In the last five years Lesley Paterson has been a powerhouse in Maui winning back-to-back World Championships in 2011 and 2012 and finishing runner-up twice in 2009 and 2013.
This year, however, she’ll have to settle for being a No. 1 fan.
Paterson courageously returned to the sport to race at the XTERRA USA Championship in Utah last month after being away all year while working through injuries and Lyme disease. She had an amazing race and finished third, but the effort proved too much.
“My Lyme Disease kicked up a notch after the race so I’ve decided to focus on getting it into remission so I can get back to form next year,” said Paterson. “As gutted as I am to miss it, I’ll be cheering on everyone from afar!”