Stoltz, McQuaid win XTERRA East Championship

XTERRA Photo Gallery | XTERRA East Championship Results

(Richmond, VA) - Conrad Stoltz, 38, from Stellenbosch, South Africa and Melanie McQuaid, 38, from Victoria, B.C., Canada won the 14th edition of the XTERRA East Championship in downtown Richmond, Virginia this morning.

In a city with such a rich and colorful history it’s only appropriate that the sports most experienced stars stole the headlines.  For Stoltz, who “lost his heart to XTERRA in Richmond” back in 2001 it's his seventh win in eight years, and for McQuaid the victory marks her 12th consecutive year in the top three.

“I just love Richmond, the course is amazing and really suits me,” said Stoltz, who had the fastest bike split by far in 1:21:00 despite doing an extra little out-and-back section that no one else did.

“On the first lap I caught Craig (Evans) and then five minutes later I caught him again.  Turns out a section had changed since when I went pre-riding and I wasn’t looking at the arrows,” Stoltz explained.

“He did the old course out-and-back,” said Evans, who followed the correct route.  “It was funny because a few minutes later I hear this loud chain slap behind me and thought, oh man Josiah or somebody is riding great and then Conrad comes by and says “where’d you go” and I said “I went straight, where’d you go?”

Evans tried to stay with him the second time around but conceded “he’s in a whole different league right now.”

On the second of the two 10-mile twisty, turny, tree and fanatic-fan filled roller coaster ride of a mountain bike course Stoltz followed the right arrow and got into his groove.

“First lap my head wasn’t in it, I wasn’t focused. So, on the second lap I was paying attention and saw where I went wrong.  The second lap I was just flying, it was so smooth and so much fun. There was a lot of spectators on the cliff all in costume, yelling, spraying beer and dancing around.  It was like riding through a circus.  It’s such a fun race, really the epitome of XTERRA.”

Stoltz took to the run with a big lead, had time to stretch out a twinge in his calf at the 6K mark, and sailed into the finish chute with his third straight win in the XTERRA U.S. Pro Series.

Behind him Evans (pictured) – who had a career-best second-place finish three weeks ago at the XTERRA/ITU race in Alabama – kept the momentum going with the second-fastest bike split that was almost good enough to secure his second runner-up in a row.

“I’m super stoked. My fitness this year is best it’s ever been,” said Evans, who held on to second-position until the last river crossing over the Lee footbridge back to the finish.  “So close to being second again, but the legs weren’t responding well at the end of that one.”

Josiah Middaugh, the last man to win here in Richmond – back on Father’s Day in 2008 – overcame a series of mishaps on the bike to reel in Evans on the run with less than a mile to go.

“My chain was popping off the top part of the derailleur, and at one point it tied in two knots and pulled outside the derailleur and it took me forever to figure out how to get it fixed,” said Middaugh, who finished second for the second time this season (also at West Championship).  “That dropped me back into sixth place and I was way out of touch by the run transition.”

The breakout race of the day goes to Will “Mr. XTERRA” Kelsay (pictured) who turned the tide on a decade of being outside the top 5 and earned his way onto the podium. Kelsay overcame a three-minute deficit out of the swim by crushing the bike and the run (3rd fastest splits in both).  His fourth place finish marks his first trip to the podium in 10 years of racing on the XTERRA U.S. Pro Series.

“It's such a wonderful feeling to have finally put all the pieces together and I am now racing at the level that I have wanted for so long,” said Kelsay, who was just sixth at the ITU Cross Tri World Champs last month.  “I've never been this fast before and I'm hoping to be even faster. One of these days I want to give the Caveman a run for his money on a course like this.”

Branden Rakita and David Henestrosa also had strong days, placing fifth and sixth respectively.  South African Bradley Weiss, in his first race head-to-head against the U.S. elites, impressed with a seventh-place showing. Also of note, Cody Waite had his best finish of the season in eighth, Adam Wirth had his strongest finish at a U.S. regional in ninth, and Ryan DeCook finished top 10 two years and earned some redemption after ripping apart his knee on this same course in 2010.

PRO MEN    

McQUAID IMPRESSIVE IN 12TH TRIP TO RIVER CITY

Melanie McQuaid led just about the entire race.  Suzie Snyder got out of the water first but McQuaid passed her on the long run to the transition area, then never looked back using her course knowledge and stellar bike handling skills to take a big lead onto the run that she would never relinquish.

“I’m so excited.  I voted myself least likely to succeed here and had extremely low expectations,” said McQuaid, who raced in a 70.3 road triathlon in tough, windy conditions 5,000 miles away in Hawaii last Saturday.  “The last two months since getting sick in Vegas were disappointing, and I just didn’t have the same kind of confidence.”

You can bet she got some of that swagger back today with an impressive performance that had her crossing the line in 2:36:09, just under two minutes ahead of Renata Bucher from Lucerne, Switzerland.

“Today was my last race for five weeks and it’s nice to end on a high-note,” said McQuaid.  “Usually I’m going this hard and it’s just whether or not I can get to the finish line.  Between the bike and the run the heat went up about 7,000 degrees. The run was really hot, especially on the dry way section.  What helped was so much encouragement from the aid stations, just super people here in Richmond.”

Bucher (pictured), who suffered a big bruise on her leg after a crash before the Alabama race last month, was equally thrilled with her day.

“Last two races I couldn’t run well because of the crash I had in Alabama,” Bucher explained.  “Today I ran for feeling, listened to my body, not focused on anybody and it was great.  I loved the course, and was really by myself for most of the day.  It was awesome.”

Reigning XTERRA World Champ Lesley Paterson managed the fastest run of the day despite a series of spills on a course that is more technical than most.

“This is too much of a mountain bikers course for me, but to come out with third despite crashing all over the place is pretty good.  I was getting hammered out there, but still had a blast.  What a fun place,” said Paterson, who had scratches and bruises head-to-tie from pre-riding and race day spills.

Shonny Vanlandingham had a strong bike to move her way into third by the bike-to-run transition and was only passed by Paterson, thus finishing fourth, with the speedy Danelle Kabush in fifth.  Snyder finished sixth, and Heather Holmes had her best showing in the U.S. in seventh.

PRO WOMEN  

After the third-of-four regional championships in the XTERRA U.S. Pro Series Conrad Stoltz has a dominating lead with three consecutive victories, while Middaugh held on to second position and Evans moved up to third.  The women’s chase is going to be exciting.  With just one race left to go before the finale in Utah Paterson holds a slim lead, followed closely by both McQuaid and Bucher.

The 2012 XTERRA U.S. Pro Series consists of five events - four regional championships and Nationals.
April 14 - XTERRA West Championship (Lake Las Vegas Resort - Henderson, NV)
May 19 - XTERRA  Southeast Championship / ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships (Oak Mountain State Park - Pelham, AL)
June 10 - XTERRA East Championship (Richmond, VA)
July 14 - XTERRA  Mountain Championship (Beaver Creek Resort - Avon, CO)
Sept. 22 - XTERRA  USA Championship (Ogden/Snowbasin Resort, UT) 
  
The top 15 pros at each event are awarded points based on overall pro finish. Pros will count their best three of four regional scores plus the points they get (or don’t get) at the XTERRA USA Championship in Utah. Thus, the final point total combines an athletes’ best three scores in the first four races, plus the USA Championship race points.  He/she with the most points in the end is declared the U.S. Pro Series Champ. The U.S. Series will dish out $145,000 in prize money: $15,000 at the West, East and Mountain Championships, $20,000 at the Southeast and USA Championship races, and $60,000 to the top overall points scorers in the Series.

2012 XTERRA U.S. Pro Series Standings (After 3 - 6.10.12)  

PRO MEN    

PRO WOMEN  

Andy Lee from Austin, Texas (pictured) and Kristen Tamburrino from Canada won the overall age group crowns today.  Also of note, Virginian Kathy Coutinho won her unprecedented 8th XTERRA East Championship title, while Emily Bashton carried on a Richmond tradition of winning for the family (her sister Emily and father William have also won their division here on numerous occasions).

Several hundred triathletes from 32 states and six countries took part in today's race. The event consisted of a 1-kilometer swim in the James River, a 30K bike through the award-winning trails of the James River Park System, and a 10K trail run. There was also an XTERRA Sprint race (half-distance), and relay team competitions.  XTERRA Sprint Race Results

Here's a look at all of age group champions from today's XTERRA East Championship:

2012 XTERRA East Champions  

* TOP AMATEURS  

Team X-T.R.E.M.E. once again captured the hearts of the XTERRA Tribe with an inspirational effort in the water, and on the trails today – adapting and overcoming in honor of wounded Marine Sgt. John Peck.  No doubt their efforts to empower and motivate wounded patriots will succeed.  Learn more.

LUCK STONE COVERAGE

A special thanks to Luck Stone whose live coverage with videos, mapping, and tracking devices showcased XTERRA and Richmond to people all over the world today.

"Thank you, Luck Stone, for providing live GPS coverage and video feed of today's XTERRA. I was literally glued to my computer for over two hours as I watched the pro race unfold and I was almost delirious with excitement about knowing the racers' every moves. The coverage was amazing and I am incredibly grateful for being able to 'watch' the race from Colorado," wrote Kathy Tank.

Luck Stone also provided nearly all the volunteers from today’s race, and created an atmosphere of pure excitement and family fun for Richmond locals and visitors alike.

Thanks also to Nathan Burrell, the trails manager for the James River Park System, the Friends of James River Park, and all the volunteers who dedicate countless hours of work creating a magnificent trails system for XTERRA and outdoor enthusiasts in Richmond to enjoy.

© 2013 TEAM Unlimited LLC