Melanie McQuaid will be attempting to win her third XTerra World Championships on Sunday
Canada’s top Off Road athletes will be attempting to repeat their performances from a year ago at the X-Terra World Championships on Sunday October 29th in Maui, Hawaii.
Victoria’s, Melanie McQuaid, will be looking to win her 3rd championship in the last 4 years and become the first women to win back-to-back titles in the sports 11-year history.
Victoria’s, Brent McMahon, is seeking another podium performance, last year at the XTerra World Championships McMahon finished in third place. McMahon was a winner twice on the XTerra Global Tour winning the West Championship in California on May 21st and then 3 weeks later at the Southeast championship in Alabama and if all goes right at the end of October, McMahon could win Canada’s first ever gold medal at the XTerra World Championships.
McQuaid also had victories on the XTerra Global Tour in Alabama on June 11th and then 2 months later in Utah at the XTerra mountain championship. McQuaid, along with 2004 champion Jamie Whitmore (USA) are the heavy favourites to win this race.
Whitmore has had an outstanding year to date winning 5 of the 18 races on the X-Terra schedule. The question everybody’s asking – can anybody challenge these 2 superstars?
Maybe Renata Butcher (Switzerland) can surprise a few people and win this race – she did win 6 races in Europe this season or maybe Julie Dibens, from England, who won easily in Denmark.
The men seem to go in pairs – Ned Overend won in ’98 & ’99, Conrad Stolz won in ’01 & ’02 and Eneko Llanos won in ’03 & ’04. If history is any indication then this year’s winner on the men’s side will be Nicolas Lebrun. If this trend stays in tact, Lebrun the defending champion, would become the 4th male to repeat as champion – no male has ever won this event 3 times. Lebrun is also coming off a stellar season with wins in Italy, the Czech Republic, Brazil and Denmark.
Maui’s XTerra course is a classic point-to-point covering 43 kilometers of unyielding terrain. Conditions change radically from year-to-year, diminishing the advantage to repeat competitors and continuing the course’s stature as the most intimidating in the series. Participants are not permitted to pre-ride the course so for newcomers, its read and react.
An athlete’s journey to the finish line is forged with in dirt, dust and determination. The course consists of a 1.5km swim; 30km mountain bike and 10km trail run on rugged, bumpy, crooked, dust-strewn and muddy trails.
The first ever XTerra race was held in Maui in 1996 with just 123 competitors. Now there are tens of thousands of athletes competing in the XTerra Global tour that boasts more than 100 races in 15 countries. The XTerra World Championships is the culmination of this international series of races and dishes out $130,000 in prize money to the world’s best athletes.
In a few days a maxed out field of 500 racers will embrace one of the most difficult courses in the world in hopes of reaching the podium. There is more than 2,500 total feet of climbing, and one can never predict how hot it might be on race day. The reputation is brutal, and well deserved.
Hawaii’s natural obstacles are unlike anywhere else on earth and present a unique set of circumstances for all the competitors. Athletes will have an opportunity to experience more than a dozen different surfaces on the run; however, the most memorable moment may be the stunning oceanfront scenery that awaits racers from all over the world.
Source: Triathlon Canada
Triathlon Canada is the National Federation for the Sport of Triathlon and Duathlon in Canada.
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