XTERRA Wild Ride Race Report

By Chris Appleton, XTERRA Rep

Short swim, tough mountain bike and a beautiful run add up the three components of the XTERRA Wild Ride in McCall, Idaho. A stunningly beautiful location that rivals the likes of Lake Tahoe and Coeur D'Lane was the host site for this years event. 144 Competitors took part in a very challenging course.

-The Swim was short and sweet in the crystal clear waters of Payette Lake. This lake is so clean and clear it's almost drinkable (almost).
 
-The Bike leg? Okay, the competitors clicked in and peddled a tough 19.5 mile course with lots of climbing and typical mountain terrain with lots of single track and tricky descents.

-The run was a welcome relief from the bike course that followed park trails, single track and wide paths with a lake view from almost every location. Very cool.

"I'm not a pro" exclaimed overall winner Jeff Smith from Sand Point, Idaho at the awards ceremony. With a blistering overall time of  2:22:03 he might consider quitting his day job. His bike split of 1:29:24 was the fastest of the day and pretty much secured the victory.

Joanna Peters of Boise, Idaho took top overall women's honors with a finish time of 2:50:41, again proving the racer with the fastest bike leg ruled the overall course.

Many thanks go out to the Forest Service, Idaho State Parks and the many, many volunteers, friends and family that came together to make this a successful event in an awesome location.

© 2013 TEAM Unlimited LLC