XTERRA Arizona Xtreme Post Race Report

By Circ Toepel, XTERRA Rep

Every year I look forward to heading down to Saguaro Lake for another DCB adventure.  This race is the kickoff for the West coast and Mountain region.  It is always fun to see what fitness level or lack thereof we have coming out from under the blankets of snow.  After a few years of unseasonable weather (less than 90 degrees), this years race was hot.  Make that "smokin' almost 100 degrees hot". 

The point to point 1500m swim starts at the Marina and takes the competitors to Butchers Cove where they pick up their bikes and head out into the desert.  The sandy, rocky 26k bike trail is mostly 2 track.  It is very fast and has some really fun windy, twisty sections that will trap you in the sandy bottoms if you don't stay high on the berms.   There are a few steep hills thrown in for a true XTERRA Xtreme Xperience. The desert trails have their own wildlife habitat as Shonny Vanlandingham discovered while she was attacking the bike course with our own Andy Duenow (Alaska race director).  They bunny hopped a snake catching some rays on the trail.  Both riders opted not to go back and check its species.

Ben Hoffman, racing in the pro field, dominated the swim by exiting the water in 20:26.  His main competitor, Cody Waite was close behind with a 22:33.  Cody made up 3 minutes on the bike and exited T2 first but Ben put the power to the dirt and finished 1st with a 28:25 run split.  The run course was shortened slightly this year because of heat concerns.  The 1st amateur was Tom O'Brien who came out of the water in 23:22, scorched the bike with a 1:06:03 and finished the run in 32:02.  Andy Duenow came in next a minute and a half back outsprinting Garrett Ford by 2 seconds.  Next up was Edward Oliver another 25 seconds back at 2:18:27.

Shonny Vanlandingham was the only Pro woman but she proved to be a formidable opponent for the men by coming in 8th overall at 2:18:52.  Could be an interesting year for the pro women if she would forget about those silly Olympics and get down to XTERRA business!  Shonny thought the point to point swim was a fun change and polished it off in 25:16.  She grabbed her bike and proceeded to show us her mtb skills by turning in a 1:06:59 bike split.  Her run of 31:35 gave her a total time of 2:18:52.  After the race Shonny said "the Arizona Xtreme is a must do for anybody who hasn't experienced it.  The race director and staff did a great job with the challenging logistics of the race."

The women's amateur field was an exciting race to watch unfold.  Lisa Lieb from Durango came out of the water in 28:17 with Cary Kinross-Wright 13 seconds behind.  Lisa pulled a minute more out of the bike but the sand and steep rocky terrain on the run played right into Cary's strength.  She made the 4 mile run look easy with a time of 33:03.   Her total time of 2:38:55 gave her the top spot.  Lisa finished in a time of 2:42:24.  Not wanting the Colorado girls to have all the fun, Windy Marks from Phoenix took 3rd place with a time of 2:44:30.

After the race competitors were treated to pizza and beer to chill out from the hot day.  Most racers could be found lounging by the pool telling wild tails of what might have been.  Many boxes of GU were given away at the awards as well as XTERRA wetsuits, XTERRA shoes and socks plus free entries to upcoming races.  Can't think of a better way to start the season.  

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