To illustrate how good the trails are at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama – home to this year’s Shelby County ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships / XTERRA Southeast Championship on May 19 – one only needs to hear from the world’s greatest cross-triathlete – Conrad “the Caveman” Stoltz.

“This place is amazing, and I know I speak for all of us when I say we love it here.  It’s a true XTERRA course with a nice swim in a beautiful lake, a technical, fun mountain bike course and a tough run,” said Stoltz after last year’s Southeast Championship race, adding that after 20 years of racing around the world, “this course is my favorite of all.”

The two-time Olympian from South Africa won the inaugural ITU Cross Tri World Title last year in Spain, is the only elite to win four XTERRA World Championships and nine XTERRA U.S. Pro Series titles, and his 44 career XTERRA championship victories is an all-time record.  While his word is gold and could stand by itself, he’s not the only one offering high-praise for this course.

Runner’s World Magazine called the trails one of America’s “Crown Jewels – 25 best trails in the nation,” and the International Mountain Bicycling Association g
Credit belongs to the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers (BUMP) and Shelby County for the continued development of world class trails along with their State Partners; Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and Oak Mountain State Park who have worked hand in hand to elevate the caliber of mountain biking at this venue.ranted them the prestigious EPIC designation – given only to those rare trails “guaranteed to blow your mind.”

BUMP has spent more than 100,000 hours in design and construction of new trails over the past 20 years in conjunction with the efforts of County Manager Alex Dudchock and Oak Mountain Superintendent Michael Jeffreys to make this trail system what it is today.  See some POV video from the course here.

The unique format for the 2012 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships, which provides a spectator friendly competition for the men’s and women’s pro-only races, features multiple loops on the bike and run courses that will pass through the main athlete village and around scenic Double Oak Lake.  While pros will miss the famous “blood rock” section on the epic single-loop course, they excitedly embrace the Nascar-style of fast-and-furious racing through the trees.

“I really enjoyed the lap courses for the bike and run in Spain,” said Stoltz after winning last year’s inaugural ITU Cross Tri title which featured 4-5K bike loops and 2-3K run loops. “The spectators, many of them age groupers who raced earlier, lined the course to cheer and watch the action. The crowds were great, and because of the multiple loops groupers and spectators could really get into it.”

The course at Oak Mountain is longer by distance than what they raced in Spain with 3 laps totaling 31K on the bike and two 5K laps on the run, but the format is the same with multiple laps.  With the pros starting in the afternoon, and hundreds of amateurs, their friends and family already done with their race remaining at the venue to watch, you can expect the same great crowd interaction.

Of note, the under-23, junior, age-group and paratriathlon race courses will be staged on the traditional XTERRA single-loop short and long courses to allow for the larger fields.

“The Oak Mountain course is really fun, and it’s always one of our favorite stops on tour because everyone is so nice, inviting, and thoughtful,” said reigning ITU Cross Tri Women’s World Champ Melanie McQuaid from Canada.  “It’s fun to enjoy the southern lifestyle for a while like this, and the race itself is true XTERRA.”

Rising star Dan Hugo, who is also from South Africa, has finished runner-up to Stoltz on this course twice, and said he’s come away with great appreciation for what he’s found in the foothills of the Appalachians.

“It’s a fun course, so testing.  You have to concentrate the entire time.  Can’t drink water or take your eyes off the trail for a second.  It’s very intense, out of the ordinary intense because the penalty for losing your focus is disaster. I loved the run too but was begging for it to end.  It had so many elements.  I really think this course represents what off-road tri is all about,” said Hugo.

Here are links to previews to the run (everyone) and (pro) bike course. These videos were taken in February, and by mid-May the foliage will be thick and green!

Bike Course Preview : Run Course Preview

Beyond just the racing, year-after-year athletes comment on how real the Southern hospitality is, and how much they enjoyed the friendly people and delicious food.

“Alabama is always a very interesting cultural experience for me,” said Stoltz a few years back. “I had hush puppies, fried catfish, prawns, cornbread, and grits.  We went to the Cracker Barrel and I thought that it was a mom and pop store and someone said ‘No, there are thousands of them’.  We got to meet a lot of the locals, talk to the people, enjoy the Southern hospitality and the Southern food which was really pretty cool.”

Stoltz serves not just as an ambassador to the sport of cross (off-road) triathlon, but also as a promoter of the healthy, active outdoors lifestyle and has been strong about telling the community in Shelby County just how good they have it.

“When we talk to kids and adults alike it’s not so much about becoming an elite athlete, it’s about being fit and healthy and enjoying the outdoors.  Not everyone can be an Olympian, but they can feel good about themselves and be healthy and enjoy the nature around them, it’s a great lifestyle.  And when you’re lucky enough to live where Mother Nature is at its finest like here at Oak Mountain, that’s a gift that shouldn’t be ignored,” said Stoltz.

“The recreational infrastructure at Oak Mountain State Park is very important to past successes and our goals for advancing tourism in our county, we plan to continue improving the facilities and developing additional regional and national events,” said Alex Dudchock, County Manager.

Also of note about the Shelby County ITU Cross Tri World Championships/XTERRA Southeast Championship race:

- Easy to get to from anywhere.  Atlanta, one of the biggest airports on earth is just 2.5 hours away.  The Birmingham airport with direct connections is only 30 minutes away

- Shelby County is home to the venue site, Oak Mountain State Park, the State’s largest State park, with more than 10,000 acres.  There is so much more to see in Shelby County. The County boasts 50 public parks, eight museums, three wineries and 10 golf courses.

- There are dozens of good hotels within 15 minutes of the start line with prices as low as $US80 for two people.  Many include breakfast. To find convenient hotels to the venue site visit the Shelby County hotel link and for other hotels in nearby Hoover click here.  Choice Hotels also has several offerings in the area, and athletes can use the XTERRA discount code 00224890 when visiting choicesportstravel.com.

- There are dozens of restaurants in the area from simple to gourmet

- Birmingham is a historic city with roots back to the US Civil War and was the center of the US civil rights movement of the 1960′s.  Museums and historic places abound

- This area of the United States is known for its Southern Hospitality and friendly people

- For motor enthusiasts, the Barber Motorsports park and museum is one of the foremost motorcycle and car museums anywhere.  Over 850 motorcycles and 50 racing cars

- The weather will be fantastic!! Temperature between 80 to 85F/29-31C

- Over 40 miles of trails from single track to jeep road, rolling hills, fast descents, technical yet fast.

- Lake temperature normally 75F /24C

- We’ll host 5K and 10K Mud Runs, and 21K and 42K trail runs on Sunday for all to enjoy

- We’ll also host an XTERRA Sprint off-road tri open to all for those that did not qualify for the ITU Cross Tri World Championship/XTERRA Southeast Championship race

Learn more at the official ITU Cross Tri Worlds Website and www.xterrapelham.com.

Visit www.shelbycountytourism.org to learn more about everything Shelby County has to offer.

Allen was pushed hard by Olivier Marceau, a three-time Olympian for Switzerland who has won in Saipan four times.  Marceau steadily erased the minute-20 gap Allen had coming out of the water by the top of the climb on the bike, then forged into the lead at the notorious cave section just passed the halfway point on the run.

“On that technical downhill section in the ravine I’ve never seen anyone run so fast.  Olivier was flying and I was just trying to stay with him, pushing myself beyond my ability just to try and keep up,” said Allen.

Allen never let the lead slip by more than 10-or-15 seconds and when the course hit the flat road section before the beach, he pulled away, ultimately finishing with a winning time of 2:31:05, just 41 seconds ahead of Marceau.  It marked the fastest winning time since Marceau’s 2:27:16 back in 2007.

“In the jungle I tried to break away but Ben stayed close and on the road he was faster than me,” said Marceau, who finished runner-up to Allen for the third weekend in a row.

“I was right behind him, and I did my best to catch him but he was stronger than me today.  In Guam I was four minutes back, in Cebu I was two minutes back, and today I was under a minute so I’m coming along in a good way. The season is very long, and my first big race is at XTERRA Italy in late May, so I still have time to build up my speed and race pace.”

The wild card in this one was Cedric Lassonde, who despite coming out of the water three minutes behind Allen and almost two behind Marceau, worked his way into the lead pack on the bike and exitedT2 within a minute of the pair.  A missed left turn early on the run derailed his plans of an upset, but the promise of a bright XTERRA racing future for the professional DJ by trade remains.

“I had a strong bike, and went hard, so I probably wouldn’t have been able to catch them anyway,” said the humble Lassonde, whose 1:24:26 set the standard by more than a minute.  It marked the third straight week Lassonde posted the fastest bike split, and any suggestions that he’s not a technical rider were dismissed today – as the Saipan course is very challenging.  “It was a fun race.  On the bike I was loving it, and it wasn’t as hot as I thought it would be, it was very nice.”

Japan national mountain bike team rider/manager Takahiro Ogasawara had his best showing in the series, placing fourth ahead of Graham Wadsworth (5th), Jens Buder (6th), Branden Rakita (7th), and Will Kelsay (8th).

“Ben is on fire. Biggest thing I’ve seen is the improvement in his bike, from the times I’ve raced him in Europe last year and then at Nationals in the U.S. his bike handling skills have gotten so much better, said Kelsay.  “He was always a phenomenal swimmer and a solid runner but this year he really stepped up his game, so whatever he was doing in the off-season, I want a piece of that.”

Allen’s off-season was spent in his hometown of Wollongong, Australia, training with girlfriend/travel partner Jacqui Slack and fellow XTERRA Asia Pacific tour champ Renata Bucher.

“I never expected this race to be so adventurous.  It was similar to the Brazil race in the Amazon in that respect,” said Allen.  “The course is just phenomenal, world-class.  It’s so much fun, the whole event is unreal and one of the toughest, for sure.  The bike is grueling, the swim is tough with the current, and the run was phenomenal, one of the hardest I’ve ever done.  I couldn’t enjoy the cave because I was too busy trying to keep up with Olivier, though.  Full credit to Olivier, he’s a world-class athlete.  I’m just stoked.  Stoked I did, coming away with three wins. I’m on top of the world at the moment.”

Pl  Name  Country  Time
1  Ben Allen AUS  2:31:05
2  Olivier Marceau SUI  2:31:44
3  Cedric Lassonde FRA  2:34:58
4  Takahiro Ogasawara JPN  2:45:00
5  Graham Wadsworth GBR  2:46:28
6  Jens Buder GER  2:49:12
7  Branden Rakita USA  2:52:36
8  Will Kelsay USA  2:58:40
9  Butch Sublemente  USA  3:30:19

Complete Results // Image Gallery

BUCHER RECLAIMS XTERRA SAIPAN CROWN

Renata Bucher is all about Saipan.  There’s just something about the island terrain, turquoise water, and tropical heat that works for the “Swiss Miss” of XTERRA.

“This is the place where I really started my career as an XTERRA athlete,” explained Bucher, who has collected 24 XTERRA titles since her first one here in Saipan back in 2005.  “I fell in love with the island the first time I came, and as long as I do XTERRA I will come here.”

Today Bucher was playing catch-up from the beginning, as British pro Jacqui Slack put more than two-minutes on her in the swim and then rolled with the lead for the next hour or so until the peak of the climb up Mt. Tapochao.

“Jacqui swam really well, and so did Mieko. I tried to push hard but I couldn’t catch Jacqui until the top of the climb,” said Bucher, who has now won seven of the last eight here in Saipan.  “I never looked back the rest of the way, until I was on the beach just before the finish.  That’s when I realized I could win again.  It’s a wonderful feeling.  Ever since last year when I finished third I looked forward to coming back and doing better.”

The local favorite Mieko Carey had a strong swim, just a minute behind Slack, and was fast on the bike on her home course until a pair of flats left her playing catch-up.  The tough luck spread to Austrian Carina Wasle as well, who found herself in a pile-up on the bike.   Despite the setback Wasle had a blistering run and caught Slack to move into second just before the finish, only to fall apart due to exhaustion just 50 yards from the tape.

Next Saturday here in Saipan all four female pros that raced today will compete in the Tagaman road triathlon, the longest-standing tri in the western Pacific.

Pl  Name  Country  Time
1  Renata Bucher SUI  2:54:56
2  Jacqui Slack GBR  3:04:46
3  Carina Wasle AUT  3:05:53
4  Mieko Carey JPN  3:13:41

LOMBARD, HAMMERMEISTER WIN AMATEUR CROWNS

Guam’s Peter Lombard and former Saipan, now Missoula, Montana resident Dawn Hammermeister won the overall amateur crowns today.  It’s the sixth Saipan title for Hammermeister, who won four in a row from ’03-to’06.  Dozens of age group athletes punched their ticket to the XTERRA World Championship with today’s victory…here’s a look:

2012 XTERRA Saipan Champions

Div  Name  Hometown  Time
15-19  Jules Goguely  Providence, RI  4:05:23
25-29  Benjamin Dillon  Apo, Guam  3:15:36
30-34  (2) Brian Morris  Saipan, CNMI  3:17:22
35-39   Peter Lombard   Maite, Guam  3:13:21
40-44  Lewie Tenorio  Saipan, CNMI  3:34:40
45-49  Takayuki Hamada  Japan  3:33:35
50-54  Jay Sampsel  Boise, ID  3:36:20
55-59  Saburo Arakawa  Japan  5:39:55
60-64  (2) Alan Moore  Grand Rapids, MI  4:38:57

Women

Div  Name  Hometown  Time
25-29  Robyn Wondrasek  Saipan, CNMI  4:39:26
35-39  Erin Johnson   Dededo, Guam  4:42:53
40-44  (2) Yoshimi Yasue   Tokyo, Japan  4:26:19
45-49  (6) Dawn Hammermeister  Missoula, MT  4:07:09

Also earning XTERRA World Championship slots:

Men  Name  Time
25-29  Tobias Theisen  5:00:37
30-34  Theo Goguely  3:20:58
30-34  Jeffrey Phillips  3:47:02
30-34  Mike Waring  3:56:12
35-39  Masato Samata  3:23:10
35-39  Charlie Epperson  3:33:45
35-39  Tatsuya Kawasaki  4:06:51
40-44  Nobuhiro Koizumi  3:35:43
40-44  Osamu Sawahata  4:24:43
45-49  Roman Huber  3:37:31
50-54  John Douglas  3:49:59

Women  Name  Time
35-39  Karly Oneal  5:20:02
35-39  Azuna Samata  5:53:17

Previously Qualified
Erin Johnson (F35-39), Seth Hatke (25-29), Gabe Lombard (30-34), Theo Goguely (30-34), Peter Lombard (35-39), Chuck Fortier (35-39), Mark Cruz (40-44), Mark Walters (50-54)

XTERRA Asia Pacific Triple Crown participants: The first-ever three-stop XTERRA tour to the exotic stops of Guam, Philippines, and Saipan attracted 16 adventurous professional and amateur athletes from eight countries.  Among them were Ben Allen (AUS), Olivier Marceau (SUI), Cedric Lassonde (FRA), Graham Wadsworth (GBR), Branden Rakita (USA), Will Kelsay (USA), Takahiro Ogasawara (JPN), Renata Bucher (SUI), Jacqui Slack (GBR), Carina Wasle (AUT), Yoshimi Yasui (JPN), Chuck Fortier (CAN), and Guam natives Gabe Lombard, Mark Cruz, Tobias Theisen and Rick Leone.

Next on the XTERRA World Tour: The XTERRA Saipan Championship was the fourth world tour event, and last of three int the XTERRA Triple Crown of the Asia Pacific series.  XTERRA New Zealand is up next, and Aussie Ben Allen will be there to go for four in a row…

Feb 26  XTERRA South Africa Championship, Grabouw, Western Cape
Mar 10  XTERRA Guam Championship, Piti
Mar 18  XTERRA Philippines Championship, Cebu
Mar 24  XTERRA Saipan Championship, Northern Marianas
Apr 14  XTERRA New Zealand Championship, Rotorua
May 27  XTERRA Italy Championship*, Orosei, Sardinia
July 8  XTERRA France Championship*, Xonrupt, Gerardmer
July 15  XTERRA Brazil Championship, Manaus, Amazon
Aug 4  XTERRA Czech Championship*, Prachatice, South Bohemia
Aug 4  XTERRA Mexico Championship, Tapalpa, Jalisco
Aug 11  XTERRA Germany Championship*, Zittau
Aug 25  XTERRA Japan Championship, Marunuma
Sept 2  XTERRA Canada Championship, Canmore,  A.B.
Sept 8  XTERRA Switzerland*, Prangins
Sept 16  XTERRA Venezuela, Villa Caribe
Sept 22  XTERRA USA Championship, Ogden/Snowbasin, UT
Oct 28  XTERRA World Championship, Maui

XTERRA Decouverte is almost sold out. In fact, there are only 50 slots available to start this event limited to 500 athletes. So, if you planed to race the XTERRA Decouverte 2012 or if you are still on the XTERRA France waiting list, we advise you to register right now! You can still register to the XTERRA Relay (by team of 2 or 3 athletes) and also for the XTERRA Kids and XTERRA MiniKids

Register for the XTERRA DECOUVERTE now !

It is every performers dream to play on the biggest stage in front of an adoring, sold-out crowd.  On Sunday in Cebu that dream came true for Allen, Bucher and several hundred other XTERRA athletes representing more than a dozen countries as XTERRA’s version of the Tour de France unfolded in the scenic tropical paradise of the Philippines.

“It was absolutely amazing out there having thousands of people on the cliffs watching the swim and then lining both sides of the entire bike and run course, cheering the whole day,” said Allen, who posted a 2:30:05 winning time that was more than two-minutes ahead of triathlon legend Olivier Marceau.  “Today was one of the highlights of my career and I’m just over-the-moon, couldn’t be happier.”

The 7am race started under ideal, cool conditions when Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia fired the starting gun to send the mass of pros and amateurs on a 1.5km swim in the choppy waters of the Camotes Sea.

Allen, a dominant swimmer among the contenders, had company up-front with Canadian pro Mathieu O’Halloran and Australian age-grouper Daniel Neilson leading him out of the water.

Allen took over the lead before the trio left the bike-to-run transition and O’Halloran dealt with a series of flats shortly after, a common theme for many today riding the undulating, rocky route.  With three-time Olympian Marceau chasing hard behind Allen, the 27-year-old from Wollongong would need a near-perfect day to stay in front.

“I felt much better than last week but I just couldn’t catch him,” said Marceau, who was the runner-up to Allen at XTERRA Guam last week as well despite coming out of a cold European winter with little training in his legs – a fact the classy veteran did not use as an excuse.

“At one point on the first lap of the bike Olivier was just 20-seconds back or so and that was all the motivation I needed to keep going hard,” said Allen.  “I look up to him and all he has done in his career.  I’d like to follow in his footsteps and take the XTERRA world by storm this year.”

After capturing his second championship in as many weeks on the XTERRA World Tour – with another opportunity on Saturday in Saipan and 10 more XTERRA championship chances on his ambitious schedule thereafter – Allen is clearly on his way to accomplishing that goal.

Cedric Lassonde from France is also making quite a statement in this early season set of races in the western Pacific – posting the fastest bike split for the second week in a row and coming in third today, just 16 seconds behind Marceau.

“It was incredible out there, like a stage in the Tour.  I’ve never experienced anything like it,” said Lassonde, who also had the fastest run split of the day.

The UK’s Graham Wadsworth used a strong run to catch and pass American Branden Rakita for fourth-place.  Rakita came in 5th, followed by Austrian Thomas Vonach in his first race as a pro, Will Kelsay from the U.S., Takahiro Ogasawara from Japan, and Mathieu O’Halloran from Canada.

The overwhelming feeling from the field in today’s event was of awe and amazement.  They said it was “like a video game, always changing” and a “sensory riot full of vibrant color and sound.”

“That was insane, like Graham said, the closest we’ll get to the Tour de France.” said long-time and well-traveled “Mr. XTERRA” Will Kelsay.  “It was absolutely amazing.  You’d ride by schools of kids and could hear them cheering from far away. We rode through a turkey farm, people’s backyards, and right in front of their house doors.  At one-point I was giving high-five’s for a hundred yards.  Then out on the run you cross a rickety bamboo bridge, through a basketball court, people’s backyards, a calf-high bay, a beach…it was awesome.”

Place  Name  Country  Total  Swim  Bike  Run
1  Ben Allen  AUS  2:30:05  0:18:20  1:32:19  0:39:26
2  Olivier Marceau  SUI  2:32:22  0:19:22  1:34:17  0:38:43
3  Cedric Lassonde  FRA  2:32:38  0:22:03  1:32:05  0:38:30
4  Graham Wadsworth  GBR  2:41:59  0:24:20  1:35:51  0:41:48
5  Branden Rakita  USA  2:43:35  0:19:35  1:38:33  0:45:28
6  Thomas Vonach  AUT  2:44:36  0:23:01  1:41:28  0:40:07
7  Will Kelsay  USA  2:45:02  0:22:39  1:39:30  0:42:53
8  Takahiro Ogasawara  JPN  2:51:38  0:22:49  1:37:37  0:51:12
9  Mathieu O’Halloran  CAN  3:18:31  0:18:40  2:14:33  0:45:18
Complete Results // XTERRA Philippines photo gallery // Other race Images

BUCHER CONQUERS COUNTRY NUMBER 13

The “Swiss Miss” of XTERRA Renata Bucher has been around the world, and with the win in the Philippines has collected 23 championship victories in 13 countries – but none with so many eyes upon her.

It started with a chase as Jacqui Slack from the UK took an early lead with a strong swim that was more than two-minutes faster than Bucher and Austrian Carina Wasle.  Out of the water Wasle put an initial gap on Bucher during the bike before a series of disastrous flats that took her out of the race.  To her credit Wasle never gave up, and despite being on the bike course for more than three-and-a-half hours, soldiered on to finish as the fourth and final female pro in 4:46:17, nearly two hours after the race had been decided.

“I just didn’t want to give up,” said Wasle.

With that, Bucher went to work on reeling in Slack, who held the lead on the bike until the end of the first 17K lap. “I was nervous, because I know Jacqui is a very strong runner,” said Bucher, who had the fastest bike split at 1:42:43 to take a solid lead heading into the run.

Slack did indeed post the fastest run of the day, but it wasn’t enough to catch Bucher – whose winning time of 2:53:33 was three minutes faster.

“It was amazing today with so many kids and spectators everywhere along the course. It was hard to concentrate with just so much going on out there. It was the perfect temperature, and it turned out to be a perfect day for me,” said Bucher, who along with Allen will look for the clean sweep of the western Pacific as XTERRA heads to the Northern Marianas for the XTERRA Saipan Championship on Sat., March 24.

Darelle Parker finished in third position in her first race back from a shoulder injury sustained at the XTERRA Guam Championship at this time last year.

“I picked this race to focus for my return because I had such a great experience last year.  The welcome you receive is so warm, and they treat you so well.  The organization is simply the best, the weather is great, and the spectators are incredible.  It’s just a special place,” said Parker.

Place  Name  Country  Total  Swim  Bike  Run
1  Renata Bucher  SUI  2:53:33  0:23:43  1:42:43  0:47:07
2  Jacqui Slack  GBR  2:56:39  0:21:09  1:50:18  0:45:12
3  Darrelle Parker  GBR  3:29:44  0:26:58  2:12:25  0:50:22
4  Carina Wasle  AUT  4:46:17  0:23:47  3:32:00  0:50:30
NEILSON, TIEZZI WIN AMATEUR TITLES

Daniel Neilson from Australia and Silvia Tiezzi from Italy captured the overall amateur championship titles, leading a strong cast of 40 amateurs who qualified for the XTERRA World Championship in Kapalua, Maui on October 28.  Here’s a look at the age group champions along with the rest of the qualifiers from today’s race, and based on the interest shown at the post-race awards ceremony you can expect a strong Filipino showing in Maui this October:

PL  FIRST NAME  LAST NAME  DIVISION  TIME
1  JEMELY  DINOPOL  F 20-24  5:10:44
1  PEN  NEPOMUCENO  F 25-29  4:29:19
2  CARINA FLOR  POTENCIANO  F 25-29  4:46:35
1  CAMILLA  BROOKS  F 30-34  3:56:54
2  ANGELA  FOGAROLLI  F 30-34  4:01:45
1  SILVIA  TIEZZI  F 35-39  3:52:30
2  JENNIE  BAUTISTA  F 35-39  5:02:56
1  YOSHIMI  YASUE  F 40-44  4:04:35
2  MARIELA  MARTINEZ-POWELL  F 40-44  4:31:29
1  LYNDA  SCOTT  F 45-49  3:56:14
2  PIA  CAYETANO  F 45-49  4:35:23

Pl Men Last Name Division Time
1  JOHN RONNEL  UY  M 15-19  3:25:12
1  BENJAMIN  RAMIREZ  M 20-24  3:28:22
1  DANIEL  NEILSON  M 25-29  2:52:56
2  PAOLO  ESEMPI  M 25-29  2:59:14
1  FELIPE III  SAJULGA  M 30-34  3:14:17
2  THEO  GOGUELY  M 30-34  3:17:19
3  MICHAL  BUCEK  M 30-34  3:19:16
1  CHARLES  FORTIER  M 35-39  3:12:42
2  Noy  Jopson  M 35-39  3:16:42
3  MIGUEL ANTONIO  LOPEZ  M 35-39  3:21:09
1  RICHARD  SANTIAGO  M 40-44  3:51:22
2  TYRONE  TAN  M 40-44  3:57:57
3  SIMON JOHN ERIC  FLORES  M 40-44  3:58:49
1  JEROME  GEORGES  M 45-49  3:06:51
2  FRASER  MORRISON  M 45-49  3:11:08
1  JUAN JOSE  BONNIN  M 50-54  4:17:10
2  MAKOTO  KATAYAMA  M 50-54  4:49:51
1  JOSE RICARDO  DIZON  M 55-59  4:49:46
2  JOEL  FERRER  M 55-59  5:25:27
1  OSCAR JR  ESCUDERO  M 60-64  4:33:22
The 2012 XTERRA Philippines Championship will go down as one of the most memorable in the sports history.  The Governors’ pre-race reception at the Cebu Convention Center featured a spectacular performance by local dance troops and delicious local food.  The organization led by Sunrise Events president Fred Uytengsu and Princess Galura was unanimously lauded by participants as the “best they’d ever experienced,” and the true warmth of the Filipino community is something to be cherished.

Several celebrities also added to the day’s excitement (and the screeching of young girls voices) with famous Filipino actors Richard Gutierrez and Jericho Rosales racing in the event.  Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco and Senator Pia Cayetano also joined in the action, and all did incredibly well.

Combine the strong sponsor support from Vaseline Men and the Alaska Milk Corporation with an easy-to-get to international hub in Cebu, and this is a destination race that should be put on every XTERRA fan’s bucket list.

Next on the XTERRA World Tour: The XTERRA Philippines Championship was the third world tour event.  The XTERRA Triple Crown of the western Pacific continues with the XTERRA Saipan Championship this Saturday, March 24.

Feb 26  XTERRA South Africa Championship, Grabouw, Western Cape
Mar 10  XTERRA Guam Championship, Piti
Mar 18  XTERRA Philippines Championship, Cebu
Mar 24  XTERRA Saipan Championship, Northern Marianas
Apr 14  XTERRA New Zealand Championship, Rotorua
May 27  XTERRA Italy Championship*, Orosei, Sardinia
July 8  XTERRA France Championship*, Xonrupt, Gerardmer
July 15  XTERRA Brazil Championship, Manaus, Amazon
Aug 4  XTERRA Czech Championship*, Prachatice, South Bohemia
Aug 4  XTERRA Mexico Championship, Tapalpa, Jalisco
Aug 11  XTERRA Germany Championship*, Zittau
Aug 25  XTERRA Japan Championship, Marunuma
Sept 2  XTERRA Canada Championship, Canmore,  A.B.
Sept 8  XTERRA Switzerland*, Prangins
Sept 16  XTERRA Venezuela, Villa Caribe
Sept 22  XTERRA USA Championship, Ogden/Snowbasin, UT
Oct 28  XTERRA World Championship, Maui

XTERRA President Janet Clark was on hand to take in all the action and brings us this colorful report on the days’ adventure…

The first of the XTERRA Asia Tour’s “Triple Crown” is in the history books with the inaugural XTERRA Guam Championship.  XTERRA has held a race on Guam since 2006, initially as part of the XTERRA America Tour point series races – an opportunity for locals in the region to hone their skills and held in close proximity to the XTERRA Saipan Championship to lure a number of pros to the island over the years.  But thanks in large part to the Guam Visitors Bureau, and a host of other sponsors, race director Eric Tydingco, has finally achieved his long term dream of “Championship racing for Guam” with much sought after slots to the XTERRA World Championship and $15,000 in prize money for professionals.

The stars were out in force – with a highly competitive pro field traveling from around the globe – Australia, Europe, and the U.S. – and a record turn-out of age groupers and twenty teams representing Canada, Japan, several U.S. states, Saipan and Guam.

As the sun rose over Port Authority Beach, the race began with a deep water start and two laps of 750-meters.  First out of the water were local boys Soujyu Usui (team swimmer) followed by Josh Alba.  Only a few seconds back was Australian pro Ben Allen in 19:45 with Colorado’s Branden Rakita (USA) 20:57 and Olivier Marceau (SUI) 22:40.  The first woman out of the swim was U.K.’s Jacqui Slack 23:09 in 8th overall and 4th pro swimmer.  Saipan’s Mieko Carey was second woman out of the water.  Of note, 10th placed swimmer overall was local 7th grader, 13 year-old Justin Fell.  Remember that name…he’s determined to make it big.

Out on the 31K bike course, 2,400 total feet of climbing awaited, starting with a grueling ascent on pavement up Nimitz Hill, but from there it was true mountain biking –red dirt, slippery mud with sections that resembled quick sand, “oompah loompah” oopdy doops, and fast descents- enough to test even the most accomplished biker.

But the day belonged to Aussie Ben Allen who won the race in 2:29:42 – just under 3 minutes over second placed Olivier Marceau (SUI).  Allen appeared so quickly that it took the finish line by complete surprise.

“I’m stoked,” said Allen.  “Conditions were beautiful this morning.  I’m a strong swimmer and had a bit of a lead…so I rode hard.  I lost some air pressure out on the bike and had to stop a couple of times.  Oli caught me on the big descent, where I was riding a flat tire and nursed it all the way to transition.  But I’ve been working hard on running with my coach, and I knew if I was close enough to Oli, I could win.  I caught him on the first big climb of the run”.

His training showed – he had the fastest run of the day by over 3 minutes on the 8.2K jungle run course.   “These hot, humid conditions suit me – just like Brazil.  I’m looking forward to the Philippines and Saipan and hoping for a one, two, three hat trick in Asia.”

Marceau won XTERRA Guam in 2007 and he took second in this, his second appearance.  “This time was much, much harder.  I started my training a little later (in 2007, he had been training in Australia for several months before coming to the Northern Pacific).  I pushed hard, but it was tough.  Ben had a good swim and it was very hard to catch him on the bike.  I started running 10-15 seconds ahead of him and he caught me on the first uphill of the run.  Once he passed me, I kept my own pace and did my own race.”

Marceau finished second in 2:33:22.  “Philippines and Saipan, will be better and better if I keep on training and get used to the heat and race pace,” said Marceau.  “This is a beautiful race and beautiful organization and I had fun – and that’s what I’m looking for.”

In 3rd was Cedric Lassonde (FRA) – who had been lured to the Western Pacific with tales from fellow UK resident Sam Gardner, who won XTERRA Guam for the past three years.  “My swim was probably one of the worst ever in any triathlon.  I missed the last buoy and swam an extra 100 meters,” said Lassonde.  “I took a few tumbles on the bike.  It was very slippery and very difficult compared to two days ago when I last rode it.  But I caught Branden (Rakita) and thought maybe I’m not doing too bad.”  As it turned out, Lassonde had the fastest bike of the day.  “My run was very conservative, as I’m coming from a stress fracture and haven’t run in 4 weeks, but the whole run was incredible.”   His run was the second fastest of the day.

US pro Branden Rakita finished in 4th.  “I wasn’t expecting this bike.  It was hard – the mud did not dry out over the last few days and I slid all over the place and the bike got very heavy.  But once I hit the run, if was everything I expected and more – I just smiled and had fun sliding down the waterfalls and running through the jungle.  I’m really happy I came – it’s only going to get better from here.”

Graham Wadsworth (UK) finished 5th with Japanese pro Takahiro Ogasawara in 6th.  American Will Kelsay finished 7th for the pro men – sporting seven stitches on his knee from a pre-ride spill (that portion of the course was subsequently taken out), a broken chain, and a huge grin at the finish. “It was so fun Rambo-ing through the  jungle,”  he said.  Philippines’ Arland Macasieb was 8th.

2012 XTERRA Guam Championship Pro Men Results

Complete Results // XTERRA Asia Tour Press Guide

The Women’s Race

Swiss Miss Renata Bucher blew the women’s field away, taking 1st place by 15 minutes in 2:46:11 over Austria’s Carina Wasle.  Her win was good 7th place overall.  It was also her 2nd win in Guam.   She won the race in 2010 and finished 2nd in 2007 and 2009.  “I definitely had a good race,” Bucher said.  “I kept up in the swim and it is an advantage that I know the course. I’ve been training in Australia since the end of January, so I feel good.”  Looking forward to the next few weeks, she is surely a favorite for multiple wins.  “Philippines I know already and Saipan is my favorite race – I know it will be a really good time,” she said.

The diminutive Carina Wasle took second in 3:02:26.  “It is a really challenging course,” she said.  “I didn’t imagine that running through the river would be so hard.  The bike course is incredible – going down you never see where you are going and there’s lots of bumps and holes – you have to be very careful.  Everyone who finishes is a hero”.

“I look forward to the rest of the XTERRA Asian Tour.  It is fantastic.  All the islands are beautiful and you escape the winter.  Everyone should come and race here.”

UK’s Jacqui Slack finished in 3rd – after a strong swim, she took a wrong turn on the bike course and added about 10 minutes to her time.  Saipan’s Mieko Carey (2011 and 2008 XTERRA Guam women’s champ) took 4th.

The most inspiring performance of the day was that of former XTERRA World Champion and cancer survivor Jamie Whitmore.  Whitmore won this race in 2006 at the peak of her XTERRA professional career.  This time, she finished 86th, taking 1st place in the Challenged Athlete division in 4:52:09.  “It feels good to be back,” she said.  “My pedal came off three times in the bike and I only walked three hills, but it is definitely different when it comes to the run, as there is no running…I need to practice more with the crutches, and I will figure it out”.  Whitmore’s husband Courtney Cardenas, also raced today and finished 4th in the 35-39 division.

Age group standouts included Guam’s Peter Lombard, taking first place for the amateurs and 9th overall in 02:58:47.  His finish earned him 1st place 35-39 by almost 6 minutes and a slot to the Maui World Championship.  First-place woman was Guam’s Camren Kane in 3:45:45.

All agree that the XTERRA Guam Championship is an experience not to be missed – offering a chance for early season racing and training in the warm weather of the Western Pacific, a time for new and old friends to gather, and a place where Mother Nature dishes out challenges like nowhere else on the XTERRA Planet.

2012 XTERRA Guam Championship Pro Women Results

Age Group Race

Locals Peter Lombard and Camren Kane captured the men’s and women’s overall amateur crowns at XTERRA Guam today, and here’s a look at all the age group winners and those who earned a qualifying spot to the XTERRA World Championship:

Women

Also earning XTERRA World Championship slots:

Men
25-29  Seth Hatke 3:08:16
30-34  Jeffrey Phillips 3:37:16
30-34  Gabriel Lombard  3:51:54
35-39  Cameron Oneal  3:07:03
35-39  Charles Fortier 3:17:05
40-44  Stan Krasovic 4:01:07
40-44  Isaburo Kawasaki  4:06:03
45-49  Rodney Bordallo 3:37:41
50-54  Mark Walters 3:28:08

Women
25-29  Julie Mages 4:32:03
30-34  Jaime Fahy 4:43:37
35-39  Tressie Word 4:38:57
45-49  Tracy Brodie 4:31:23

Next on the XTERRA World Tour: The XTERRA Guam Championship race was the second world tour event to qualify amateur athletes into the XTERRA World Championship to be held in Kapalua, Maui (Hawaii) on October 28, 2012.  The XTERRA Asia Triple Crown continues with the XTERRA Philippine Championship next weekend (March 18) on the island of Cebu, and the “Crown Jewel” XTERRA Saipan (March 24) the weekend after.  Saipan will also host the annual Tagaman road triathlon on March 31.

Feb 26  XTERRA South Africa Championship, Grabouw, Western Cape
Mar 10  XTERRA Guam Championship, Piti
Mar 18  XTERRA Philippines Championship, Cebu
Mar 24  XTERRA Saipan Championship, Northern Marianas
Apr 14  XTERRA New Zealand Championship, Rotorua
May 27  XTERRA Italy Championship*, Orosei, Sardinia
July 8  XTERRA France Championship*, Xonrupt, Gerardmer
July 15  XTERRA Brazil Championship, Manaus, Amazon
Aug 4  XTERRA Czech Championship*, Prachatice, South Bohemia
Aug 4  XTERRA Mexico Championship, Tapalpa, Jalisco
Aug 11  XTERRA Germany Championship*, Zittau
Aug 25  XTERRA Japan Championship, Marunuma
Sept 2  XTERRA Canada Championship, Canmore,  A.B.
Sept 8  XTERRA Switzerland*, Prangins
Sept 16  XTERRA Venezuela, Villa Caribe
Sept 22  XTERRA USA Championship, Ogden/Snowbasin, UT
Oct 28  XTERRA World Championship, Maui

“The triathlon and multisport family is extensive and far reaching and ITU is delighted to form a partnership with XTERRA for our 2012 Cross Triathlon World Championships. We are confident the strong race organization and dynamic course will continue to push Cross Triathlon to a new level,” said Marisol Casado, ITU President & IOC Member.

It is the first time the event will be held in the United States. ITU hosted the inaugural Cross Tri World Championships last year in Extremadura, Spain, where four-time XTERRA World Champion Conrad Stoltz from South Africa and three-time XTERRA World Champion Melanie McQuaid from Canada won the elite titles.

The ITU Cross Tri World Championships will be held in conjunction with the seventh-annual XTERRA Southeast Championship race with local support from Shelby County, City of Pelham, City of Hoover, Oak Mountain State Park and the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers (BUMP).

“Oak Mountain State Park is amazing, and I know I speak for all of us when I say we love racing there,” said Stoltz, who has won the last five Southeast Championship races. “It’s a true XTERRA course with a nice warm water swim in a beautiful lake, a real mountain biker’s course with climbing, technical sections, and fun corners, and a tough but scenic run. This course is fully worthy of hosting a big international field of off-road triathletes.”

The event will feature $20,000 USD in prize money for elite athletes, who will compete over a 1.5km swim, 30km mountain bike and 10km trail run. Under-23, junior, age-group and paratriathlon races will also be contested in Pelham.

“We are excited about bringing the ITU Cross Tri World Championships to the U.S.,” said XTERRA managing director Dave Nicholas, who served as the Team USA Manager at the ITU Championships in Spain last year. “By combining the XTERRA series with ITU we are reaching new heights in cooperation between directors and the federations, and the venue at Oak Mountain and Shelby County are perfect for this event.”

Oak Mountain State Park was honored as one of America’s best trail destinations in the Spring 2011 edition of Runner’s World Magazine, where the twisting, rolling trails made the “Crown Jewels – 25 best trail runs in America” list. BUMP, the local trails advocacy group, has spent more than 100,000 hours in design and construction of new trails over the past 20 years.

“Outdoor sports enthusiasts from around the world have discovered that Shelby County’s Oak Mountain State Park provides unparalleled resources,” said Alex Dudchock, Shelby County Manager. “Our collaborations with the State of Alabama, City of Pelham, City of Hoover, Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers and other organizations have made extensive improvements possible to the already top-rated course, creating a destination for the serious competitor or for those discovering the thrills of outdoor sports.”

XTERRA competitors have been praising the trails at Oak Mountain since the first XTERRA staged there in 2006. Shonny Vanlandingham, the 2010 XTERRA World Champion, said “I’ve raced all over the world, and I just love coming back to Oak Mountain every year. It is perhaps the best course in the nation.”

“We are pleased to create this regional cooperation and look forward to welcoming athletes from around the world to compete in this prestigious event,” said Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey.

The unique format for the 2012 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships also provides a spectator friendly competition for the men’s and women’s pro-only races featuring multiple loops on the bike and run courses that will pass through the main athlete village and around scenic Double Oak Lake. The under-23, junior, age-group and paratriathlon race courses will be staged on more traditional single-loop short and long courses to allow for the larger fields.

REGISTRATION

Athletes are required to register with their national federation.

Learn more at www.xterrapelham.com.

OPEN TO EVERYONE

In addition to the ITU Cross Tri World Championship races XTERRA will also host open sprint and championship distance off-road triathlons for those that do not qualify. Plus, in addition to the triathlons on Saturday, XTERRA will host 5km and 10km mud runs as well as half-and-full trail marathon races that will twist and turn through the park’s single track trails on Sunday, May 20.

To complement the races, Oak Mountain offers a wealth of family activities (wildlife center, swimming beach, fishing, horseback riding, golfing, boat rental, etc.) while lodging, eating and shopping opportunities abound right outside the park.

Relevant Links:

ITU
Results from 2011 ITU Cross Tri World Championship
USA Triathlon
XTERRA
Watch the 2012 Preview Video
Images from 2011 XTERRA at Oak Mountain
Oak Mountain State Park
Shelby County
Pelham
Hoover

About the International Triathlon Union (ITU):

The International Triathlon Union is the world governing body for the Olympic sport of Triathlon and all related MultiSport disciplines including Duathlon, Aquathlon, Cross Triathlon and Winter Triathlon. ITU was founded in 1989 at the first ITU Congress in Avignon, France. It has maintained its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada since then and also has offices in Lausanne, Switzerland and Madrid, Spain. It now has over 120 affiliated National Federations on five continents and is the youngest International Federation in the Olympic Games. Triathlon was awarded Olympic Games status in 1994 and made its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000. Triathlon is also featured in the Asian Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games. Paratriathlon was accepted into the Paralympic Games in 2010 and will make its Paralympic debut in Rio 2016. ITU is proudly committed to supporting the development of the sport worldwide through strong relationships with continental and national federations, working with its partners to offer a balanced sport development programme from grassroots to a high-performance level. For more information, visit: www.triathlon.org

About TEAM Unlimited/XTERRA

TEAM Unlimited is a Hawaii-based television events and marketing company, founded in 1988.  It owns and produces XTERRA and in 2011 produced more than 100 XTERRA off-road triathlon and trail running races in 15 countries worldwide.  In the U.S. alone nearly 200,000 participants took part in the XTERRA lifestyle last year while XTERRA’s TV, publicity, advertising, online, and grassroots marketing efforts generated more than 400 million impressions.  In addition, TEAM TV has produced more than 300 adventure television shows resulting in three Emmy’s and 42 Telly Awards for production excellence since 1990.  View samples at www.xterra.tv, and learn more at www.xterraplanet.com andwww.xterratrailrun.com.

About Oak Mountain State Park

As Alabama’s largest park, Oak Mountain provides nearly 10,000 acres of pine-studded ridges and lush green hardwood bottoms. Runner’s World Magazine recently named the running trails at Oak Mountain as one of “The Crown Jewels,” listing them among the Top 25 Best Trail Runs in America. The park offers vacation cottages, golf, pro shop with snack bar, improved camping, picnicking, swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, mountain bike trails, backpacking, a demonstration farm and horseback riding and equestrian campground facilities. With the largest area and variety of outdoor recreational pursuits, Oak Mountain is sure to provide excitement for every member of the family.

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.

XTERRA Photo Gallery 1 // XTERRA Photo Gallery 2 // First Cut Highlight Video // Complete Results // Replay Race Day Coverage

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.

“I stayed a little bit behind him, I looked how he was doing, and I just gave it a shot and attacked and Lance couldn’t follow,” Weiss said. “It was cool.”

Armstrong later crashed toward the end of the bike course, and landed on his head. He said he needed a minute or two to gather his bearings before getting back on the bike.

“I hit it harder than I thought, because I stood there for a while taking inventory, trying to remember my name,” he said. “That probably took a little out of me … I’ve never hit my head that hard before.”

Hugo also crashed late in the bike course, but managed to recover with only one other competitor passing him (Conrad Stoltz). However, Hugo rebounded with a strong run, and passed Stoltz and Armstrong early in the run course.

“I caught Armstrong pretty early (in the run) and knew I was in second,” Hugo said. “But I could never make it up on Weiss. He was a little too far in front. Looking back, that crash really hurt my chances, but that’s part of it. I would have loved it to be different, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

Hugo (pictured in white) finished second with a time of 2:27:33 – 33 seconds behind Weiss. Former three-time XTERRA world champion Eneko Llanos of Spain was third in 2:28:26, followed by Josiah Middaugh of Colorado in 2:29:14. Spain’s Ivan Rana, a three-time Olympian who was m

aking his XTERRA debut, placed an impressive fifth with a time of 2:29:31.

“I caught some guys on the bike and thought I could reel some people in on the run climbs or downhills, but I really didn’t have anything left in the tank,” Middaugh said. “Even at the end of the run, coming to the finish here, (Ivan) Rana was right there and I had to do everything I could to hold him off.”

Perhaps affected by his bike crash, Armstrong (pictured in grey) faded during the run and finished in 23rd place overall with a time of 2:36:59.

“I made some mistakes,” Armstrong said. “I think the combo of swimming – I went out too hard on the swim, got a little excited and over-cooked it. It took me four to six miles to get comfortable on the bike and at that point, I was able to get in a rhythm and ride fast, but then the crash is the way it ended. If I had to do it over, I probably would have backed off on the swim and hoped for a more balanced bike ride, and of course, take the crash out. Like all these things, hindsight is 20/20.”

Still, Armstrong’s presence created a huge buzz for the 2011 XTERRA World Championship, and thousands of fans lined the course to catch a glimpse. He said he would like to take another shot at the XTERRA Worlds in 2012, but with a little more training time.

“Yeah, I don’t see why not,” he said when asked about a return to Maui next year. “But I think I would need to try some other events throughout the year. It seems to me the more you practice the little things like the strategy of the event, the transition from swim to bike, and transition from bike to run, the easier they become.”

South Africa’s Conrad Stoltz, who won his record fourth XTERRA World Championship in 2010, withdrew from the race early during the run course. He said he was experiencing breathing problems almost from the start of the race.

“I came into this race with some really strong training sessions, and I think this year I was in good form — better than last year at the same time,” Stoltz said. “But coming out of the swim, I couldn’t breathe properly and felt like I was going on one lung. I kept pushing and pushing and just couldn’t get going.”

Stoltz was still in third place after the bike, but said his breathing situation worsened as soon as the run started, so he stopped.

Pro Men

Pl Name Age Hometown Time Purse
1 Michael Weiss 30 Vienna, Austria 2:27:00 $20,000
2 Dan Hugo 26 Stellenbosch, South Africa 2:27:33 $12,000
3 Eneko Llanos 34 Victoria-Gasteiz, Spain 2:28:26 $7,000
4 Josiah Middaugh 33 Vail, Colorado 2:29:14 $4,000
5 Ivan Rana 39 Ordes, Spain 2:29:31 $2,500
6 Olivier Marceau 38 Switzerland 2:29:40 $1,500
7 Ronny Dietz 33 Chemnitz, Germany 2:29:47 $1,000
8 Richard Ussher 35 Nelson, New Zealand 2:29:54 $800
9 Jan Kubicek 31 Chodov City, Czech Republic 2:30:54 $600
10 Christopher Legh 38 Lyons, Colorado 2:31:10 $500
11 Sam Gardner 36 Surrey, United Kingdom 2:33:15 $400
12 Jan Frodeno 30 Cologne, Germany 2:33:20 $300
13 Nicolas Lebrun 38 Digne-les-Bains, France 2:33:57
14 Mike Vine 38 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2:34:03
15 Tim DeBoom 40 Boulder, Colorado 2:34:23

Also: Kelly Guest, Jim Thijs, Braden Rakita, Alejandro Santamaria, Lance Armstrong

Graham Wadsworth, Llewellyn Holmes, Felipe Moletta, Antonello Pallotta, Brad Zoller

Richard Stannard, Jason Michalak, Brian Astell, Ben Allen, Marcel Zamora Perez, Cody Waite

Cid Santos, Will Ross, Adam Wirth, Victorien Lafargue, Pierre-Yves Facomprez,

Denis Giovannetti, Simone Calamai, & Yu Yumoto

PATERSON RUNS TO HER FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

If Weiss took the men’s title with an inspiring bike ride, then Lesley Paterson won the women’s title with an equally amazing run.

Due in part to a punctured tire on her bike, Paterson started the run course in fourth place – nearly six-and-a-half minutes behind then-leader Melanie McQuaid. Paterson quickly ran down the three women in front of her, fell flat on her face less than a mile from the finish, and still managed to take the women’s title by more than two minutes.

“I felt really good,” said Paterson, who is originally from Scotland, but now resides in San Diego, Calif. “I was so angry because I punctured on the bike, and I think that anger helped me to really sort of knuckle down and go as hard as I could and see where the chips would fall.”

Paterson, 31, finished with a time of 2:45:59, including a run time of 43:54, which was nearly three minutes faster than any of the other females. Her run time was the same as Weiss, and was topped by only 12 other males in the entire field.

“I had pre-run the course a lot,” she said. “I came out 10 days early just to make sure I knew the course really well, especially the run for me because that’s where I thought I could win it.”

Like Weiss, it was a breakthrough win for Paterson. She had three previous top-10 finishes, including a runner-up showing in 2009. She got so excited after passing McQuaid late in the run course that she fell on the rocks leading to the stretch run on D.T. Fleming Beach.

“What happens is your heart rate is super high, it’s at the end of the race, you’re dehydrated and your legs are not quite sure what you’re doing with them,” Paterson said. “And I just got in the lead, so you’re kind of nervous with anticipation.”

McQuaid had a large lead after the bike, but could not complete the race due to exhaustion. She collapsed just a few hundred yards from the finish line, and had to be assisted off the course. She said she was okay a few hours after the race.

Marion “Bubu” Lorblanchet of France took second with a time of 2:48:08. She also got passed by the roadrunner legs of Paterson during the run.

“On the run, I was good, then I see ‘beep, beep’ and it was Lesley,” Lorblanchet said. “I think it was not possible for me to follow her.

“I’m very happy because it was a good race for me. Last year, I was third, this year second, so maybe next year?”

Helena Erbenova of the Czech Republic capped an impressive XTERRA rookie season with a third place showing at Worlds. She finished with a time of 2:51:51 in her first appearance on Maui. Erbenova is a former Olympic cross country skier.

Renata Bucher of Switzerland placed fourth in 2:52:02, and Danelle Kabush of Canada was fifth in 2:54:35.

Paterson and Weiss each received $20,000 for the victory. A total purse of $100,000 was awarded.

Shonny Vanlandingham, who won the 2010 XTERRA World Championship, did not compete this year due to a knee injury. Julie Dibens, the 2007, 2008 and 2009 women’s champ, also did not compete due to a foot injury.

Pro Women

Pl Name Age Hometown Time Purse
1 Lesley Paterson 31 San Diego, Calif. (Scotland) 2:45:59 $20,000
2 Marion Lorblanchet 28 Clermont Ferrand, France 2:48:08 $12,000
3 Helena Erbenová 32 Czech Republic 2:51:51 $7,000
4 Renata Bucher 34 Lucerne, Switzerland 2:52:02 $4,000
5 Danelle Kabush 36 Calgary, Alberta, Canada 2:54:35 $2,500
6 Erin Densham 26 Melbourne, Australia 2:57:46 $1,500
7 Sara Tarkington 30 Boulder, Colorado 2:57:59 $1,000
8 Emma Garrard 30 Park City, Utah 2:58:42 $800
9 Brandi Heisterman 36 Brackendale, B.C., Canada 3:03:39 $600
10 Jessica Noyola 29 San Diego, California 3:04:25
11 Brigitta Poor 22 Sopron, Hungry 3:06:56
12 Kelley Cullen 31 New Castle, Colorado 3:07:15
13 Adriana Fabiola Corona 31 Mexico City, Mexico 3:08:54
14 Manuela Vilaseca 32 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 3:17:57
15 Suzie Snyder 29 Stafford, Virginia 3:19:18

Also: Mieko Carey, Catherine Dunn, Sabrina Enaux, Elisabetta Curridori,

Tanis Tomlin, Caroline Colonna, Kim Baugh, & Brandyn Roark

HAAS, DONELSON TAKE AMATEUR TITLES

Alexander Haas of Germany and Tamara Donelson of Colorado took the overall world titles among the amateur age-group competitors.

Haas placed an impressive 13th overall, which ties the record for best placing by an amateur at the XTERRA World Championship. In 2003, Robert Latschen also placed 13th overall. Haas finished with a time of 2:33:37, which was 17 seconds behind Olympic gold medalist Jan Frodeno, and 20 seconds ahead of former XTERRA World Champ Nico Lebrun.

Ryan Ignatz of Colorado was the second amateur in 2:36:53. His wife, Maia Ignatz, also won an age-group world title. Ryan took the men’s 30-34 age division, while Maia placed first in the women’s 30-34 age group.

Tim Van Daele, who was the top amateur in 2009 and 2010, placed fourth this year.

Donelson finished with a time of 3:09:47, which placed her 14th among all the females. It was quite a contrast from last year’s XTERRA World Championship, when Donelson needed medical assistance on the bike course after she crashed. One of the brake handles on her bike punctured her arm, and racer/Dr. Kathy Coutinho and other competitors came to her aid to help stop the bleeding before help arrived.

“My goal for this year was to be first amateur at XTERRA Nationals and Worlds, and I’m blown away that I’ve managed to achieve those goals,” said Donelson, 36. “I’m not getting any younger, and after last year, I realized that anything can happen so I decided I wanted to make this a big year and I trained really hard for it.”

Donelson is originally from Australia, but now resides in Edwards, Colo., where she works as a personal trainer.

“Having accomplished this, I think I’d like to look into turning pro next year,” she said.

XTERRA WORLD CHAMPIONS (MALE AGE GROUP)

Div Name Hometown Time
15-19 Marvin Gruget Beaumes De Venise, France 2:35:22
20-24 (2) Alexander Haas Georgensgmuend, Germany 2:33:37
25-29 Daniel Carleton Sheffield Beach, South Africa 2:49:21
30-34 Ryan Ignatz Boulder, Colorado 2:36:53
35-39 (2) Thomas Vonach Schwarzach, Austria 2:40:10
40-44 (4) Calvin Zaryski Calgary, Canada 2:39:28
45-49 (2) Mark Geoghegan Honolulu, Hawaii 2:50:17
50-54 David Maclean Ludington, Michigan 3:02:36
55-59 Jaroslav Balatka Jablonec, Czech Republic 3:19:56
60-64 Mike Lyons Mairangi Bay, New Zealand 3:52:52
65-69 (2) Bruce Wacker Colorado Springs, Colorado 3:33:27
70+ (2) John Stover Jackson, Michigan 4:37:55
CEO Rudy Achberger Maui, Hawaii 3:38:18
PC (6) Fouad Fattoumy Honolulu, Hawaii 3:32:51

XTERRA WORLD CHAMPIONS (FEMALE AGE GROUP)

Div Name Hometown Time
15-19 (2) Hannah Rae Finchamp Altadena, California 3:16:16
20-24 Danielle Kehoe Arvada, Colorado 3:22:14
25-29 Lizzie Orchard Auckland, New Zealand 3:10:05
30-34 Maia Ignatz Boulder, Colorado 3:12:44
35-39 Tamara Donelson Edwards, Colorado 3:09:47
40-44 Kim Baldwin Boulder, Colorado 3:22:52
45-49 Sue Lambert Anchorage, Alaska 3:30:42
50-54 Tamara Tabeek San Diego, California 3:29:04
55-59 (6) Barbara Peterson Berkeley, California 3:56:52
60-64 (4) Cindi Toepel Littleton, Colorado 3:59:45
CEO Cheryl Iseberg Fircrest, Washington 5:51:40

URETA, KEHOE WIN HAWAIIAN AIRLINES DOUBLE

Pablo Ureta and Danielle Kehoe won the Hawaiian Airlines “Double” award as the competitors with the fastest combined times from the XTERRA World Championship and the Ironman Hawaii Championship.

Ureta had an Ironman time of 9:18:34 two weeks ago, and finished with an XTERRA World Championship time of 2:46:51. Kehoe had an Ironman time of 10:57:13, and an XTERRA World Championship time of 3:22:14, which was fast enough to win the women’s 20-24 age group.

Ureta and Kehoe each received roundtrip airfare between Maui and the west coast of the United States from Hawaiian Airlines.

There were no professionals, male or female, that completed the Double this year.

The XTERRA World Championship is presented by Paul Mitchell, Hawaiian Airlines, The Ritz-Carlton, Maui Visitors Bureau and Outrigger Hotels & Resorts. Sponsors include the Kapalua Resort, GU, Gatorade, Zorrel, Kona Brewing Company, Hawaii Tourism Authority, T S Restaurants, and the XTERRA Alliance – Vitality, Footwear, Fitness, Flex, Wetsuits, and Cycling.

Here’s a look at the top six pro men and women in the final standings:

XTERRA managing director “Kahuna Dave” Nicholas was on-hand to take in the Euro Tour finale and brings us this report…

Ronny Dietz came into the last race of the year with just two points separating him and Marceau in the XTERRA European Tour standings.  It all boiled down to who would beat who – made no difference where.  When I spoke with Dietz on Thursday he was just recovering from a bad bout of stomach virus and was not feeling well.  “I will be there but I am not sure how fast I can be” said the German pro.  Somehow Marceau left his favorite running shoes in Germany and was expecting one of the men to bring them to Switzerland.  At the last moment they could not make it and Marceau had to use an old backup pair of shoes.  “I will be OK, I just need to make a big lead on the bike” said Marceau.

He did get that lead.  The valiant Dietz came into T2 in second place just three minutes behind Marceau and only a few seconds ahead of a hard charging Nicolas Lebrun who put in the fastest bike split.  “I am happy with my finish especially on a flat course” said climber Lebrun.  When told he had the fastest bike time on a flat course, he smiled and did his best French shrug of the shoulders.  Lebrun passed Dietz quickly and put in a solid run for second place.  Karl Shaw, fresh off a great road tri season, joined his older brother Asa for the XTERRA final and came home third.  He pushed Aussie swim specialist Ben Allen on the two lap swim and the two fought hard on the bike until Shaw found his legs to put one minute on Allen.

Allen had his best race since Italy and was 4th ahead of Belgium Jim Thijs.  Poor Ronny Dietz was really courageous and not about to give up.  He had a very tough run and soldiered on to 7th place.  His reward was second overall for the Euro Tour.

For the women, the fight was much closer.  After taking a year off to have her first child, Sibylle Matter, formerly known as Billy, and now known as Doctor, came to Prangins because she is Swiss and this is the Swiss Championship.  “I have not been training much because I work and take care of the baby.  My life is very different now,” said Matter.  Perhaps that difference is a prescription for success.  Always a great swimmer, Matter was just 45 seconds slower than Marion Lorblanchet into T1.   Then the surprise – she rode to a one minute faster mountain bike.  Matter passed the 3-time winner and much younger Frenchwoman and came into T2 in the lead.  Sibylle’s husband, former pro Othman Bruegger, was jumping with joy.  Ahhh, but the lead did not last long.  In the first K of the run Lorblanchet asserted her championship form and ran away from the Swiss.

Behind this lead duo new Czech star Helena Erbanova was putting in the fastest bike split of the day and was a threat to the lead women as this girl can run.  Lorblanchet was having none of it and when she passed Matter she put her head down and ran away from them all.  Erbanova kept getting closer to Matter and cut two minutes and 44 seconds off the Swiss but fell short by seven seconds.  Yep, the difference between 2nd and 3rd was a scant seven seconds.  Behind these battles, Carina Wasle was overheated and running dizzy in 4th, while Renata Bucher, who has some problems on her bike, finished just five seconds behind Wasle in a near photo finish for 4th and 5th.

The Swiss put in a neat obstacle near the end of last year’s race.  Organizers placed two nearly 5’ high hay bales about 150m from the finish.  It was hilarious watching the varied methods of getting over them.  This year the organizers put one about 200m from the finish and then three more about 50m from the finish.  The joy (if you were watching) and the pain (if you were finishing) was hearing the “oh NO’s” and what appeared to be curses in French and German and Italian as the very tired athletes found this surprise.

It was a great day of racing.  The Sport race was won by Sibylle Matters husband Othmar and had over 200 entrants, the awards dinner was a magnificent risotto and roast beef with red and rose wine and gallons of Heineken.  At recovery where else can you get croissants, big chunks of Swiss chocolate and a coke?

The age group battles were also very hard fought.  The Tour idea has taken hold in Europe and many of the top points people were racing for the gold, silver and bronze medals. The only bad part of the weekend was the party bars ran out of Heineken about midnight.  But the music continued and we all just walked over to the local beach bar about 100 feet away.  What else would you do on a 70-degree, full moon evening on a beautiful lake in Switzerland with snow capped mountains in the distance?

Now on to Utah for the USA finals.

TOP 7 PRO MEN AND WOMEN AT XTERRA SWITZERLAND CHAMPIONSHIP
SEPT. 10, 2011 – PRANGINS

Complete Results

The European final is just two days away. It has been a fabulous season in Europe with great racing and sold out fields. The weatherman has been very cooperative. Yesterday and today were sunny and warm and race day is predicted to be 27-29C or in the low 80’s to those Fahrenheit folks.

The field is over 600 strong when combining Championship and Light. The lead story has to be German pro Ronny Dietz leading many time Champion Olivier Marceau for the European Pro title. Ronny is a tall, handsome man with an easy smile. He won XTERRA Germany a few years ago and is a consistent podium racer. However this year has been great for him with a brilliant win in the rain in Czech and second places in Italy and Germany. Marceau has won twice but has had some lower place finishes. Dietz leads on raw points by 20 – but the rules allow one race to be dropped and if we add up just the 3 best finishes this season the two protagonists are within 2 points of each other. It will all boil down to who finishes in front of the other regardless of place

It is not so close for the women with Marion “Bubu” Lorblanchet having a dream season winning 3 of 4 events. Renata Bucher is in second with one win but is 28 points behind. It would take a major meltdown or mechanical for the “Swiss Miss” to beat her French friend.

For any race, there is always the surprise and for the men it is the entry of Marcel Zamora, a five time Ironman Nice winner. That is not a typo – Zamora is the king of Nice and you can throw in two Monaco 70.3 victories to his very impressive CV. Zamora is here on Thursday riding the course so the Spanish champion is serious. It is also late in the season and that means that “The Professor” Nicolas Lebrun will be ready to win as he heads into the big money XTERRA fall.

For the women it is the return of many time XTERRA winner Sibylle Matter. Sibylle returns after taking a season off for the birth of her first child. Knowing her for many years, she is not back for a grand tour but to do well and nobody should be surprised if she stands on the podium.

Many of you probably think Switzerland – mountains – long climbs. If so, you would be wrong about our race venue. The village of Prangins is right on Lac Leman (also known as Lake Geneva) and only about 20K from the Geneva airport. It is more in the heart of rolling hills, vineyards and huge estates. The main compound, transition and finish is across the street from a genuine Castle, now the National Museum of Switzerland. Michael Schumacher, 7-time formula one world champion lives on the run course. And no, you gearheads, you cannot go into his garage.

Yesterday the water temp was a nice 20C (68F) but strong winds today whipped up this huge body of water, it is 45 miles long, and water temps dropped. The bike is very unusual with a combination of beautiful paths, singletrack through corn fields, narrow ledges under highways, water crossings and has but about 1,000’ total climbing. The run is similar being fast and not too technical but great fun. All disciplines are two laps and this race goes to the fastest not necessarily the best technical rider/runner.

Lots of hotels and pensions are in the area, the food is very French but always with Swiss Fondue. Views of the mountains are spectacular, especially with the clear fall weather. From the swim start you can look east to see Mont Blanc covered in snow and to the south the jet d’eau in the harbor of Geneva. The jet is one of the largest fountains in the world and puts 130 gallons of water a second up 450 feet into the sky.

The ancient city of Nyon is less than 5K away and the very cosmopolitan cities of Geneva and Lausanne just minutes by car. There is no shortage of great things to experience and see in this area. Anybody have an extra $100,000 for a watch? Switzerland is the home of Rolex, Patek-Philippe, Vacheron and in price all the way down to Swatch. In fact, the top Swiss male and female will win a Hublot timepiece – Hublot makes one of the most expensive watches in the world at the moment costing $105,000. The XTERRA awards are slightly less but stunning none the less.

More tomorrow as things progress and all the athletes arrive in Prangins.

Follow along with “Kahuna Dave’s” adventures on the XTERRA Facebook page.