Press and Media Center

XTERRA Global Tour Takes the Stage

THIS WEEK:  Races across the Globe will immerse athletes in the thrill and adventure of XTERRA this weekend.  There are championship events in Austria, Brazil and Japan, points series races in Hawaii, New York, Michigan and Idaho, and trail runs in Baltimore and St. Louis.  For those taking it easy on the couch the Nevada Passage and XTERRA Planet TV shows will be broadcast in markets like Chicago, New York, and Salt Lake City.

In this edition we’ll see who qualified to race in Maui at the XTERRA Mountain Champs, read Kahuna Dave’s race report from XTERRA Denmark, preview upcoming events, and recap a pair of points series races.

UPCOMING RACES:

8/25 – XTERRA Mountainman (Kaaawa, HI – Oahu)

8/25 – XTERRA River Valley Ranch Trail Run (Baltimore, MD)

8/25 - XTERRA Brazil (Ilhabela)

8/25 - XTERRA Japan (Marunuma)

8/25 - XTERRA Austria (Carinthia)

8/26 – XTERRA Schiff Scout (Wading River, NY)

8/26 – XTERRA Blackhawk (Muskegon, MI)

8/26 – XTERRA Wild Ride (McCall, ID)

8/26 – XTERRA Trail Blazer Trail Run (St. Louis, MO)

9/2 – XTERRA Onteora (Livingston Manor, NY)

9/8 – XTERRA Germany (Titisee)

9/8 – XTERRA Costa Rica

9/29 – XTERRA Nevada (Incline Village, NV)

9/29 - XTERRA National Trail Running Championships (Incline Village, NV)

9/30 – XTERRA USA Championship (Incline Village, NV)

MAUI QUALIFIERS FROM UTAH:  By virtue of their performance at the XTERRA Mountain Championship in Ogden/Snowbasin, Utah the following 31 age group athletes representing 9 states and Canada earned their spot on the starting line of the 2007 XTERRA World Championship on October 28 in Makena, Maui.

Amateur Women

Division
Name Hometown

15 - 19
Jaquelyn Wilds Lakewood, Colorado

20 - 24
Molly Hummel Durango, Colorado

25 - 29
Suzie Snyder Colorado Springs, Colorado

25 - 29
Brandyn Roark-Gray Sandpoint, Idaho

30 - 34
Jill Sorensen Breckenridge, Colorado

30 - 34
Julie Bruckman Littleton, Colorado

35 - 39
Mary Hearn Durango, Colorado

35 - 39
Senta Beyer Park City, Utah

40 - 44
Louisa Jenkins Boulder, Colorado

40 - 44
Caroline Colonna Taos, New Mexico

45 - 49
Dyan Gill Mountain Green, Utah

50 - 54
Beverly Watson Pridris, Canada

Amateur Men

Division
Name Hometown

15 - 19
Kyle Kennedy Vancouver, B.C., Canada

20 - 24
Matthew Eberly Centennial, Colorado

25 - 29
Luke Jay Littleton, Colorado

25 - 29
Adam Wirth Boise, Idaho

30 - 34
Daniel Ourada Durango, Colorado

30 - 34
Trevor Gray Sandpoint, Idaho

30 - 34
Craig Ames Laguna Niguel, California

35 - 39
Calvin Zaryski Calgary, Alberta, Canada

35 - 39
Ross McMahan Incline Village, Nevada

35 - 39
Edward Oliver Littleton, Colorado

40 - 44
Brian Stromberg Ogden, Utah

40 - 44
Bruce Rogers Bend, Oregon

40 - 44
Andrew Duenow Anchorage, Alaska

45 - 49
Brad Myers Salem, Indiana

45 - 49
Kevin Deighan Vail, Colorado

50 - 54
John Royson Albany, California

55 - 59
James Lewis Broomfield, Colorado

60 - 64
Lee Cannon Crested Butte, Colorado

65+
Art Gardenswartz Albuquerque, New Mexico

XTERRA DENMARK REVIEW:  By the managing director of the XTERRA Global Tour, Kahuna Dave Nicholas…The second edition of the Danish XTERRA National Championship had fantastic competition on the sharp end of the field.  Both the men’s and women’s elite racers battled hard and tight in perfect conditions for a fast race.  After several days of on and off rain, the day was cool with a slight breeze and partly cloudy but dry.

The swim was altered a bit when a few hundred jellyfish showed up in the Aarhus harbor.  Fortunately, although several athletes got stung, 99% were wearing wetsuits and nobody was delayed at all.  Making his return after two years, Spain’s “Vito” Henestrosa led the pack out of the water and up the 87 steps to the run for transition.  The major men’s pack of Ronnie Dietz (Germany), Lieuwe Boonstra (South Africa). Jim Thijs (Belgium) Knute Hoeler and Sascha Wingenfeld (Germany) were all together headed out on the bike.  For the women, Sybille Matter (Swiss) put over a minute on Nicole Duggan (GB) and almost two on Eszter Erdelyi (Hungary).

Second year pro Thijs rode the race of his life and battled the veteran Dietz hard.  Henestrosa missed a turn while leading “I was concentrating so hard” and came around the first lap in 6th, with Boonstra a solid 3rd.  England’s Sam Gardner was flying after a horrible swim, but even with the fastest bike ride of the day he could not overcome losing nearly three minutes on the swim.

Thijs and Dietz were together out on the run and Boonstra was soon caught by Henestrosa who made a big comeback on the 2d bike lap.  Dietz was measuring his young opponent and put the hammer down on the second run lap to win by just a minute.  Lieuwe and Henstrosa started their second run lap just inches apart, but about 2K from the finish the South African put in a kick that Henestrosa could not match.  The ageless Swiss Othmar Brugger had a strong race to finish 5th.

The women’s race was even more exciting.  With a big lead out of the water, Matter seemed to have the race in hand.  Rikke Kelja (Finland) caught and passed her way into 3rd place and Erdelyi was riding hard in 2nd after losing nearly 2 minutes in the swim, but Sybille was going just as fast and posted the quickest bike time by just a few seconds.  The run was where the Hungarian European Champion (she won the XTERRA European Championship race in Sardinia) expected to make up the time and she did.  Eszter made the pass less than 1K from the finish and despite Sybille trying to kick back, held off the Swiss woman to win by a scant 9 seconds.  Kelja was alone in 3rd and Carina Wasle (Austria) a good fourth after being away from training for 10 weeks.  We can look for her to get stronger in the coming weeks.  Nicola Duggan paced herself to a well-deserved 5th.

The overall field for this year increased nicely from 2006.  This event is organized beautifully.  The course is held in a magnificent national forest where the bike trails are fast and furious and the run is technical and hilly.  Just minutes from the Aarhus, second biggest city in Denmark, it is a joy to come here.  The city has a lot to offer with a river walk full of restaurants and pubs and lots of entertainment.  Two airports are less than an hour away with connections to everywhere in Europe.  If you want to see Scandinavia, this is a perfect place to start.

To see what appeared on national TV in Denmark, go to http://www.tv2regionerne.dk/reg2005/?r=7  and choose date “18” and show "XTERRA race for de hårde".

XTERRA JAPAN, AUSTRIA, & BRAZIL TEASES:  In the ancient Samurai village of Marunuma in Japan, Aussie Jason Chalker, Germany’s Nico Pftizenmaier, and local star Yu Yumoto (who’s now a Doctor!) will be trying to steal the XTERRA Japan Championship title from last year’s winner Yasuo Takahashi – a national duathlon champ.  In the women’s race Jamie Whitmore is looking to extend her winning streak in Japan to four. 

Read more at:http://www.xterrajapan.net/race/marunuma_elite.htm

Nicolas Lebrun – the 2005 XTERRA World Champion and defending XTERRA European Tour Champ – headlines an international field of pros racing in Saturday’s XTERRA Austria Championship.  Joining him is last week’s XTERRA Denmark champion Ronny Dietz (GER), current Euro Tour leader Jim Thijs (BEL), Vito Henestrosa (ESP) Othmar Bruegger (SUI), Fabien Combaluzier and Franck Borgia (FRA), Pet Novak (CZE), Martin Zois (AUT), Felix Schumann (last year’s Germany winner), Sebastian Kienle, and Sascha Wingenfield (GER), and Sam Gardner (UK).  Current women’s Euro tour leader Eszter Erdelyi from Hungary (last week’s winner in Denmark and XTERRA Italy champ) goes for three wins in a row.  Sibylle Matter (SUI) will try to make up for the nine-seconds too late runner-up performance last week, and Michelle Lombardi (RSA), Claudia Frank (GER), Ingrid VanLubek (NED), and Carina Wasle will add to the chase.

“Kahuna Dave” Nicholas tells us that the race village – Klopeinersee - is the 3rd largest tourism spot in Austria behind only Vienna and Salzburg (Mozart's city).  The swim to transition runs smack through the village past restaurants, guesthouses, and dozens of shops, and there’s a big concert Friday night with the area's most popular band and another party after the race on Saturday.   “Every paper in Austria has done stories on the race, there’s even billboards in the local towns, plus television spots, radio interviews and commercials.  The biggest theater in Klagenfurt, and here in Volkmarkt, have an XTERRA trailer that is played like it was a coming attraction.  So if you go to see Bourne Supremacy - before the movie you see XTERRA is coming to Klopeinersee,” said Nicholas.

In the tropical jungles of Brazil lies one of the most exotic races on the XTERRA Global Tour.  In the men’s pro race Canadian Mike Vine (4th in XTERRA U.S. Pro Series) will take on a full field of elites from South America highlighted by Argentinian triathlon great Oscar Galindez (winner of XTERRA Argentina back in February).  In the women’s race Candy Angle returns to defend her XTERRA Brazil title.

XTERRA RIVER VALLEY RANCE TRAIL RUN:  This Saturday Millers—River Valley Ranch (RVR) is host to the XTERRA River Valley Trail Run, a 5k Trail Run and Kids Fun Run to benefit the Doc Shaffer Fund.  This event is the second in a trio of races for the XTERRA Chesapeake Bay Series following the hugely successful XTERRA Boordy Vineyards Trail Run.

The 5K race starts at the Ranch on groomed trails, continues onto Grave Run and Shaffer Mill roads before finishing through RVR’s authentic 19th century western town.  After the race, participants will be treated to a continental breakfast and “Post-Race Round Up” with activities for the whole family.  Since 1952, River Valley Ranch in north-east Carroll County, MD has provided an exciting and life-changing camp experience to hundreds of thousands of young people from all over America. RVR strives to provide an exciting camp experience combined with an emphasis on the spiritual needs of youth. It is RVR’s hope that any camper who wishes to attend River Valley Ranch can do so despite their social or economic situations.

XTERRA CHARLOTTESVILLE REVIEW:  By Scott Scudamore…A warm lake (78) and cool air (in the 60s) welcomed racers to a great day at Walnut Creek County Park outside Charlottesville, Virginia.  141 people started the two lap 1,200-yard swim led by age group standouts Chris Pickerell and Mike Harlow.  A very challenging 11.5-mile mountain bike course that featured twisty, turning, rocky, rooty, up and down single track awaited the field.  Although Justin Riddle was in the 2nd swim wave to start the race (4 minutes back of Chris and Mike) he reeled them both in to take the lead after the fastest bike spllit of the day.  The 4-mile run course shared much of the twisty bike singletrack, and Riddle had the 3rd fastest run time to take the overall men’s title.  Mike Harlow followed almost 5 minutes later and one minute after that was Eric Sorensen.

Alicia Markey was first out of the swim for the women 3.5 minutes ahead of Laura Hamm.  Susan Wagner and Hamm were within seconds of each other on the bike but Laura pulled away on the run to take the women’s overall title. Kathy Lett had a steady day to round out the top 3.

This race was the final event of a 3-race series put on by the Charlottesville Tri Club in support of four local charities: Charlottesville Free Clinic, The Boys and Girls Club, Task Force for Childhood Obesity and the Institute for Autism.

XTERRA DINO LOGANSPORT REVIEW:  By Gary Harris…This year’s XTERRA DINO Logansport paved the way to a huge break in a national heat wave.  While most of America was sweating it out, Mother Nature smiled upon France Park giving racers beautiful blue skies and a 57-degree start.  Although a pleasant chill was in the air; the lake, a former rock quarry, was a toasty 81 degrees. Adorned the bottom of this 30 foot deep clear water lake was a big yellow bus, a boat, the original quarry crane, a viewing bubble and a group of 6-8 foot Sturgeon all placed there by the local school which uses these waters as a scuba dive training facility.

“It’s pretty cool to look down and see a school bus during the swim” said race director Brian Holzhausen.

From the very start Greg Muller ruled the day pushing out an 11:46 swim with Patrick Valentine 35 seconds behind followed by a pack of hungry Indianan’s. Becca Finley was the first female out of the water in 15:19, a minute behind was Sarah Gall and Beverly Enslow just 3 seconds apart.

From the cool clear swim came 10 miles of fast and fun bike trail, a course that rocks and rolls!!! It’s broken down into 2 loops of tight and technical single track with wide open service roads all mixed in for great passing and serious cycling fun.

“You really had to watch that first climb” said 2nd place female Beverly Enslow “if you missed that left at the top you’ll ride right off into the quarry.” Brian Holzhausen turned the fastest time of 44:13 just edging out second place finisher Scott Gall by 7 seconds. Beverly had the fastest female bike time at 49:08 over 2 minutes ahead of Sarah Gall.

The run shared similar characteristics to the ride, two loops of fast and fun single track. For the men, Scott Gall (husband of female first place finisher Sarah) flew through the run with a vicious 23:18 but it wasn’t enough to catch Greg Muller who claimed the day with an impressive 1:22:52. Scott took second in 1:25:37 with race director Brian Holzhausen in third. I believe it was Des Moines resident and 4th place male Marc Hollender who said “that Scott guy ran by me so fast it made me fall.”

The female finish was absolutely amazing; Sarah Gall broke the tape in 1:35:14, “What an awesome course.” She started the run three minutes behind the leader and came in three and a half minutes ahead of 2nd place finisher Beverly Enslow “Her legs where like Land Rockets and she just flew right by, I couldn’t do one lap at that speed” Beverly said with a smile.