XTERRA Trail Run World Championship Set for Dec. 5

Kualoa Ranch will host the prestigious race for third straight year

The cast and crew for the hit television series LOST may have cleared out of Kualoa Ranch in 2010, but the cast and crew for the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship will be back.

More than 1,000 runners from around the world will gather at picturesque Kualoa Ranch on Oahu's Windward Coast for the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship on Dec. 5.

The race serves as the finale of the 2010 XTERRA Trail Run Series, and some of the world's best trail-runners will compete in the 21-kilometer race for a $10,000 prize purse. International runners from Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan and New Zealand are entered. In addition, more than 30 states across America are expected to be represented with runners on the starting line.

Max King of Oregon is the two-time defending men's XTERRA Trail Run World Champion. He won last year's race with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes, 26 seconds, to earn the $2,000 first-place check.

Fiona Docherty of New Zealand also received $2,000 as the first female finisher last year with a time of 1:30:05.

The race is also one of the most popular events for home-state runners, with hundreds from Hawaii competing every year.

A big reason for the popularity of the race is the location. Kualoa Ranch offers challenging trails, with spectacular views. The course starts in an open valley, then traverses into rainforest-like conditions with stream crosses, and a mix of flat valley trails and steep mountain climbs and descents, all overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The backdrop of Kualoa Ranch was enticing enough to serve as a filming location for LOST, as well as the hit movies Godzilla, Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Pearl Harbor, and several others.

What's more, even novice runners can compete on the pristine Kualoa Ranch trails on Dec. 5. The world championship contenders race on a half-marathon 21-kilometer course, but there will also be a separate 10-kilometer race and a 5-kilometer race on that day.

Entry fees range from $25 for the 5km race to $45 for the 21km race. Entry forms and online registration are available at http://www.xterraplanet.com/xduro/championship.html.

A portion of every entry for the 5km, 10km, and 21km runs will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - Hawaii Chapter (www.JDRFhawaii.org) to help in their ongoing efforts to find a cure. 

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