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Triathlon World Heads to Vegas for XTERRA West Cup on May 2

LAS VEGAS, NV - Forget the glitz and glamour, next weekend the world’s greatest athletes will be in Vegas for the dust and dirt of the Loews XTERRA West Cup off-road triathlon at Lake Las Vegas, Nevada on May 2.

Nearly 40 of the best triathletes, mountain bikers, and adventure racers on the planet are headed to Henderson for a showdown that entails a one-mile swim in Lake Las Vegas, an 18-mile mountain bike up, down, & around the expansive and private desert surrounding the resort, and a 6.2-mile trail run that will test the endurance and determination of even the fittest athletes.

Among them are two-time Olympian and three-time XTERRA World Champ Conrad “the Caveman” Stoltz from South Africa, former Ironman Canada Champion Jasper Blake, 2-time U.S. mountain bike & Ironman USA champ Steve Larsen, and French multisport legend Nico Lebrun.  In the women’s race you’ll find America’s most successful mountain biker of all-time, Shonny Vanlandingham, Olympic triathlete Fabiola Corona from Mexico, one of the most decorated female adventure racers in U.S. history, Sari Anderson, three-time XTERRA European Champion Renata Bucher from Switzerland, and three-time XTERRA World Champion Melanie McQuaid from Canada (pictured below, all photos by XTERRA/Nils Nilsen).

This race is the first of eight big XTERRA Cup championship races in the nationwide XTERRA America Tour that boasts 60 races in 32 states.  There is $10,000 in prize money for pros and 41 qualifying slots into the XTERRA World Championship up for grabs to amateur racers. More than 300 athletes representing 23 U.S. States and nine countries have already signed up for the challenge.

Amateur racers of note include KTNV Channel 13’s own Nina Radetich, mixed martial arts star Nick Diaz, and XTERRA age group world champions Tom Lyons and Kent Robison from Reno.

Aside from the XTERRA West Cup, there is also a half-distance XTERRA Sport race and relay team competitions available.  The best Paul Mitchell stylists in Nevada will be onsite giving haircuts in exchange for a $15 donation to the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and the post-race party will be the stuff of legends, unfolding onsite at the Loews Hotel Nuala Pool with great food, slideshows, music, and swimming. After the event is the “Gimme Shelter” concert featuring Rolling Stones tribute band Jumping Jack Flash on the lake at Montelago Village, a benefit for Heaven Can Wait sanctuary.

Spectators are welcome and for more information including course maps, confirmed participants, and registration details visit www.sunsetracing.com.  For more info on the XTERRA Cup Series visit xterraplanet.com.  Note that XTERRA has no affiliation with the Nissan SUV of same name (interesting story, however, how Nissan licensed the name from XTERRA brand owners TEAM Unlimited back in the 90's).

“There could be no better place to kick off the season than at Lake Las Vegas,” said David Nicholas, the managing director of the XTERRA World Tour. “Whether you gamble or not, Las Vegas is one fascinating place.  The lights, the shows, the restaurants are absolutely world class, and now we have an XTERRA race at a first class resort just minutes from the Strip and the airport. This event promises to be epic.”

LOEWS XTERRA WEST CUP PRO START LIST (As of 4.22.09)

‘08 Rank - Name - Age, Hometown
1 - Conrad Stoltz - 35, Stellenbosch, South Africa
2 - Dan Hugo - 23, Stellenbosch, South Africa
3 - Josiah Middaugh - 30, Vail, Colorado
4 - Brian Smith - 33, Gunnison, Colorado
5 - Mike Vine - 35, Victoria, B.C., Canada
6 - Seth Wealing - 30, Boulder, Colorado
7 - Craig Evans - 31, Spring Hill, Tennessee
9 - Ryan Ignatz - 30, Boulder, Colorado
10 - Branden Rakita - 28, Manitou Springs, Colorado
12 - Cody Waite - 30, Lakewood, Colorado
16 - Will Kelsay - 27, Boulder, Colorado
17 - Ryan DeCook - 28, Rochester, Michigan
NR - Jasper Blake - 35, Victoria, B.C., Canada
NR - Jordan Bryden - 22, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
NR - Damian Gonzalez - 32, Stockton, California
NR - Steve Larsen - 39, Bend, Oregon
NR - Nicolas Lebrun -35, Digne, France
NR - Jim McConnel - 36, Oxford, United Kingdom

‘08 Rank - Name - Age, Hometown
1 - Melanie McQuaid - 35, Victoria, B.C., Canada
2 - Shonny Vanlandingham - 39, Durango, Colorado
3 - Jenny Smith - 36, Westport, New Zealand
4 - Danelle Kabush - 34, Canmore, Alberta, Canada
5 - Lesley Paterson - 28, Sterling, Scotland
6 - Jenny Tobin - 39, Boise, Idaho
7 - Christine Jeffrey - 36, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
9 - Amber Monforte - 30, Reno, Nevada
11 - Emma Garrard - 27, Truckee, California
12 - Sara Tarkington - 28, Boulder, Colorado
15 - Renata Bucher - 31, Lucerne, Switzerland
16 - Sari Anderson - 30, Carbondale, Colorado
23 - Fabiola Corona - 29, Mexico City, Mexico
NR - Alexandra Borrelly - 33, Digne, France
NR - Rebecca Dussault - 28, Crested Butte, Colorado
NR - Ingrid Rolles - 36, Cape Town, South Africa
NR - Tracy Thelen - 29, Colorado Springs, Colorado

'08 Rank = Final position in the 2008 XTERRA U.S. Pro Series
NR = Not Ranked

MEDIA NOTE:  XTERRA is happy to arrange athlete interviews and help with pre and post-race coverage of the XTERRA West Cup at Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort.  For further details or to arrange coverage call race director Dominic Guinto or XTERRA Vice President Trey Garman at the numbers listed above, or simply reply to this email.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

THURSDAY, APRIL 30
4:00-7:00pm            Packet Pickup* at the Loews Lake Las Vegas, Casablanca FGH Ballroom
5:00 & 6:00pm         Race Briefings**, Loews Lake Las Vegas, Casablanca FGH Ballroom

FRIDAY, MAY 1

9am, 1pm, 3pm       Practice Rides & Runs (pickup your packet/register and display race #s, prior to participation.
10am-7pm              Packet Pickup* at the Loews Lake Las Vegas, Casablanca FGH Ballroom
12, 4, 5, & 6pm       Race Briefings**, Loews Lake Las Vegas, Casablanca FGH Ballroom
5:00pm                   XTERRA University, presented by Paul Mitchell

SATURDAY, MAY 2

4:30am                   Transition open for set-up
6:00am                   Swim open for warm-up, Loews Hotel Beach
6:30am                   XTERRA Sport Start, Loews Hotel Beach (500m swim, 15K MTB, 5K trail run)

8:00am                   Loews Lake Las Vegas XTERRA Cup Start, Loews Hotel Beach (1.5K swim, 30K MTB, 10K run)

8:30am                   Sport race bike course cut-off (all Sport riders still on the bike course will be removed)
8:15/8:30am            XTERRA Sport winner expected
9am-1pm                Paul Mitchell Cut-a-thon, a benefit for the Challenged Athletes Foundation
10:15am                 XTERRA Cup winner expected

2:00-6:00pm            Post Race Party and Awards Ceremony, Loews Upper Nuala Pool – XTERRA West Cup and Sport awards, slide show, swimming, food, two bars, and door prizes.

8:00pm                   “Gimme Shelter” concert featuring Rolling Stones tribute band “Jumping Jack Flash” on the Lake in the Montelago Village.   A benefit for “Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary.  (athlete discounts available with race bib # at packet pickup, and at the show)

MEDIA CONTACTS
Trey Garman, 808-216-8606 / trey@xterraplanet.com
Dominic Guinto, 702-525-1087/ dom@sunsetracing.com

The Loews XTERRA West Cup is part of the XTERRA America Tour, presented by Paul Mitchell and XTERRA.TV.  Sponsors include the Utah Sports Commission, XTERRAGear.com, GU Energy Gel, Gatorade, Choice Hotels, Zorrel, Rodale, and the Nevada Commission on Tourism.