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A Perfect 10 for Pilot Steve Cole and the XTERRA Regional Champion Class of 2010

After 10 years of racing in the XTERRA USA Championship Series, only one man has been able to win his regional championship in every season.

Steve Cole (pictured), a pilot from Olive Branch, Mississippi, was the best age group racer in the South Central’s 45-49 division from 2001 to 2005, and has won the SC 50-54 division every year since.

“I have been lucky enough to stay relatively injury free, fortunate to have good results at key races and most importantly, I still enjoy the heck out of XTERRA style events,” said Cole, who won the 45-49 XTERRA World Championship in 2008.

Cole was one of the torchbearers for the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City, and has been carrying the XTERRA flame for more than a decade now.

“Ever since I was young, I have always tried to see new places, try new adventures and meet new people,” said Cole.  “In high school and college it was through competitive tennis. I joined the Navy to see the world as a Naval Aviator and traveled extensively throughout South America and Europe and the Caribbean. As an airline pilot for Eastern Airlines and Northwest Airlines I have included the Far East and Africa in my ventures. Whether it is a triathlon in Maui, an adventure race in Nevada or a coast to coast mountain bike race in Costa Rica, if there is an event in a new environment that I am able to fit into my schedule, I’m there!  I particularly enjoy the XTERRA series because I can load up the camper, wife and dogs and travel throughout the USA to various new sites and see other parts of the country.”

Cole did five XTERRA races this season including the Epic in Ruston, Louisiana; the Red River in Ardmore, Oklahoma; the South Central Champs in Pelham, Alabama; Whitewater in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Camp Eagle in Rock Springs, Texas.

THE 2010 CLASS OF XTERRA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS

The XTERRA America Tour’s 67-race regular season that stretched across the continental United States and into Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and Saipan came to a close on Sunday, and as such it’s time to recognize the regional champs.

Here is a listing all 175 athletes that won their region.

Winners were invited to race in the XTERRA USA Championship (along with other top age group finishers), earned an exclusive, one-of-a-kind regional champions racing jersey sponsored by XTERRA Wetsuits and XTERRA Footwear, and will be honored at the Night of Champions dinner at Union Station on Historic 25th Street in downtown Ogden on September 24.

While Steve Cole is the only 10-time regional champ, Beverly Enslow of Metamora, Illinois - the reigning and 4x XTERRA USA and World Champion - is the most prolific female age grouper and sits alone with nine regional titles in the Midwest 50-54 division. Casey Fannin from Birmingham, Alabama also won his ninth regional title this year (every year but 2006 because of that "damn bull").

Here's a look at the amateur stars who have won at least five XTERRA regional titles since the inaugural season of 2001:

Ten: Steve Cole - Olive Branch, MS (South Central 50-54)
Nine: Beverly Enslow - Metamora, IL (Midwest, 50-54); Casey Fannin – Birmingham, AL (Southeast 50-54); Tom Lyons - Reno, NV (West 45-49).
Eight: Hans Dieben – Chula Vista, CA (West 70+); Kathy Frank – Santa Cruz, CA (West 60+); Cindi Toepel – Littleton, CO (Mountain 55-59); Jim James – Ann Arbor, MI (Midwest 45-49); Mike Carter – Austin, TX (South Central 45-49); Kyle Grieser – Marble Falls, TX (South Central 25-29); Barbara Peterson - Berkeley, CA (West 50-54).
Seven: Errol Lassiter – Woodstock, GA (Southeast 70+), Ken Robins – Cutchogue, NY (Northeast 45-49); Teodoro Ramos – Berwyn, IL (Midwest 30-34); Kent Robison - Reno, NV (West 60-64); Joe Amato - Ellicott City, MD (65-69); ; Jim James - Ann Arbor, MI (North Central 45-49).
Six: GL Brown – Ada, MI (Midwest 65-59); Linda Usher – Upton, MA (Northeast 60+); Daniel Rose – Fairfield, CT (Northeast 60-64); Marc Hawley – Mount Vernon, IN (Midwest 55-59); Julia Peck – Culpeper, VA (Atlantic 50-54); Tom Monica – Walnut Creek, CA (West 50-54); Russell Clark - Scotia, NY (Northeast 55-59); Annette MacNiven - Wainscott, NY (Northeast 50-54); Karen Robertson - Grapevine, TX (South Central 50-54); Ian Sullivan - Jericho, VT (Northeast 20-24); Matt Boobar - Plymouth, NH (Northeast 35-39)
Five: Charlotte Mahan – Lenoir City, TN (Southeast 60+); Audie Smith - Knoxville, TN (Southeast 55-59); Lorenn Walker – Wailua, HI (West 55-59); Kevin Shelden – Breckenridge, CO (Mountain 45-49); Peter Hanson – Incline Village, NV (West 45-49); Ross McMahan – Incline Village, NV (West 40-44); and David Cloninger – Bend, OR (Northwest 40-44); Suzie Snyder - Wallingford, CT (Northeast 25-29); Brandyn Roark Gray - Aztec, New Mexico (Northwest 25-29); Wilburn Powell - Mt. Ida, AR (South Central 65-59); Libby Harrow - Vero Beach, FL (Southeast 55-59); Jeremy Chandler - Knoxville, TN (Southeast 20-24);

Also of note, Mike Hicks from Fountain Hills, Arizona won a regional championship in the Southwest Moderate leg impairment division for the fourth straight year – setting the standard in the physically challenged division.