Press and Media Center

The XTERRA family gathers in Richmond, Virginia

THIS WEEK:  The XTERRA family gathers in Richmond, Virginia – one of the most revered venues in the 12-year history of the sport – for the XTERRA East Championship.  With more than 1,200 registered for the trail run on Saturday, and over a 1,000 signed up for the various XTERRA races over the two-days, it’s a multisport get-together like no other.  In this edition we get a classic first-person account on the course, check out the pro start list, hear about local Dan LaRocque’s XTERRA adventures, and check-in on other news from around the world of XTERRA including the Maui qualifiers list from Alabama, recent award winners, and this weekend’s TV schedule.

UPCOMING RACES:

6/16 – XTERRA James River Scramble (Richmond, VA)

6/16 – XTERRA Buffalo Creek (Buffalo Creek, CO)

6/17 – XTERRA Presidio Challenge Trail Run (San Francisco, CA)

6/17 – XTERRA East Championship (Richmond, VA)

6/23 – XTERRA Dawg Dayz (North Little Rock, AR)

6/23 – XTERRA Solstice (La Grande, OR)

6/23 – XTERRA Tahoe City (Tahoe City, CA)

6/24 – XTERRA Garnet Hill (North River, NY)

6/24 – XTERRA Torn Shirt (Brighton, MI)

6/30 – XTERRA Wildwood Romp Trail Run (St. Louis, MO)

6/30 – XTERRA I.C. King of Trails Race (Knoxville, TN)

PRESS GUIDE:  Media members can download a pdf copy of the XTERRA East Championship here:

http://www.xterraplanet.com/news/press_media.cfm.  For an overview of all the weekend activities visit:

http://www.xterraplanet.com/races/race.cfm?race_id=534

400 FREE HELMETS:

The trails in the James River Park System are lauded as some of the best in the country, in large part due to the strong work put in by Nathan Burrell – the trails manager for JRPS, and the Richmond chapter of MORE – Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts.  MORE has put in more than 10,000 hours of trail work and invested some $15,000 in club money to expand, refine, and maintain the trails.  This weekend, in conjunction with the Department of Health, they’re properly fitting, then giving away 400 helmets free to kids who come down to the XTERRA Sports Festival on Brown’s Island.  The kids can keep those helmets on and strapped up for the free bike race on Brown’s at Noon on Saturday.

RICHMOND SWIM CLINIC:

Neal Fleenor, Richmond's long-time swim course marshal extraordinaire, will hold a swim clinic this Friday, June 15, at 5:30pm for those interested in checking out the swim course.  Meet at the swim start (opposite Tredagar Ironworks).

THE START LIST:

The pros racing in Richmond are among the best mountain bikers and triathletes on the planet.  Race number is determined by position in the 2007 XTERRA U.S. Pro Series standings, then alphabetically.

Men - Age, Hometown

1 - Conrad Stoltz - 33, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2 - Andrew Noble - 41, Gold Coast, Australia

3 - Mike Vine - 34, Victoria, B.C., Canada

4 - Josiah Middaugh - 28, Vail, Colorado

5 - Brian Smith - 31, Gunnison, Colorado

6 - Seth Wealing - 28, Boulder, Colorado

7 - Cody Waite - 28, Denver, Colorado

8 - Will Kelsay - 25, Boulder, Colorado

9 - Jimmy Archer - 34, Boulder, Colorado

10 - Craig Evans - 29, Nashville, Tennessee

11 - Tyler Johnson - 27, Chester, Connecticut

12 - Brian Astell - 26, Gualala, California

14 - Mark Leishman - 27, Palmerston North, New Zealand

15 - Jordan Bryden - 20, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

16 - Dominic Gillen - 29, Washington, Connecticut

17 - Ryan Ignatz - 28, Boulder, Colorado

18 - Kevin Lisska - 27, Asheville, North Carolina

19 - Luke Way - 25, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

20 - Ryan DeCook – 26, Rochester, Michigan

21 - Ryan Kelly – 25, Concord, New Hampshire

 
Women - Age, Hometown

61 - Jamie Whitmore - 31, Somerset, California

62 - Melanie McQuaid - 34, Victoria, B.C., Canada

63 - Candy Angle - 37, Weymouth, Massachusetts

64 - Jennifer Smith - 34, Westport, New Zealand

65 - Amber Monforte - 29, Reno, Nevada

66 - Kristy Lanier - 38, Marlinton, West Virginia

67 - Nicole Logan - 33, San Diego, California

URBAN LEGEND:

For a colorful look at what makes the Richmond course so unique we dust off an old story written by local racer Courtney Page a few years ago (updated for relevance)…

Nine years have passed since Hawaiian haole’s Chris Day and Dave Nicholas arrived in Richmond, Virginia to scout out the southern woods, rivers, and railroads in order to find the perfect off-road treachery we now call XTERRA.

Thanks to them, this Sunday you'll be back, wading through the James River on the uneven rocky river bottom under the C&O train trestle in downtown Richmond, trying awkwardly to get upstream from the 400 Speedo-clad racers relieving themselves in the starting area.

It's not a pretty sport, but don't judge a book by its cover at the XTERRA East Championship. Good looks won't help when you’re flying headfirst over your handlebars into the biggest briar patch you've even seen.

Something like a Marine Corps-boot-camp obstacle course, much of the 1,000-meter swim involves avoiding tree limbs, sharp rocks, river reeds, wild elbows, and spastic legs. And the river's unpredictable due to the currents and the ever-changing water level. In fact, it barely qualifies as a swim at all. Some years the river is so low you find yourself scraping along the bottom while other years the early summer floods have you crafting your epitaph while you struggle to avoid the fall line 100 yards to your left. Halfway through the swim you exit the water and stumble 500 feet on a banana-peel-lined muddy bank, only to jump back in the river and crawl again-this time upstream.

Twenty minutes have passed, and you've barely yet begun.

It has been said that the transitions are the place where people's personalities come out. Everything can be told about a person by the way they lay it out on a towel. Perhaps true, but you'll have little time to contemplate other people's stuff when what you need is a compass and a map to even find your own bike. When you do it's like spotting an old friend on the subway platform in New York City at rush hour. Frenzy ensues. Shoe, shirt, helmet, glasses, hydration pack, socks, food, suntan lotion, Mountain Dew, GU, gloves-you might as well take out an ad in The Richmond Times Dispatch: YARD SALE-10:30am, Tredagar Iron Works.

I've heard that in Nepal a single Sherpa, with no oxygen, can carry an entire Everest tour's provisions all the way to the top of the mountain. Remember that as you carry your bike over Wizard of Oz roots, rocks, mud, water, concrete bridges, drop-offs, logs, steps, and even down hills.

The Family Circus cartoonist couldn't draw a map of the bike course. The adventure takes you to a footbridge with a view - to a wooden tar-smelling crossing bridge - to a concrete barrel singletrack - to a gravel fire road - to more singletrack through the woods to a little hell island - to a backside mud puddle - to a spiral staircase to the sky - to funky fun-house stairs - to impossible hill - to a river rat tunnel - to impossible cement balance-beam bridge - to forest hill lung-buster - to stone path hiccup stairs - to crazy moss-backed rock crossing - to super-technical singletrack trails - to uphill fire trail - to more super-technical singletrack.

It's a little known fact, but there are no mirrors allowed in the transition area. At this point in the race if you got a glimpse of yourself, you'd hang it up and go home. Mud, blood, bruises, helmet head, and black ink tar from your race number-it's all on your face.

So there you are, 10K away from sipping lemonade in a lawn chair by the river. You won't see any cheerleaders in white skirts or marching bands playing in your honor, but you'll get a burst of crowd-induced energy as you leave the transition and think, "The next time I'm here, I'll be done."

You'll soon discover that the run course is modeled after Harrison Ford's escape in The Fugitive-minus only the waterfall jump. Decide prior to starting what your religious beliefs are because if you have any doubts, you'll begin to debate the existence of a higher being before you reach the half-mile mark. By the time you've reached the end of the baking, shade-less floodwall, you'll meet whatever you believe in at the base of the railroad-tie stair climb.

I like to imagine the pre-race prep crew from Hawaii clearing the course with no prior knowledge of Virginia and its indigenous snake population. At Reedy Creek Rock Garden, you'll appreciate being a number in the pack, making your way across the James, jumping from rock to rock. A good mantra that's worked for me is "Go away, snakes!" repeated in a loud, authoritative voice.

As you come across the finish line, a professional photographer will snap a shot of you in all your raw, dirty, beat-up beauty. A long line of people will give you high fives, and your friends will offer full body hugs despite your current state of hygiene. You'll down a bottle of some of the best-tasting water of your life and "talk story" about your adventures with the other racers.

Not long after you finish your mud and blood performance XTERRA will continue on its way.  The crew from Team Unlimited (the guys that put the race on) will pack up their 18-wheeler and go out in search of other virgin territory rough enough to challenge and test every evil kanivil daring enough to try.

DAN AND THE ENDORPHINS:

This weekend Michael Harlow’s Richmond-based Endorphin Fitness organization will have 16+ athletes competing in one of the many adventure game events with most racing the XTERRA East Championship. Last year three members - Henry Loving, Jon Rittling, and Dan LaRocque – qualified for the World Championship in Maui and just last weekend Harlow won the 25-29 age group and LaRocque was second in the 30-34 division at the Southeast Champs in Alabama.  LaRocque no doubt had one of the most bizarre experiences in Maui last year, and here's his story, in his words…

I placed first in the 2006 World Championship in Hawaii. It wasn’t a first place for which I was hoping; I was the first one to roll into the med tent.

So there we were – standing on the beach. The race had already been delayed 15 minutes. No problem. The view is nice. Chatting with my friends. Passing the time. Yes, I’m nervous, but what’s another 15 minutes? It also gave me time to think about the 2005 World Championships. I was here for course revenge. I had flatted my rear tire twice on the bike course last year, and sadly had only 1 spare tube – do the math. Well, after walking the bike a mile or so, a good Samaritan tossed me a repair kit; and I was on my way, though without any drive to push to the pain level for that “Race PR.”

So there we were – I knew it was getting close. It was quarter past the hour. The gun was going to go off at any time now, and I was ready for it. Now, I wouldn’t say it was north shore waves; nor was it the pristine, glassy surface like Lake Tahoe. But there was an occasional wave now and then. Standing in the surf up to my ankles, I see one of these waves building and see some fellow competitors about 20 feet in front of me dive through the wave. Well, I brace myself for the oncoming wave and decide just to shoulder it, not realizing that I was about to shoulder more than the wave itself. Unbeknownst to me, one of the competitors had been swept up in the wave and struck me with his entire, out-of-control body, squarely on the outside of my left knee. The blow threw me off my feet; and at that same moment, the canon goes off!

Henry Loving, who had seen it all, was standing over me, and yells, “Come on, Dan!” and promptly runs off into the surf. Well, all I could think of was my coach, Michael Harlow, would kill me if I DNF because of a “charley horse,” and blast it all, I’m going to do this race! So, I crawl into the water and start the swim.

So, here I am. My left knee feels like it’s the size of a football. I’m thinking yeah, maybe two rounds of swimming will get that fella all loosened up. After the first lap, the beach run was agonizing; so I figured, well it’s not there yet. Limping into transition, I’m still fairly optimistic that the pain will pass, and I’ll be on my way. Well, after attempting to mount the bike and instantly realizing my left leg would not bend past 20 degrees, I was resigned to the fact that there would be no Maui revenge this year.

Rolling down to the medical tent, there still was no apparent swelling around my left knee, but it hurt like the dickens. Well, the medics tied a bunch of ice packs to the knee, and within 20 minutes it WAS the size of the football I’d imagined it felt like. I had successfully injured myself in a triathlon as none other probably had experienced -- second degree tear in my MCL.

Six months later, it’s still not right, but that’s no reason to miss out on racing the 2007 XTERRA season! Aloha!

MAUI QUALIFIERS FROM ALABAMA:

By virtue of their performance at the XTERRA Southeast Championship in Pelham, Alabama the following 33 age group athletes representing 14 states earned their spot on the starting line of the 2007 XTERRA World Championship on October 28 in Makena, Maui.

Women

Division
Name Hometown

15 - 19
Lanie Drenning Owens Crossroads, Alabama

25 - 29
Gabriela Baranova Zion, Illinois

25 - 29
Alicia Kelley Jasper, Alabama

30 - 34
Toni Axelrod Vail, Colorado

30 - 34
Elizabeth Vollmer Denver, Colorado

35 - 39
Tina Eakin Redstone Arsenal, Alabama

35 - 39
Lisa Lieb Durango, Colorado

40 - 44
Lori Goldweber Homewood, Alabama

40 - 44
Cheryl Stine Bloomington, Indiana

45 - 49
Jackie Ryan Birmingham, Alabama

45 - 49
Janet Soule Davis, California

50 - 54
Beverly Enslow Metamora, Illinois

55 - 59
Cindi Toepel Littleton, Colorado

60+
Charlotte Mahan Lenior City, Tennessee

Men

Division
Name Hometown

15 - 19
Matthew Robbins Cordova, Tennessee

20 - 24
Caleb Guest Tempe, Arizona

25 - 29
Michael Harlow Richmond, Virginia

25 - 29
Omar Fraser Birmingham, Alabama

30 - 34
Dan LaRocque Midlothian, Virginia

30 - 34
Anthony Snoble Selden, New York

30 - 34
Yaro Middaugh Edwards, Colorado

35 - 39
David Meadows Birmingham, Alabama

35 - 39
John Close Birmingham, Alabama

35 - 39
Jeff Richards Atlanta, Georgia

40 - 44
Bruce Gennari Brentwood, Tennessee

40 - 44
Peter Hanson Minneapolis, Minnesota

40 - 44
Henry Loving Richmond, Virginia

45 - 49
Casey Fannin Birmingham, Alabama

45 - 49
Jim James Ann Arbor, Michigan

50 - 54
Ian Davidson, Jr. Clemson, South Carolina

55 - 59
Walt Rider Germantown, Tennessee

60 - 64
Richard Suggs Nacogdoches, Texas

65+
Errol Lassiter Woodstock, Georgia

McQUAID, TOBIN, SAWICKI HONORED:

Earlier this month in Vail, Colorado at the Everest Awards recognizing the year's top adventure athletes in eight different categories, several XTERRA athletes were honored.

Congratulations go out to 2007 Everest Award Winners Melanie McQuaid (Female Multi-Sport of the Year), Michael Tobin (Male Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year) and Pua Sawicki (Female Mountain Biker of the Year).

Nominations were submitted by the public via the Teva Mountain Games website and the finalists and winners were chosen by a panel of outdoor writers and experts.