Press and Media Center

West Championship Maui Qualifiers, Headed Back to 'Bama

THE SIGHTS OF XTERRA

The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is why XTERRA has staff photographer Nils Nilsen.  Nilsen has been around – working for the likes of the San Diego Padres, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN over the years – but is a newcomer to the world of XTERRA off-road triathlon and trail running. On his first assignment at the XTERRA West Championship in Temecula last weekend Nilsen brought along an assistant tasked with holding an assortment of lights at odd angles in all the dirty spots that the rough-and-tumble mountain bike and run courses went (unheard of!).  Before the swim he was in the water, just a few feet from what was to become a blender of arms and legs thrashing straight for him (downright crazy!).  As a result of these moves, Nilsen put the sport in a whole new light, literally.  See some of his selects from the weekend at xterraphotos.com.

Media Note: Email trey@xterraplanet.com to request the password and username for the high-res download site.  The site is searchable by keywords, so if you are looking for an athlete in particular you can simply type in their name in the upper left hand corner search bar and all of their images will come forth.

FROM TEMECULA TO MAUI...

By virtue of their stellar performances at the XTERRA West Championship in Southern California on Sunday the following 35 athletes qualified for the 2008 XTERRA World Championship on October 26 in Makena, Maui.

MAUI QUALIFIERS:

WOMEN

Division
Name - Hometown

15 - 19
Shayna Powless - Roseville, California

20 - 24
Erin Kummer - Boulder, Colorado

25 - 29
Rachel Cieslewicz - Salt Lake City, Utah

25 - 29
Jessica Cerra - San Diego, California

30 - 34
Julie Bruckman - Littleton, Colorado

30 - 34
Sarah Mista - Malibu, California

35 - 39
Cary Kinross-Wright - Golden, Colorado

35 - 39
Lisa Lieb - Durango, Colorado

40 - 44
Jayne Peterlin - San Ramon, California

40 - 44
Chris Linkletter - San Pedro, California

45 - 49
Meiling Yee - Sunnyvale, California

45 - 49
Devyani Kamdar - Larkspur, California

50 - 54
Beverly Enslow - Metamora, Illinois

60+
Katherine Frank - Bend, Oregon

MEN

Division
Name - Hometown

15 - 19
Joshua Olmstead - Elk Grove, California

20 - 24
Kody Reed - San Luis Obispo, Calif.

25 - 29
Trevor Glavin - Salinas, California

25 - 29
Nick Wierzba - Napa, California

30 - 34
James Walsh - Carlsbad, California

30 - 34
Steven Waite - Boulder, Colorado

30 - 34
Tom O'Brien - Scottsdale, Arizona

35 - 39
Chad Green - San Diego, California

35 - 39
Roger Turpin - Del Mar, California

35 - 39
Stephen Kozowyk - Huntington Beach, CA

40 - 44
Andrew Duenow - Anchorage, Alaska

40 - 44
Richard Blanco - Redwood City, CA

40 - 44
Dan Swanson - Simi Valley, California

45 - 49
Casey Fannin - Birmingham, Alabama

45 - 49
Tom Lyons - Reno, Nevada

50 - 54
Tom Monica - Walnut Creek, California

55 - 59
John Royson - Albany, California

65 - 69
Art Gardenswartz - Albuquerque, NM

Challenged
Willie Stewart - Redlands, California

Challenged
Andy May - Dublin, California

Challenged
Jonathan Bik - Sacramento, Californiab

HEADED BACK TO 'BAMA...

Off-road triathlon’s biggest event of the year in Alabama - the XTERRA Southeast Championship - returns to Oak Mountain State Park in Shelby County (Pelham) this June 7-8.

The main event combines a one-mile swim in Double Oak Lake with a grueling 20-mile mountain bike on the highly acclaimed Oak Mountain “red trail”, and a twisty, turny, up-and-down 10k off-road run.

The XTERRA Southeast Championship is the second of four regionals leading up to the XTERRA USA Championship in Nevada, Oct. 5.  For the top 15 pro men and women, a $20,000 prize purse and points towards the overall series title will be awarded.  Amateur athletes compete for the Southeast Champs age group title, one of the 42 qualifying spots into the XTERRA World Championship in Maui, and for points in the XTERRA USA Championship Series.

Aside from the XTERRA Championship and half-distance XTERRA Sport off-road triathlons, there’s a 5k walk and 5k and 10k trail runs (to benefit Children’s Hospital of Alabama), a 21k off-road half-marathon (to benefit the Lakeshore Foundation) an XTERRA Duathlon (trail run – mountain bike – trail run), made-for-fun dog and owner time trials, free clinics taught by pro athletes, corporate tents, demos, giveaways, music, and food.

Just for kids there are running and bicycle races, obstacle courses and agility drills.  It’s called the XTERRA Kids Zone, its free to participate in, and all kids 12 and under win prizes and awards.

Competitors, spectators, friends and family are encouraged to stay in one of the myriad of hotel offerings in Pelham for the weekend and take advantage of Oak Mountain State Park which serves as the ideal setting to run, mountain bike, go fishing, ride horses, or go golfing.

To register for events call toll-free to 877-751-8880, sign-up online at www.xterraplanet.com, or sign-up onsite at the park on Saturday, June 7.