The XTERRA Mountain Championship triathlon and accompanying off-road sports festival returns to Beaver Creek Resort in Avon, Colorado for the sixth straight year on July 19-20.
Several hundred competitors from across the country will gather at Beaver Creek to take part in the various races. The main event, an off-road triathlon comprised of a one-mile swim in Nottingham Lake, a 16-mile mountain bike and 6-mile trail, awards $15,000 in prize money and attracts some of the world’s best athletes.
As the last of four regional championships in the nationwide XTERRA America Tour that features 70 races in 38 states, the Mountain Championship on Saturday, July 19 awards 46 qualifying slots into the XTERRA World Championship to the top amateur finishers in each age group.
In addition to the main event a half-distance off-road triathlon dubbed the “XTERRA Sprint race”, and 5km, 10km, and 20km trail runs will be offered. The best Paul Mitchell stylists in Colorado will be onsite giving haircuts in exchange for a $15 donation to the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and there are free kids races too.
“Of the plethora of endurance events on this state’s summer sports calendar, perhaps none screams “Colorado” as much as the XTERRA Mountain Championship triathlon,” wrote Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post. “You know, just a quick dip in a mountain lake, a mountain bike ride up a ski hill — with 3,600 feet of climbing — and nearly six miles of running on dirt trails through aspen and pine trees.”
Here’s a look at the tentative elite field assembling for the big race:
Rank – Name – Age, Hometown
1 – Josiah Middaugh – 35, Vail-Eagle, CO
5 – Mauricio Mendez – 18, Mexico City, Mexico
6 – Branden Rakita – 33, Colorado Springs, CO
7 – Chris Ganter – 35, Boise, ID
8 – Jeff Smith – 31, Portland, OR
9 – Ryan Ignatz – 35, Boulder, CO
12 – Ryan Petry – 23, Boulder, CO
17 – Alex Modestou – 27, Washington, D.C.
NR – Gavin Anderson – 35, Boulder, CO
NR – Joshua Merrick – 32, Alamosa, CO
NR – Thomas Spannring – 38, Longmont, CO
NR – Louis Tafuto – 26, Colorado Springs, CO
NR – Patrick Valentine – 28, Colorado Springs, CO
NR – Cody Waite – 35, Lakewood, CO
NR – Brad Zoller – 36, Palatine, IL
Rank – Name – Age, Hometown
2 – Emma Garrard – 32, Park City, UT
3 – Suzie Snyder – 32, Fredericksburg, VA
4 – Shonny Vanlandingham – 45, Durango, CO
5 – Kara LaPoint – 26, Truckee, CA
6 – Christine Jeffrey – 41, Tucson, AZ (Canada)
7 – Amelia McCracken – 30, Philadelphia, PA
8 – Chantell Widney – 34, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
9 – Danelle Kabush – 39, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
10 – Debby Sullivan – 32, Rocklin, CA
11 – Jaime Brede – 37, Breckenridge, CO
13 – Rebecca Blatt – 34, Lakewood, CO
NR – Kim Baugh – 34, Colorado Springs, CO
NR – Rachel Challis – 38, Carlsbad, CA (NZL)
NR – Julie Dibens – 39, Boulder, CO (GBR)
NR – Tamara Donelson – 37, Edwards, CO (AUS)
NR – Maia Ignatz – 34, Boulder, CO
NR – Kelley Cullen – 33, New Castle, CO
NR – Heidi Rentz – 30, Moab, UT
NR – Sara Schuler – 33, Boulder, CO
Learn more at www.xterrabeavercreek.com