Odyssey Off Road Triathlon

By Jim Harman, XTERRA Rep
Photos courtesy of Brian Knight

(Odyssey Off-Road Triathlon Post Race story - Wayensboro, VA – May 15, 2005) “Your pain is our pleasure” is not just a catch phrase for the folks at Odyssey Adventure Racing. It is the creed by which they live and design racecourses. This was certainly evident on Sunday when a field of 76 racers toed the start line of the Odyssey Off-Road Triathlon, the first Nissan Xterra Points Series Race in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Thundershowers that drenched the park the day before were long gone as competitors awoke to early morning sun and cool temps in the mid 50’s. The remainder of the day was delightful with fair weather clouds and temps in the low 70’s. Perfect weather for an XTERRA race.

SwimFollowing a friendly fanfare, the race was off at 9am. The .9-mile swim in relatively mild 66-degree water produced some blistering times. All former collegiate swimmers, Otho Keller, Nik Haynes, and Jack Bierie were the first three out of the water with times of 13:46, 13:52, and 14:51 respectively. Out of the water in fifth place and over three minutes behind was eventual winner Justin Riddle who started reeling in the front-runner as soon as he entered the swim-run transition area.

On the women’s side, Patricia Williams, Irene Biere, and Jill Wiest developed their order early on. They would start and remain first, second, and third for the entire race.

Usually in XTERRA’s the biking leg is second, but not in this race. In unconventional style, the Odyssey Off-Road Triathlon follows a swim, run, bike sequence. And of course the run was a little bit different as well. The 8-mile stretch of course started with a not quite vertical thousand-foot climb to Torey Ridge. Once on the ridge, racers were met with several tricky rock gardens until finally rewarded with a beautiful descent back down into transition.

Riddle was on the attack from the very beginning of the run. He passed all but Otho Keller and entered the transition area in second place, 39 seconds from taking the lead. Other contenders, Roger Masse and Jon Rittling were confidently making up time against the rest of the field but it was not to be until the biking section where they eventually secured podium finishes (second and third place respectively) and age groups wins with points toward their quest for Tahoe.

The women were in a constant battle during the run. Irene Biere of Hampton, VA attacked the entire race but was unable to overtake Patricia Williams. The Maryville, TN native was fueled up and moving super fast. Determined to win the race, Patricia increased her lead by close to 18 minutes over Irene.

For the third race segment, racers were required to make two trips around the 11-mile mountain bike course. The circuit began with a hellacious hill climb up the appropriately called Satan’s Path. Another elevation gain of nearly 1000 feet in less than a mile forced a grueling hike-a-bike and tested the mental and physical capacity of everyone.

At the top of the climb, racers rode several miles on the ridge battling rock gardens and short, steep climbs along the way. The remainder of the course was a well-earned descent down to the transition area.

For 35% of the racers that started the race, arriving back at the transition area was enough racing for one day. They called it a day at one lap and were moved into the sport category. The pro field continued on for another round of fat tire madness.

The order of the top three men changed only once more on the second lap, with 44 year old Roger Masse taking second place overall (4:13:31), Jon Rittling taking third (4:11:50), and of course, Justin Riddle taking home top honors for the day (4:09:07).

On the second loop, Patricia Williams found herself in trouble with a flat tire. But, with a quick tire change and a 20-minute lead over the second place female, Irene Biere, Patricia rolled through the finish line victorious in 5:15:15. Like clockwork, Biere (5:29:18) and Jill Wiest (6:08:30) finished in second and third place respectively.

Widely known as the longest and one of the most grueling off-road triathlons in the Nissan Xterra Points Series, all competitors should feel proud of themselves for tackling this endurance fest.

The challenge of the course and the intensity of the competition contrasted nicely with a laid back vibe of the finish line, all thanks to the well organized event and super supportive XTERRA racer community. Throw in some perfect weather and you had a splendid Sunday of XTERRA action!

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