For a mission that daunting Xterra turned to its own version of Ethan Hunt, 24-year-old Xterra sensation Dan Hugo.

The South African is perhaps the most qualified human on the planet to make such predictions. His credentials:
- Has gone head-to-head with just about everyone in the field
- Finished eighth in Maui last year in his first attempt
- Finished in the top five of every Xterra Championship race in the U.S. this year, including a victory at the Northwest Cup.
- He’s the prodigy of three-time Xterra World Champ Conrad Stoltz, and hails from the same hometown of Stellenbosch.
Hugo’s season was cut short after suffering through weeks of a severe flu and instead of rushing back in subpar form, he painstakingly decided to build an 8-month-base of training so he could tackle 2010 with a vengeance.

Armed with unmatched insider knowledge and a remarkable gift with words, Hugo gives us his take on how the 2009 XTERRA World Championship pro races will shake out…

Men’s Feel – A tight top five podium spread across 90 seconds, including Batelier, Stoltz, Lebrun, Ruzafa and Ussher.

With the one-two mountain biking dominance in 2008, both riding more than three minutes faster at 1:30:25 best split for Ruzafa, the swim pressure has mounted across the divide. In this context of precious seconds, I think the swim and its 50-meter dash between two laps in front of Maluaka beach will be faster than ever up front, and imagine a similar sizeable 20 pax front group at swim exit to last year.

As tarmac swings right and visibly upward in Haleakala Volcano summit baring after two minutes of riding, Stoltz, Batelier and Marceau will ride away as the early trio. Batelier had not seen the course last year, and was caught off guard at the first steep rocky wall that breaks hearts – it’s where Stoltz managed to stay clipped and edge 20 seconds that become significant daylight before puncture misery sidelined his charge last year. Batelier can only ride smarter on his 2nd attempt this Sunday. Behind – Lebrun (pictured) may have started less than a minute down with an improving swim this season. He may not bridge, but hold instead.

Defending Ruzafa has really found climbing form in the last two months, closing out UCI XC World Cups with three top tens, and the season closer with a 2nd. Thereafter a brilliant 3rd at Roc d”Azur XC two weeks ago. With such form, I suspect the lightweight hardtail riding Spaniard will be in visual contact of Stoltz and Batelier after roughly 3000-feet elevation gain before The Plunge, with Marceau fading.

Baring any misfortune to any, I can see Stoltz, Batelier, Ruzafa, and a lurking Lebrun dismounting in sweltering Maui oppression just before 11 a.m., for an 11-kilometer soul search on foot. Kiwi multisport legend Richard Ussher will make an impression on the run for a notable debut, but the race glory belongs up front in the blow by blow four man duel.

Lebrun may be scripting a fairytale career end (my personal assumption), and I’ll go the outside chance of his current run form making the tiny difference, carrying him across the mile beach of soft sand, with just that notch extra experience and determination, to claim his second XTERRA World title. Batelier and countryman to Lebrun will hold strong on the run for 2nd, and (so hoping to be proved wrong) Stoltz holding 3rd after an injury plagued later season. Ruzafa may be close, but specific prep costing his bike brilliance to finish 4th. Ussher I’ll tip for 5th, but in the mix will be Marceau’s consistency, Middaugh’s solid season, Vine’s tenacity, Schumann’s youth, and a break through year for Akerson.

Nico Lebrun, Frank Batelier, Conrad Stoltz, Ruben Ruzafa, Richard Ussher, Josiah Middaugh, Olivier Marceau, Felix Schumann, Rom Akerson, Mike Vine

Of interest will be the Ironman form of Llanos and McKenzie, but I feel the top ten will be out of reach with the class racing in ’09 in the men’s pro field.

In all, I personally believe this year to be up a notch, thrilling racing awaits, and seconds will tell the front tale.

Woman’s Feel – Ms. Dibens will become the first to win three consecutive Xterra World titles – leading as she has done in the previous two years, from start to finish. Her form is on the up, and I believe she’s got the event figured, and will be too classy to match.

Dave Nicholas mentioned a smoother course than previous years, and this too pushes the scale toward Dibens record setting. Dibens would have to surrender 4min30 on the bike to allow McQuaid into contention, and although I cant foresee it, the unpredictability of sport is a magical attribute.

2nd to McQuaid then, who has put together an astounding season, but perhaps too perfect, and too much form already shown. I would enjoy seeing her become the first 4th title holder though.

Maui being such a biker’s weighted game – compounded by a ‘blind’ course of technical climbing and gutsy descending, I’ll put wild card Premont in 3rd, after real reliable form in the UCI XC Series, where she ended 6th overall a month ago. Perhaps locking into a duel with McQuaid.

But all this I see being tight, but less so than the men’s mashup. Vanlandingham might enjoy her personal coffee from the islands before race start and get close with a solid bike in 4th, and Renata Bucher taking 5th after so much successful race travel this season.

It would be exciting to see how close McQuaid can get on the bike, and what run form Kabush can repeat after 08’s brilliance.

Julie Dibens, Melanie McQuaid, Marie-Helen Premont, Shonny Vanlandingham, Renata Bucher, Lesley Paterson, Danelle Kabush, Carina Wasle, Jenny Smith, Christine Jeffrey

Closing Feel – Both pro fields are more compressed than ever – an exciting chapter in the XTERRA evolution. It’ll be down to mere seconds, that’s a definite.

The Xterra World Championship has become the melting pot of triathlon, with ITU, 70.3, Ironman and Xterra specialists rolling the dice between lava rock, kiawe thorns, and blistering heat on a board of season ending form. Thrilling close racing, monumental moments of deep will power, and Halloween dress up – wish I were there…

Provided by Xterra.