XTERRA Australia Ready For Dunsborough Debut This April

April starts with a massive milestone event as XTERRA Australia makes its long-awaited return to the XTERRA Asia-Pacific and World Tour. But things will look very different this time as the event heads west to the triathlon mecca of Dunsborough and comes with an added dose of energy and adrenaline from Australia’s leading adventure sports event management company.

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Rapid Ascent is no stranger to the off-road world in Oz, having built their reputation through years of putting on high-level adventure races and boutique mountain bike festivals throughout the country. They’re also no stranger to Dunsborough. For the last 10 years Rapid Ascent has made use of the race-worthy terrain to bring off-road enthusiasts the always highly-anticipated X-Adventure Dunsborough. Now in its 11th year, the event will officially join the XTERRA family to put Dunsborough on the map for international athletes while giving local athletes the chance to compete in the XTERRA APAC Tour and claim slots to the XTERRA World Championship. 

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Dunsborough has all the ingredients of a signature XTERRA event, from the secluded bays of calm turquoise waters, to some of the best single track MTB trails in the country and spectacular trail runs along a sculptured granite coastline. It’s a perfect match with the DNA of XTERRA, and with Rapid Ascent as the driving force, XTERRA Australia is expected to return with more than just a bang on April 1, 2023.

XTERRA Australia is now the official 3rd stop on the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Tour, giving local racers in the full-distance triathlon the chance to take advantage of racing in their own backyard to register their WPI score on the tour rankings. 

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The 2023 APAC Tour is quickly gathering momentum, having started strong in New Zealand with the XTERRA Wellington Festival and the legendary XTERRA Rotorua Festival where hundreds of off-road triathletes completed their second race to get their name on the APAC Tour leaderboard. XTERRA Australia is expected to carry that momentum as the only race that stands between New Zealand and the APAC Championship race in Taiwan on April 15. 

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But those looking to get their names on the leaderboard will first have to get past the almost 40 kilometres of natural terrain that stands in their way. 

The race starts in the turquoise waters of Geographe Bay where swimmers will stay within 200m of the shoreline at all times throughout the 1.5K swim to give spectators a front row seat to the first section. Once back on dry land, the athletes head into a 28K mountain bike race through the roller coaster singletrack trails in Meelup Regional Park, navigating jumps, berms, and pretty much everything else the Dunsborough Country Club and Cape Mountain Biker trail builders can throw at them. The run mixes wide open gravel trail with technical coastline sections, and serves as the final decider of who will be the 2023 XTERRA Australia Champion and who else will earn their slot to the XTERRA World Championship in Trentino, Italy. 

All eyes will be on the formidable New Zealand pair Sam Osborne and Samantha Kingford to set the pace in Dunsborough as they start the race as two of the most accomplished racers on the APAC circuit. Sam Osborne already has 20 XTERRA titles and two XTERRA Asia-Pacific Tour Championships to his name, and after just missing out on winning his fifth straight at XTERRA Rotorua in his hometown last month, he’ll no doubt be looking to top the podium in Oz.

You can expect Samantha Kingford to be coming into the race with just as much fire as her life partner and training partner, Sam Osborne. Kingford is an absolute force across all 3 disciplines and has 8 XTERRA titles to her name. But ironically she also just missed out on a 9th in Rotorua and will surely be targeting the top spot on the podium on April 1st against Aussie favourites Kate Bramley and Kristen Gadsdon.

“The mountain bike trails on offer at the race is what drew me to come and race in Dunsborough.” - Samantha Kingsford

But the cheers will probably be loudest for local elite athletes Ben Allen, Tyla Windham, Zeke Tinley, and Taylor Charlton.

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Ben Allen already has 18 career XTERRA World Tour wins, three top 3 finishes at XTERRA Worlds (2013-2014, 2016) and was the 2016 XTERRA Asia-Pacific Tour Champion. But to add yet another trophy to the cabinet, he’ll need to get past not only Sam Osborne but also Tya Windham, an accomplished road athlete who claimed a silver medal at his second ever off-road triathlon and will surely be targeting a gold on his third try in the dirt.

“Lining up against a strong field is going to be tough but I’m hoping to get in and give it a crack on the day!” - Tyla Windham

But it won’t just be the full-distance triathletes having all the fun on the trails. The event is likely to draw thousands of athletes and spectators for the full weekend of off-road adventure that includes 5 races over the two days.

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XTERRA Australia fully understands the benefits of challenge and adventure and has multiple races for participants of all ages to get a taste of what XTERRA is all about. The Groms Race (800m run, 1.2K bike) is designed to give kids under 9 a chance to share the experience of a race weekend with their parents while the Kids Triathlon (200m swim, 5.8K bike, 2.6K run) will give youngsters up to 14 years a feel for off-road tri. There is also the Short Distance Triathlon (750m swim, 15.5K bike, 5.9K run) for those not quite ready to go full distance just yet and the Aquathlon (1K swim, 5K run) for those coming without a bike. 

All events will feature solo athletes or relay teams of up to 3 doing one leg each where friends and family can get together and join the hundreds of competitors out on the course – from weekend warriors and families, through to the World’s best.

Limited entries to the races are still available and can be obtained either through the event page or on-site. But there is no limit to the amount of spectators, so bring friends, bring family, bring fans, and get ready for a good time with plenty of food and drinks available at the event. 

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For those unable to make it, follow the action on the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Instagram and Facebook pages and be sure to save the date for XTERRA Australia next year.