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Stoltz, Bucher win XTERRA East Championship

(Richmond, VA) - Conrad Stoltz, 36, from South Africa and Renata Bucher, 33, of Switzerland captured the XTERRA East Championship off-road triathlon pro titles in Richmond, Virginia this afternoon.

It was a characteristically hot mid 90’s summer day in the River City, and that didn’t seem to bother Stoltz one bit.  The “Caveman” had the second-best swim time with a 12:42 (just 20 seconds off Seth Wealing), the fastest 24km bike split by far (a blazing 52:11), and even turned in the quickest 10km run of the day in 40:24.  It all added up to yet another win for the tall South African – his fourth straight on the XTERRA America Tour this year, and fifth win in six years here in Richmond.

“Since I finished high school in 1991 I’ve been racing professionally so I’ve had basically 18 summers back-to-back, so I’m familiar with the heat,” said Stoltz.  “I’m not great in the heat, though, so I have to prepare for it, which mean’s pacing and never going too hard in the swim, bike or run.  The whole race I had to pull back a little bit, pull back a little, and make sure I had some energy left for the run.”

By midway through the bike Stoltz’ biggest threat was coming from his hometown of Stellenbosch in the form of 25-year-old Dan Hugo.  Hugo, making his 2010 U.S. debut (he won XTERRA South Africa back in February), was riding and running strong and all by himself in second place for most of the day.

“I didn’t get splits until the very end so I had no idea what was going on behind me so I was racing more against the heat and myself, but it’s really good to see Dan back,” said Stoltz about Hugo, who was just 15-years-old when the Caveman did his first-ever XTERRA here in Richmond back in 2001. “Obviously he had a good race, and I’m excited to see him healthy and back, and racing.  That should be good for XTERRA.”

Indeed it is good to have Hugo, who graced the cover of the July issue of Triathlete Magazine, back in the mix.

Of course, always in the mix is Josiah Middaugh, who worked his way into third when he passed Craig Evans at the gnarly 80-foot vertical climb up the “Mayan Ruins” during the early part of the run.  That is where Middaugh is at his best, on long brutal climbs, and through the first four races of this season those have been few and far between.

Seth Wealing was solid all around and ran past Craig Evans by the finish line to take fourth, with Evans in 5th (his third straight top 5).

EMOTIONAL WIN FOR BUCHER

Renata Bucher grabbed the tape as she crossed the finish, then dropped to her knees and clasped her hands over her face in a gripping display of emotion that told a story of triumph in the face of adversity.

Just last Sunday while cooling down on the bike after the XTERRA Southeast Championship where she finished fourth, Bucher’s left foot slipped off the pedal and got jammed into the bike causing a painful toe injury.  As a result, she scratched her original plans to race in the ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships in Slovakia yesterday, opting instead to see if she might be able to rest and race in Richmond.

“Today I had a lot of emotion because it was such a tough week,” said Bucher.  “I had so much trouble with my toe, and I wasn’t sure if I should go home, and I didn’t do much physically at all.  I didn’t think I could win, but the doctor here helped me so much. I’m just very grateful for all the help and support I received.”

Christine Jeffrey got the early jump out of the swim, but not with as much time as usual because of the relatively short swim across the James River to Belle Isle and back.  Melanie McQuaid gained control of the lead early on the twisty bike course but Vanlandingham – who was just a minute 30 back of McQuaid out of the water – surged to the front, until she blew through a turn and went off course losing precious seconds, and allowing Bucher to jump in the lead.

At Hodson’s ramp with roughly four miles left in the bike Vanlandingham, Bucher, and McQuaid were riding single file as close as you can get in a colorful display of beautiful blue, black, and red racing kits.  At the bike-to-run transition they were still tight, but Bucher had about 15 seconds on the others and posted the fastest run split to take the win in 1:59:27.

“I can smile again,” said Bucher, who won her fourth XTERRA Championship of the year (also Saipan, Portugal, and the South Central Championship in Waco, TX).

Vanlandingham had the best bike split despite missing that turn to finish in 2nd, and said Renata was running so strong she would have likely won regardless.  McQuaid, who won the first five races in the U.S. Series last year, had to settle for third.

“Shonny and Renata are taking turns kicking my butt, they are really fast right now,” gasped McQuaid, who is experimenting with a whole new training program this year with the ultimate goal to win XTERRA Worlds in Maui.  The three-time World Champ is hoping that what she is missing now, will come around when it counts.

Emma Garrard continues to impress, matching her career best finish in 4th place with Jeffrey in 5th.

PRO MEN Pl Name Age Hometown Time Pts Purse  1 Conrad Stoltz 36 Stellenbosch, South Africa 1:46:28 100 $1,800 2 Dan Hugo 25 Stellenbosch, South Africa 1:47:39 90 $1,250 3 Josiah Middaugh 31 Vail, Colorado 1:50:40 82 $800 4 Seth Wealing 31 Boulder, Colorado 1:52:16 75 $500 5 Craig Evans 32 Hendersonville, Tennessee 1:55:40 69 $400 6 Brandon Rakita 29 Manitou Springs, Colorado 1:55:49 63 $300 7 Will Kelsay 28 Boulder, Colorado 1:56:20 58 $200 8 Trevor Glavin 30 San Diego, California 1:57:29 53 9 Cody Waite 31 Lakewood, Colorado 1:58:33 49 10 Kevin Carter 36 College Park, Maryland 1:58:55 45 Also:  Brad Zoller (41), Damian Gonzalez (37), Matt Boobar (34), Chris Newell (31). PRO WOMEN Pl Name Age Hometown Time Pts Purse 1 Renata Bucher 32 Lucerne, Switzerland 1:59:27 100 $1,800 2 Shonny Vanlandingham 40 Durango, Colorado 2:00:35 90 $1,250 3 Melanie McQuaid 36 Victoria, B.C., Canada 2:03:42 82 $800 4 Emma Garrard 28 Truckee, California 2:07:28 75 $500 5 Christine Jeffrey 37 Guelph, Ontario, Canada 2:08:59 69 $400 6 Fabiola Corona 30 Mexico City, Mexico 2:11:16 63 $300 7 Kristy Lanier 39 Marlinton, West Virginia 2:18:53 58 $200

Fastest 1km Swim Split: Seth Wealing (12:22), Christine Jeffrey (12:59)
Fastest 24km Bike Split: Conrad Stoltz (52:11), Shonny Vanlandingham (57:56)
Fastest 10km Run Split: Conrad Stoltz (40:24), Renata Bucher (44:34)

COMPLETE RESULTS.  PHOTOS.

XTERRA U.S. PRO SERIES UPDATE

Stoltz stays perfect, and takes another step towards his goal of winning an 8th XTERRA U.S. Pro Series Crown.  The top four men remain unchanged while Seth Wealing, Trevor Glavin, Will Kelsay and Branden Rakita all moved up.  Ryan DeCook was riding strong but crashed today and hyperextended his knee so was not able to finish, dropping him from 5th to 9th in the series standings.

In the women's chase Vanlandingham has a controlling 36 point lead over McQuaid, who remained in 2nd, with Bucher not far behind in third.  Garrard jumped up a spot to No. 4, with Jeffrey falling to 5th.

UP NEXT: The XTERRA Mountain Championship at Beaver Creek Resort in Avon, CO on July 17, followed by the USA Championship at Snowbasin Resort near Ogden, Utah on September 25.

Note: The top 15 pros at each event are awarded points based on overall pro finish.  Pros count their best four-of-five scores plus the points they get (or don’t get) at the XTERRA USA Championship in Utah. Thus, the final point total combines an athletes’ best four scores in the first five races, plus the USA Championship race points.  He/she with the most points in the end is declared the U.S. Pro Series Champ. The U.S. Series will dish out $132,500 in prize money: $10,500 at each regional, $20,000 at the USA Championship, and $60,000 to the top overall points scorers in the Series. The XTERRA World Championship Oct. 24 in Makena, Maui is a stand-alone event worth $100,000.

2010 XTERRA U.S. Pro Series Standings (after 4)

Pl	Name	1	2	3	4	Total	Purse
1	Conrad Stoltz, RSA	100	100	100	100	400	$7,200
2	Josiah Middaugh, USA	90	90	90	82	352	$4,550
3	Craig Evans, USA	58	75	82	69	284	$1,900
4	Cody Waite, USA	63	63	69	49	244	$1,000
5	Seth Wealing, USA	75	DNR	75	75	225	$1,500
6	Trevor Glavin, USA	53	49	37	53	192
7	Will Kelsay, USA	DNP	53	63	58	174	$500
8	Branden Rakita, USA	45	58	DNR	63	166	$500
9	Ryan DeCook, USA	49	69	45	DNF	163	$400
10	Damian Gonzalez, USA	31	37	49	37	154
11	Nico Lebrun, FRA	69	82	DNR	DNR	151	$1,200
12	Matt Boobar, USA	DNR	41	41	34	116
13	Scott Gall, USA	DNR	45	58	DNR	103	$200
14	Kevin Carter, USA	DNR	DNR	53	45	98
15	Dan Hugo, RSA	DNR	DNR	DNR	90	90	$1,250
16	Brian Smith, USA	82	DNR	DNR	DNR	82	$800
17	Brad Zoller, USA	34	DNR	DNR	41	75
18	Julian Langer, AUT	41	DNR	DNR	DNR	41
19	Jordan Bryden, CAN	37	DNR	DNR	DNR	37
20	Grayson Keppler, RSA	DNR	34	DNR	DNR	34
21	Chris Newell	DNP	DNR	DNR	31	31
22	Sean Bechtel, CAN	28	DNR	DNR	DNR	28

Pl	Name	1	2	3	4	Total	Purse
1	Shonny Vanlandingham, USA	100	90	100	90	380	$6,100
2	Melanie McQuaid, CAN	90	82	90	82	344	$4,100
3	Renata Bucher, SUI	63	100	75	100	338	$4,400
4	Emma Garrard, USA	58	75	69	75	277	$1,600
5	Christine Jeffrey, CAN	75	69	63	69	276	$1,600
6	Lesley Paterson, GBR	82	DNR	82	DNR	164	$1,600
7	Fabiola Corona, MEX	37	DNR	58	63	158	$500
8	Tracy Thelen, USA	49	53	53	DNR	155
9	Rosemarie Gerspacher, CAN	69	DNR	DNR	DNR	69	$400
10	Shae Rainer, USA	DNR	63	DNR	DNR	63	$300
11	Christie Sym, AUS	DNR	58	DNR	DNR	58	$200
12	Kristy Lanier, USA	DNR	DNR	DNR	58	58	$200
13	Sara Tarkington, USA	53	DNR	DNR	DNR	53
14	Daz Parker, GBR	45	DNR	DNR	DNR	45
15	Katie Ellis, USA	41	DNR	DNR	DNR	41

1 = XTERRA West Championship (Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort, NV) - April 25
2 = XTERRA South Central Championship (Waco, TX) - May 23  
3 = XTERRA Southeast Championship (Pelham, AL) - June 13  
4 = XTERRA East Championship (Richmond, VA) - June 20  
5 = XTERRA Mountain Championship (Beaver Creek, CO) - July 17  
6 = XTERRA USA Championship (Ogden/Snowbasin, UT) - Sept. 25  
 
Key: 1=100, 2=90, 3=82, 4=75, 5=69, 6=63, 7-58, 8=53, 9=49, 10=45, 11=41, 12=37, 13=34, 14=31, 15=28

AMATEUR RACE

Fred Smith from Knoxville, Tennessee was the only age grouper to break the two-hour mark while Amber Monforte, a former XTERRA Pro and Ultraman Canada record-holder, won the women's amateur division.  Here's a look at all the age group champions...

XTERRA EAST CHAMPIONS (WOMEN)  

Division	Name	Time	Hometown
20 - 24	Laura Jorgensen	2:21:43	Miami, FL
25 - 29	Katie Danahy	2:51:36	Richmond, VA
30 - 34	Amber Monforte	2:16:20	Reno, NV
35 - 39	Danelle Grant	2:29:55	Charlottesville, VA
40 - 44	Kathy Coutinho	2:24:32	Fairfax Station, VA
45 - 49	Susan Petronio	2:42:43	Crested Butte, CO
50 - 54	Julia Peck	3:14:57	Culpeper, VA

XTERRA EAST CHAMPIONS (MEN)  

Division	Name	Time	Hometown
15 - 19	Carson Hogge	2:16:29	Richmond, VA
20 - 24	Grayson Cobb	2:12:03	Richmond, VA
25 - 29	Blake Voges	2:05:50	Santa Claus, IN
30 - 34	Fred Smith	1:56:42	Knoxville, TN
35 - 39	Frank Febbraro	2:04:33	Frank Febbraro
40 - 44	Konrad Heller	2:07:43	Fredericksburg, VA
45 - 49	Henry Loving	2:14:17	Midlothian, VA
50 - 54	Jean-Paul Martin	2:20:45	Oakton, VA
55 - 59	Nils Holten	2:41:43	Aurora, CO
60 - 64	Charlie Redmond	2:56:16	Demarest, NJ
65 - 69	Peter Lilley	3:16:07	Charlotte, NC
PC	Kent Solheim	2:45:46	Raeford, NC

Note: There was also an XTERRA Sport race today consisting of a 500-meter swim, 16km mountain bike, and 5km trail run.  Walter Ayers from Richmond won the men's race in 1:30:17 and Kate Mitchell from Magnolia, Iowa took top honors for the women in 1:50:01.  Also of note Phil Walker, CEO of Heritage Union Life Insurance, the home of SalaryShield - successfully completed his first XTERRA in 1:57:22 before handing out awards to today's participants.  XTERRA Sport Results.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A special thanks to Nathan Burrell, the trails manager for the James River Park System, the Richmond Chapter of MORE (Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts), the James River Outdoor Coalition, Friends of the James River, and all the volunteers who have dedicated countless hours of work towards creating a magnificent trails system for the XTERRA Tribe and outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy in Richmond.

The 2010 XTERRA East Championship is presented by Paul Mitchell, Degree Men Adventure, and SalaryShield. Sponsors include the Utah Sports Commission, XTERRA.TV, GU Energy Gel, Gatorade, Zorrel, and the XTERRA Alliance - Wetsuits, Gear, Cycling, Fitness, and Footwear.

TEAM Unlimited, a Hawaii-based television events and marketing company, owns and produces XTERRA. In 2010 there are more than 100 XTERRA off-road triathlon and trail running events held in 15 countries worldwide.  It all started with 123 competitors one afternoon in Maui, and has since evolved into the most prestigious off-road multisport race in the world.