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Media Contact
Press and Media CenterTwo days before off-road triathlon's greatest dayThe Nissan Xterra World Championship is presented by the Maui Visitors Bureau, Maui Prince Hotel, Hawaiian Airlines, Paul Mitchell and XTERRA Gear
THIS WEEK: Just two days before off-road triathlon's greatest day as the XTERRA World Championship in Maui on Sunday will send 575 athletes (including 82 pros) on a 27-mile journey up, down and around the great Haleakala Volcano. In this issue we'll look at the updated pro start lists and identify the contenders, see what the TV crew has in store, and handicap the Hawaiian Airlines Double field.
Just as the largest field ever assembled for the Nissan Xterra World Championship stretches out on the shoreline prior to the 9am swim start a record number of television cameramen will be positioning themselves all around the course to capture the race action for a one-hour edited sports special to air on CBS Feb. 3 at 1pm EST. The TEAM Unlimited television crew has more than 30 cameras in operation on raceday, including point-of-view cams mounted on motorcycles, mountain bikes and jet skis, under-water cameras, a camera on top of a helicopter hovering high above the action and a never-used-before remote control helicopter camera that will scoop down on racers at some of the remotest parts of the bike course providing new and unique angles never seen before. Be it land, air, or sea, the TEAM TV crew will have it covered, and this year the voice of the show, bring all the imagery to life, is none other than the legendary race announcer Phil Leggitt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE MEN'S PRO RACE: Fifty-four pro men from around the world will challenge each other and Maui's toughest natural obstacles in pursuit of money (125,000 pro purse) and fame (big-time TV exposure). It's likely the toughest men's field ever assembled for this event with more than a dozen guys boasting a legitimate shot at winning, starting with defending champion Nicolas Lebrun from France. Lebrun won the XTERRA European Tour title, comes in fresh, and has history on his side as three other men before him have won two in a row - Eneko Llanos 2003-04, Conrad Stoltz 2001-02, and Ned Overend 1998-99. Llanos was second last year and won the two years before that but this year he focused on Ironman and had a brilliant race in Kona finishing 5th. Certainly his legs won't be as fresh as his competitors, and the best an Ironman finisher has ever done in Maui is Peter Reid's 6th place performance back in 1998. Llanos is in great position to win the Hawaiian Airlines Double award with a 10-minute lead over Cam Widoff who placed 12th in Kona. Seth Wealing, the XTERRA USA and XTERRA U.S. Pro Points Series Champion gives the Americans their best shot at an XTERRA World Title since Michael Tobin won it back in 2000. Canadian Brent McMahon had arguably a better overall year on the U.S. Tour but some bad luck in Tahoe knocked him off the top spot. He's spent the last three weeks in Hawaii fine-tuning for this one. Mike Vine, fourth last year in Maui and the winner of the Mountain Championship in Utah this year, has proven deadly on this bike course and if he has a clean race he'll be hard to catch. Aussie Chris Legh was 5th here a year ago, and was just 3rd at the USA Championship in Tahoe. He's also been the fastest or among the fastest on the Maui run course so if he's in striking distance coming off the bike, look out. Olympic triathlon Gold Medalist Hamish Carter from New Zealand has won his country's XTERRA championship three straight years and is no doubt one of the finest triathletes in the world.rest assured his competitors will not overlook him. Eneko Llanos' brother Hektor won XTERRA Spain this year, and raced in Kona but DNF'd on the bike so comes into Maui in good physical shape. He was with the leaders here last year before a bike malfunction. Two-time Olympian Olivier Marceau (SUI) has always been in contention for the overall in Maui, and was the runner-up in 2004. Things go right for Olivier and he could finish first. There are four other American's with the legs and heart to challenge for the top spot. Josiah Middaugh has been the top American the last two years and is coming off an injury that forced a ton of beneficial training towards his weaker element - the swim. Brian Smith (alongside the injured Conrad Stoltz) was the best mountain biker in the XTERRA U.S. Series this year and this course is all about the mountain bike. Bucky Schafer, 25, represents the next-generation of XTERRA stars, finished 5th at the USA Championship and is just too young to know he's not supposed to win here. Dominic Gillen has been with the lead pack at a handful of races in Maui - and finished 4th in 2004. Nico Pfitzenmaier - runner-up on the XTERRA European Tour - was third heading out onto the run last year before finishing 6th. Mexico's Francisco Serrano nearly beat Stoltz on a sizzling hot day in Milwaukee two years ago, and was 13th in his first Maui try here last year. Certainly you can't forget about Michael Simpson who was 3rd at the Mountain Championship this year. # - Men - Age, Hometown 1 - Nicolas Lebrun - 33, Digne-les-Bains, France 2 - Eneko Llanos - 29, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain 3 - Brent McMahon - 26, Victoria, B.C., Canada 4 - Mike Vine - 33, Victoria, B.C., Canada 5 - Chris Legh - 33, Melbourne, Australia 6 - Nico Pfitzenmaier - 34, Besigheim, Germany 7 - Olivier Marceau - 33, Cannes, France 8 - Josiah Middaugh - 28, Vail, Colorado 9 - Greg Krause - 29, Denver, Colorado 10 - Jimmy Archer - 33, Boulder, Colorado 11 - Francisco Serrano - 26, Garza Garcia, Mexico 12 - Robert Latschen - 35, Griffen, Austria 14 - Jan Kubicek - 26, Chodov City, Czech Republic 15 - Justin Thomas - 31, Reno, Nevada 16 - Ryan Ignatz - 28, Boulder, Colorado 17 - Jason Chalker - 31, Canberra, Australia 18 - Chad Seymour - 24, Honolulu, Hawaii 19 - Michael Tobin - 42, Boise, Idaho 20 - Alexander Lang - 38, Freiburg, Germany 21 - Michael Simpson - 26, Vancouver, B.C., Canada 22 - Andrew Noble - 41, Gold Coast, Australia 24 - Mark Leishman - 27, Palmerston North, New Zealand 25 - Jeff Sanders - 34, Lahaina, Maui 26 - Dennis Manor - 30, Reno, Nevada 27 - Brian Astell - 25, Gualala, California 28 - Amon Pease - 29, Cherry Valley, California 29 - Will Kelsay - 25, Boulder, Colorado 30 - Rodrigo Altafini - Itapira, Brazil 31 - Paul Amey - 33, Benfleet, Great Britain 32 - Lieuwe Boonstra - 30, Cape Town, South Africa 33 - Dave Brown - 28, Ampthill, Great Britain 34 - Othmar Bruegger - 44, Bern, Switzerland 35 - Jordan Bryden - 19, Calgary, Alberta, Canada 36 - Hamish Carter - 35, Auckland, New Zealand 38 - Peter Gardner - 30, Melbourne, Australia 39 - Dominic Gillen - 29, South Royalton, Vermont 40 - Kai Hundermarck - 37, Eppstein, Germany 41 - Jason Jablonski - 32, Wenatchee, Washington 42 - John Koenig - 36, Longmont, Colorado 43 - Norbert Langbrandtner - 36, Saalfelden, Austria 44 - Stevee Laurent - Montpellier, France 45 - Hektor Llanos - 34, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain 46 - Michael Lovato - 33, Austin, Texas 47 - Gael Mainard - 30, Volvic, France 48 - Kaley Parkinson - 31, Pleasant Hill, California 49 - Bucky Schafer - 24, Englewood, Colorado 50 - Felix Schumann - 23, Germany 51 - Taro Shirato - Tokyo, Japan 52 - Brian Smith - 30, Gunnison, Colorado 53 - Scott Tinley - 49, Del Mar, California 54 - Seth Wealing - 27, Boulder, Colorado 55 - Martin Zois - 30, Guttaring, Austria 56 - Jared Berg - 32, Louisville, Colorado 57 - Petr Novak - 24, Boz Dar, Czech Republic
THE WOMEN: The best women in XTERRA are here, and there are 28 in all. Melanie McQuaid, who became the first female to win two XTERRA World Title's last year, is shooting to be the first pro - male or female - to win three this year. She's got consistently faster all season and won the XTERRA USA and XTERRA U.S. Pro Points Series Championship earlier this month. Without question, McQuaid is the one to beat. That said, should it be Renata Bucher with the bulls-eye on her back? Bucher has won everything she entered this year - XTERRA Saipan, France, Italy, Czech, Spain, and Great Britain. She was 4th here in her first Maui attempt last season. Sibylle Matter is the only racer in the field to have competed in three World Championships this year - the ITU Triathlon World Championships in Lausanne (placed 27th), the Ironman World Championship in Kona (placed 19th) and now XTERRA. She's got a blazing swim and a blazing run but will fatigue set in? Jamie Whitmore, the 2004 XTERRA World Champ, has won more XTERRA Championships than any other pro ever (32) and knows this course well. Carina Wasle is light and fast like Bucher and has had great races overseas. Last year in her first Maui try she placed a disappointing 18th but all indications say that won't happen again. The 2002 XTERRA World Champ Candy Angle may just be peaking for this one and if she is she could surprise a lot of people like she did four years ago. Jennifer Smith, like her husband Brian, is an extraordinary mountain biker and was 2nd at XTERRA USA behind McQuaid. # - Name - Age, Hometown 61 - Melanie McQuaid - 33, Victoria, B.C., Canada 62 - Sibylle Matter - 32, Bern, Switzerland 63 - Jamie Whitmore - 30, Somerset, California 64 - Renata Bucher - 28, Lucerne, Switzerland 65 - Jenny Tobin - 37, Boise, Idaho 66 - Danelle Kabush - 31, Canmore, Alberta, Canada 67 - Shonny Vanlandingham - 36, Durango, Colorado 68 - Ingrid Rolles - 32, Cape Town, South Africa 69 - Mami Saito - 29, Kawasaki, Japan 70 - Kathy McKay - 30, Vancouver, B.C., Canada 71 - Carina Wasle - 21, Kundl, Austria 72 - Nicole Newton - 33, La Jolla, California 73 - Yasuko Miyazaki - 26, Tokyo, Japan 74 - Candy Angle - 37, Weymouth, Massachusetts 75 - Molly Bockmann - 30, Boulder, Colorado 76 - Jackie Burt - 35, Crested Butte, Colorado 77 - Aracelly Clouse - 33, Cameron Park, California 78 - Teresa Hill - 48, Vista, California 79 - Yukako Inoue - Japan 80 - Shari Kain - 41, Cupertino, California 81 - Heather King - 33, North Vancouver, Canada 82 - Michelle Lombardi - 38, Somerset West, South Africa 83 - Amber Monforte - 28, Reno, Nevada 85 - Shae Rainer - 26, Austin, Texas 86 - Cameron Randolph - 35, Ridgway, Colorado 87 - Jennifer Smith - 33, Westport, New Zealand 88 - Imke Schiersch - 35, Nuernberg, Germany 89 - Meg Chalker - 32, Canberra, Australia
THE DOUBLE: A total of 38 athletes who finished the Ironman Hawaii Championship last Saturday will attempt to complete the Hawaiian Airlines Double on Sunday by surviving XTERRA. The pro male and female with the fastest combined times will earn $2,500 each and the top amateurs will earn roundtrip airfare from the West Coast to Hawaii. Here's how they stand heading into Sunday's race: PRO MEN Name (Hometown) Ironman Time Eneko Llanos (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain) 8:22:28 Cameron Widoff (Boulder, CO) 8:32:38 Michael Lovato (Boulder, CO) 8:35:57 Dave Brown (Ampthill, Great Britain) 9:36:14 Alexander Lang (Freiburg, Germany) 9:45:12 Taro Shirato (Tokyo, Japan) 10:10:06
AGE GROUP MEN Thomas Vonach, Men 30-34 (Schwarzach, Austria) 9:14:09 Max Renko, Men 20-24 (Klosterneuburg, Austria) 9:24:16 Xavier Boineau, Men 25-29 (France) 9:30:45 Olivier Fontaine, Men 35-39 (Villeuneuve Loubet, France) 9:33:30 Scott Thorne, Men 20-24 (Hamilton East, New Zealand) 9:33:54 Ryland Garnett, Men 30-34 (Melbourne, Australia) 9:35:41 Antonio Ferreira, Men 25-29 (Magi das Cruzes, Brazil) 9:41:28 Daniel Weil, Men 40-44 (Czech Republic) 10:06:09 Reinhold Garnitschnig, Men 45-49 (Klagenfurt, Austria) 10:16:14 Andreas Redl, Men 35-39 (Schiltern, Austria) 10:20:33 Brian Grasky, Men 30-34 (Tucson, AZ) 10:25:57 Detlef Profasaka, Men 50-54 (Schlier, Germany) 10:26:53 John Marshall, Men 35-39 (Miami, FL) 10:50:01 Paul Gibbons, Men 35-39 (Alpharetta, GA) 10:51:35 Bruce Wilson, Men 45-49 (Temecula, CA) 11:49:18 Bruce Moore, Men 45-49 (Kihei, HI) 11:59:31 Al Truscott, Men 55-59 (Gig Harbor, WA) 12:13:43 Brad Miller, Men 40-44 (Columbia, MO) 12:55:19 Woody Paylor, Men 60-64 (Red Deer, Canada) 13:32:42 Dave Kerr, Men 60-64 (Honolulu, HI) 15:50:48 Joe Dixon, Men 35-39 (Kelowna, Canada) 16:37:46
PRO WOMEN Name (Hometown) Ironman Time Sibylle Matter (Bern, Switzerland) 9:54:16 Yasuko Miyazaki (Setagaya-ku, Japan) 10:32:42 Imke Schiersch (Germany) 10:49:47 Yukako Inoue (Japan) 11:14:45
AGE GROUP WOMEN Barbara Alber, Women 40-44 (Dettingen, Germany) 10:51:59 Jessica Stacey, Women 20-24 (Tauranga, New Zealand) 11:26:02 Beate Kleindienst, Women 40-44 (Dachau, Germany) 11:34:30 Janell Petalver, Women 30-34 (Honolulu, HI) 12:14:00 Wendy Minor, Women 60+ (Honolulu, HI) 14:22:56
A PDF version of the Nissan Xterra World Championship press guide, complete with a schedule of events, course description, global tour information, athlete profiles, facts, figures, and past results, is available for download at:
PRESS ROOM: Media covering the 2006 Nissan Xterra World Championship can pick-up credentials and prepare for race day in the XTERRA Press Room located in the Ilima Room (#113) at the host hotel, the Maui Prince in Makena. Call Trey Garman at 808-216-8606 for more details.
VIDEO AND PHOTOS: Race footage in beta format and still photography will be made available to all outlets interested in receiving such. Reply to this email with your request. |
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