Copyright @ Christine Jeffrey 2012
Xterra World Championships is held every year at the end of October in Maui. Over 500 amateur and professional off-road triathletes gather to test themselves against the lava-strewn slopes of Haleakala. The course is closed to pre-riding so race day is the only time you get to see the course and this being only my second year racing Xterra, well, it would only be my second time ever riding it. I arrived in Maui Wednesday afternoon and got settled into the rental house I was sharing with Will, Shelby, Ryan, SueAnne, Brandon, and Dave in nearby Kihei. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were pretty low key, getting in just a few workouts to stay sharp and prepping all equipment for the punishment of race day. Seth Wealing and I gave the swimming talk at the Xterra University on Saturday morning, trying to pass on some good advice and tips for the open water swim portion of the race off Makena Beach. The course for Worlds consist of swimming two 750m loops with a short beach run between loops, a 32km mountain bike over the roughest jeep track you have ever seen, and an 11km run up and down the volcano, across the beaches, and through the spooky forest.
Race day arrived and I had the usual case of the nerves right up until the start gun. The swim start was a little rougher than last year as they forced everyone to start in a narrow roped off section of the beach instead of being able to spread out and have your own space. I still managed to get off to a clean start and rounded the first buoy ahead of the washing machine. A group of five of us managed a break and kept it through the swim. I think it was Luke Mackenzie, Eneko Llanos, Seth Wealing, another pro guy and myself. I was first woman out of the water but only managed less than a minute on Julie Dibens and not more than a couple on Mel and Leslie. Still I felt comfortable and ready to get on with the race.
Out on the bike I tried to get into a good rhythm but just couldn't seem to quite get there. I didn't have much traffic but still didn't manage to climb some of the hills I should have been able to and ended up off the bike a bunch. Julie flew by me early on and the others gradually reeled me in, passed me, and kept on riding away. I did manage the descents really well and got safely down the plunge and into transition in 7th.
Heading out on the run it was Julie, Mel, Shonny, Leslie, Carina, Marie-Helene, then myself with Danelle, Sara, and Rebecca hot on my heels. The weather had thankfully been overcast for most of the morning so we were spared a complete meltdown, but the big climbs right out of transition still took their toll. Four weeks of solid running leading into the race meant I definitely felt better than Nationals, but the time off throughout the season due to injuries left me feeling minus that ability to really attack the course. I caught Marie-Helene in the first couple of km's then got caught by Danelle at the top right before the descent down Cactus Alley. The long downhill provided some nice gravity assistance before the long haul across Big Beach. Running along a beautiful white sand beach sounds fun and exotic until you have to race it in the last 2km of a long, hot, punishing race. Danelle and I seemed to have hit maximum velocity a couple of yards apart from each other and had no response to Marion Lorblanchet who easily ran by us. 8th place and I left nothing out on the course.
The day wrapped up with a wonderful awards dinner and ceremony and the traditional Xterra Halloween costume party. Congratulations to all the great competitors who gave it their all on arguably the toughest triathlon course there is. Not the race I was hoping for but another solid top 10 at the World Championships.
Race day arrived and I had the usual case of the nerves right up until the start gun. The swim start was a little rougher than last year as they forced everyone to start in a narrow roped off section of the beach instead of being able to spread out and have your own space. I still managed to get off to a clean start and rounded the first buoy ahead of the washing machine. A group of five of us managed a break and kept it through the swim. I think it was Luke Mackenzie, Eneko Llanos, Seth Wealing, another pro guy and myself. I was first woman out of the water but only managed less than a minute on Julie Dibens and not more than a couple on Mel and Leslie. Still I felt comfortable and ready to get on with the race.
Out on the bike I tried to get into a good rhythm but just couldn't seem to quite get there. I didn't have much traffic but still didn't manage to climb some of the hills I should have been able to and ended up off the bike a bunch. Julie flew by me early on and the others gradually reeled me in, passed me, and kept on riding away. I did manage the descents really well and got safely down the plunge and into transition in 7th.
Heading out on the run it was Julie, Mel, Shonny, Leslie, Carina, Marie-Helene, then myself with Danelle, Sara, and Rebecca hot on my heels. The weather had thankfully been overcast for most of the morning so we were spared a complete meltdown, but the big climbs right out of transition still took their toll. Four weeks of solid running leading into the race meant I definitely felt better than Nationals, but the time off throughout the season due to injuries left me feeling minus that ability to really attack the course. I caught Marie-Helene in the first couple of km's then got caught by Danelle at the top right before the descent down Cactus Alley. The long downhill provided some nice gravity assistance before the long haul across Big Beach. Running along a beautiful white sand beach sounds fun and exotic until you have to race it in the last 2km of a long, hot, punishing race. Danelle and I seemed to have hit maximum velocity a couple of yards apart from each other and had no response to Marion Lorblanchet who easily ran by us. 8th place and I left nothing out on the course.
The day wrapped up with a wonderful awards dinner and ceremony and the traditional Xterra Halloween costume party. Congratulations to all the great competitors who gave it their all on arguably the toughest triathlon course there is. Not the race I was hoping for but another solid top 10 at the World Championships.
PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETE
2009 Xterra World Championships
