The Xterra World
Championships are set on the beautiful island of Maui each year in
October. Its an off-road race consisting
of an ocean swim, a mountain bike, and a trail run in Kapalua. It contains the most advanced and strongest
off-road triathletes in the world. I was
fortunate enough this year to land my spot in Alabama at a regional
championship race. In Alabama I placed 6th
overall amateur and 3rd in my age group. (fast age group!!! Yikes!)
Manuvering my way through the
village and the course on the days leading up to the race, I knew it was going
to be tough. The Xterra folks not only set a tough championship course for us,
but the weather for the swim was a little iffy.
A tsunmai warning went into effect the night before, and we were unclear
as to how this was going to affect us. Xterra sent out a warning but did not
hint at any swim cancellation. We knew
as off-road champions… it was going to take a lot before they cancelled
anything. Sure enough, the shore break
was over 6 feet tall and as a 2 loop course, we came in and out of it
twice. Otherwise, it was a beautiful
swim! We even had the security of 3
dolphins playing in the waters with us.
I had a terrific swim and jumped in and out of T2 without much time
wasted. The bike in Maui was hard. It
was not hard because of any technical measures.
In fact, technically it maybe the most tame course in the circuit. What made it hard is the type of dirt and the
climbs. It had the most climbing I’ve ever experienced at an Xterra race, and
the dirt was soft. It felt like your tires were actually fighting against
you! What was fun about the course is
that it’s dirty. Oh it’s sooo dirty that you get dirt in places you didn’t know
existed and you’re digging it out for weeks.
I ran into mechanical issues half way through the bike, which slowed me
down a bit but all in all, my time came out to be a fairly average bike
split. The first 3 miles of the run
course were uphill, but it’s a beautiful 3 miles. You run with heat and
humidity in your lungs. I swear the
water from the swim still hadn’t left my skin at this point. I was drenched and
dripping from head to toe. The sun was shining down on us and at the top of the
hill we were rewarded with amazing views over looking the ocean as we jumped
and ducked through trees and logs. We
battled boulders and rock drops, only to land back on the sandy beach to run in
our quarter mile to the finish at the Ritz Carlton.
I was rewarded with a lei, it
was beautiful and so lively, the orchids smelt like heaven. Volutneers threw ice cold towels over our
heads and took us to tents to replenish our fluids. I awaited the finish line for our friend
Rebecca who battled the same course and had an excellent time. We both got our
leis and relaxed the rest of the night with a celebratory bottle of
champange.
I’m not only excited to say
that I’m 9th in the world for the 30-34 division of Xterra Women,
but I’m happy and honored to have the fitness and health to experience such
great events. I’ve traveled and seen so many great things this year, and to
have the support of my friends and family… My Phoenix Tri Club Team members…. I
truly feel blessed. We never know what
our future holds, but I will also be thankful for so much support I have
received from everybody no matter what the end game may be.
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