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King and Arritola take top spots at 2011 XTERRA Trail Run Championship

Kualoa Ranch - Ka'a'awa, HI (December 4, 2011) - The anticipated rain never hit Kualoa Ranch, but the reign of Max King continued at the 2011 XTERRA Trail Run World Championship.

King, 31, won the XTERRA Trail Run World title for the fourth consecutive year, this time topping a record field at Kualoa Ranch, Oahu, Hawaii, on Sunday, December 4.
More than 2,000 runners from around world participated in the event, and in keeping with the tradition, none of them came close to King.

King, an Olympic marathon hopeful from Bend, Oregon, completed the 21.9-kilometer course (13.6 miles) in 1 hour, 21 minutes, 27 seconds. He received $2,000 and a roundtrip airfare from Hawaiian Airlines for the victory.

XTERRA Trail Run World Championship set for this weekend in Hawaii

Max King, 31, is no stranger to the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship.  He is the three-time and only men's champion since the inaugural event in 2008.

“There is a lot that keeps me coming back,” said King, who is a bio-chemical engineer when he's not winning races. “There is a good prize purse and Hawaiian Airlines miles to the winner, of course it’s hard to pass up when it's in Hawaii, and I now have a streak going that will be hard to break. I love the challenging course, and it gives me a couple days away from the freezing temperatures of Oregon.”

While the event will host its largest field ever with 2,000 runners expected on Sunday, none appear to be in the same class as King.  In fact, for most in attendance the actual race site itself at Kualoa Ranch will be the star of the show.

Video: "I had found my limits on that day," Melanie McQuaid on her disastrous XTERRA DNF

"I am quite certain that having my race end within yards of the finish line is the worst ever DNF.  Losing the World Championships within meters of the line is still easier than a DNF.  This is a hard one to process for me. Why?  Where did I go wrong?" Three time XTERRA World Champion Melanie McQuaid writes on he web site.

The Canadian XTERRA triathlete collapsed just meters short of the finishline at this year's XTERRA World Championships on her way to a potential podium (See video below).

Michael Weiss wins 2011 XTERRA World Championship with fastest bike split

The 16th XTERRA World Championship turned into a sweet celebration for Michael Weiss, Lesley Paterson and Kapalua, Maui.

Weiss and Paterson earned their first XTERRA world titles on a new course that was described as both beautiful and brutal. After 15 previous years at Makena, the XTERRA World Championship off-road triathlon moved to the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua this year.

A total of 675 athletes representing 28 countries and 42 states participated in the event, which featured a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 30-kilometer mountain bike and a 10-kilometer trail run.Weiss was the overall winner, completing the course in 2 hours, 27 minutes, including an astonishing bike split of 1:19:32. No other competitor finished with a bike time under 1:21:03.  It was a breakthrough win for the 30-year-old Weiss, who had finished second at the 2008 XTERRA Worlds, and then third in 2009 and 2010.

Paterson's strong run helps her win the 2011 XTERRA World Championships

Due in part to a punctured tire on her bike, Paterson started the run course in fourth place – nearly six-and-a-half minutes behind then-leader Melanie McQuaid. Paterson quickly ran down the three women in front of her, fell flat on her face less than a mile from the finish, and still managed to take the women’s title by more than two minutes.

“I felt really good,” said Paterson, who is originally from Scotland, but now resides in San Diego, Calif. “I was so angry because I punctured on the bike, and I think that anger helped me to really sort of knuckle down and go as hard as I could and see where the chips would fall.”

Paterson, 31, finished with a time of 2:45:59, including a run time of 43:54, which was nearly three minutes faster than any of the other females. Her run time was the same as Weiss, and was topped by only 12 other males in the entire field.

“I had pre-run the course a lot,” she said. “I came out 10 days early just to make sure I knew the course really well, especially the run for me because that’s where I thought I could win it.”

Video: Watch Lance race the 2011 XTERRA World Championships

Great video recap by our friend Dave Erickson of Swim Bike Run Videos of Lance Armstrong's race day as the seven time TdF champ returns to his first love of triathlon...all be it off-road triathlon at the 2011 XTERRA World Championships.

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Photo of the Day: Lance Armstrong fades on run and finishes 23rd XTERRA World Championships

Lance Armstrong finished 23rd today at the 2011 XTERRA World Championships in Hawaii.

"Tough but fun day today @XTERRAoffroad. Went out too hard in the swim, finally got going on the bike but took a nasty spill at the end," he tweeted after the race.

Armstrong started the run in third place but was passed by 21 competitors before he crossed the finishline.

"Don't remember the last time I cracked a helmet. In fact, I don't remember much!" he tweeted.

Austrian pro triathlete Michael Weiss won the men's race beating South African Dan Hugo who crossed the line in second, followed by Spaniard Eneko Llanos who took third.

Photo Credit: David Tjhio via Twitter

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Germany’s 2008 triathlon Olympic gold medalist sets sights on XTERRA

Germany’s Jan Frodeno is the latest in a series of world-class athletes to announce their headed off-road, keen on discovering the “fun” of XTERRA.

The men’s triathlon gold medalist at the in Beijing recently announced he will join more than 70 other professionals at the 16th annual XTERRA World Championship in Maui on October 23, 2011.

"I´m really excited to try the XTERRA format, realizing though, that there are some specialists who are at the top of their game. It will be hard to beat them, as I´m more focused on having fun right now and have only been training when I feel like it," said Frodeno from Kona, HI where he is enjoying the Ironman World Championship festivities.

Video: XTERRA TV recaps the weekend's race featuring Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong competed in his first triathlon in 22-years this weekend in Snowbasin, Utah at the XTERRA USA Championships.

He finished in a very solid 5th place ahead of former Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom (also racing his first XTERRA off-road triathlon). Armstrong put any doubts to rest that he's  not only ready race a triathlon by proving that he can not only ride, but he can also swim and bike with the very best in the sport.

XTERRA TV was at the race and captured the seven-time Tour de France Champion in action. Check out the video below.

Photo: Lance Armstrong on the run on his way to finish his 1st tri in 22 years

Lance Armstrong proved that 40 is the new 20 today in Utah...at least if you are seven-time Tour de France Champion...by finish first in his age-group and 5th over all in his first triathlon in over 22-years.

After the race Armstrong tweeted via his triathlon alter ego Juan Pelota, "My heart says "I had a blast today" but the body says, "that's bullshit". This sport aint no joke. Glad to b back. Gracias para su support!"

The triathlete, turned pro cyclist, turned off-road XTERRA triathlete showed that he still has what it takes to race with the very best in the sport as he followed longtime XTERRA Champion and South African off-road triathlon racing legend Conrad Stoltz across the finish line.

Photo: Ironman Champ Tim DeBoom chills after taking 11th at his 1st XTERRA

Photo Credit: LiveTriCoverage via Twitter

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Video: Pre-race Interview with Lance Armstrong before today's 5th place XTERRA finish

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Can Armstrong or DeBoom beat the Caveman at this weekend's XTERRA in Utah?

Can Lance run? Will DeBoom stay close enough on the bike? Is there enough technical riding and running to bring out the best in the Caveman? Could this be the race that makes Josiah a household name? Perhaps the Frenchman will peak at just the right time? Maybe Seth will have the magic day?  Or is this the race Hugo busts out of the shadow of his mentor and becomes the champion?

Thank goodness races aren’t decided on paper, as the questions on “who can do what” at this year’s XTERRA USA Championship are simply too difficult to answer.  One thing is for certain, a pair of 40-year-old XTERRA rookies, Lance Armstrong and Tim DeBoom, ignited a firestorm of interest into what was already off-triathlon’s national treasure.

The other wildcard is a brand new 7+ mile Sardine Peak Trail that extends the mountain bike course to one of the Wasatch Range’s most visible peaks at 7,300-feet.  The 360-degree views that span from east to west are nothing short of breathtaking.

Marceau, Lorblanchet repeat win at 2011 XTERRA Switzerland

(Prangins, Switzerland) - Three-time Olympian Olivier Marceau won the XTERRA Switzerland Championship for second straight year on Saturday, and earned his third XTERRA European Tour title (first since '05) in the process. In the women's race Marion Lorblanchet defended both her Swiss and Euro Tour titles, having won four of five championship events on this year's XTERRA European Tour.

XTERRA managing director "Kahuna Dave" Nicholas was on-hand to take in the Euro Tour finale and brings us this report..

Ronny Dietz came into the last race of the year with just two points separating him and Marceau in the XTERRA European Tour standings.  It all boiled down to who would beat who – made no difference where.  When I spoke with Dietz on Thursday he was just recovering from a bad bout of stomach virus and was not feeling well. 

Ironman Champion Tim DeBoom to race XTERRA Championships in Utah

American triathlon legend Tim DeBoom, 40, will make his XTERRA debut at the USA Championship at Snowbasin Resort near Ogden, Utah on September 24.
We caught up with the two-time Ironman World Champion from Boulder, Colorado and asked him why he’s taking his talents off-road…

“Because all I've ever heard is how much fun XTERRA races are,” said DeBoom.

Middaugh, McQuaid defend XTERRA Canada Championship Titles

September 4, 2011 (Nita Lake Lodge, Whistler, B.C.) - The snow-capped peaks of Whistler’s famed Olympic ski slopes and mist over Alta Lake greeted athletes assembled at Rainbow Park for the start of XTERRA Canada’s 2nd annual SportChek National Championship in Whistler, B.C., presented by Nita Lake Lodge.

When the gun went off at 9am, the mist had cleared and there was no sign of the cougar that had been spotted on the beach in the early morning hours before the race.  The water in Alta Lake was 66 degrees, and it was a typical, beautiful blue sky Whistler day.  The swim was two 750-meter laps of a triangular course with a short beach run in between, and the first out and to transition was XTERRA newcomer,  Aussie Ben Allen (Wollongong, NSW), followed closely by American Seth Wealing (Boulder, CO) and Canada’s Jean-Philippe Thibodeau (Baie-Saint Paul, QC).