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Meet XTERRA Curt Gowdy

Curt Gowdy, the man, was a legendary sports broadcaster and long-time voice of the Boston Red Sox. In that role he called many a great moment, including his friend Ted Williams' home run in his final at-bat in 1960. Before and after that moment Gowdy and Williams spent countless hours fly fishing around the country.

His favorite place to fish was where he was born and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Gowdy was proud of his Wyoming heritage and loved the outdoors, and said that he was "born with a fly-rod in one hand.” In 2002, he recalled that his father, Edward Curtis Gowdy, who had taught him to hunt and fish, was the best fly-fisherman in the state. "We had free access to prime-time fishing and hunting. The outdoors was a way of life for me.”

In 1972 a new state park in Wyoming was opened and officially named Curt Gowdy State Park. The 11,000 acre park is halfway between his hometown of Cheyenne and his college town of Laramie.

"It has two beautiful lakes, hiking trails, camping, boating, fishing, and beauty", said Gowdy, before his passing in 2006. "It has everything I love. What greater honor can a man receive?"

With the introduction of the inaugural XTERRA Curt Gowdy off-road triathlon, the XTERRA Tribe now has the honor to enjoy the park which features more than 30 miles of trails connecting Granite and Crystal Reserviors. The trail system is so good it was given the “Epic” designation by the IMBA for providing quality rides and experiences for mountain bikers.

“We're proud to host the first ever XTERRA at Curt Gowdy State Park, a destination soon to be known as the next Moab,” said organizer Lance Panigutti from Without Limits productions.

The race starts with a 1200-meter swim in the crystal clear waters of Granite Reservoir, “then it's on to a 1-Lap 14.1 mile single-track bike over every type of terrain imaginable,” said Panigutti. “You'll climb through aspen groves, zip through open meadows, navigate narrow evergreen trees, and even traverse over slick rock. The 5.4m run will cover many of the same single track trails before you finish at the Aspen Grove Trailhead.”

Mike Rutter, a seasoned XTERRA athlete and trail builder for Boulder County, said "Wyoming built a playground for mountain bikers, and built it around two pristine reservoirs. Between the trail system and camping you couldn't dream up a more perfect XTERRA Venue."

June 24th, 2012, www.WITHOUTLIMITS.com