The 21st annual XTERRA USA Championship off-road triathlon takes place Saturday, July 16, in the high country adventure town of Avon, Colorado and nearby Beaver Creek Resort.
It’s the pinnacle event in the Americas this season with $25,000 in prize money for professionals and 51 qualifying spots for amateurs into the XTERRA World Championship to be held Oct. 1 in Trentino, Italy.
While this will be XTERRA’s 13th year of racing in Avon, it’s the first time the national championship will be held in the Colorado Rockies, following 12 seasons at Snowbasin Resort in Utah (2009-2021) and eight years in Incline Village, Nevada (2001-2008).
Reigning XTERRA US Elite Champions, Josiah Middaugh and Suzie Snyder, both live in the area and are back to defend their national titles on home turf.
The pre-race hype in the men’s race has been (justifiably) centered around Josiah Middaugh, the XTERRA Hall of Famer and 2015 World Champ who has won 15 Elite National Titles, and his 18-year-old son, Sullivan, who will be making his elite debut.
Sullivan just graduated from Battle Mountain High School where he set the school record in the 5K (15:30) and is now headed to Arizona State University as part of the USA Triathlon Project Podium elite development squad.
A lot of people think “Sully” can beat his Dad on Saturday, and we could see the figurative passing of the torch.
“I’m not going to let him win, but then again, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop him either,” said Josiah. “I can’t imagine anyone stronger in the field right now.”
Of course, being the first major of the season it’s hard to know how much fitness and speed other established XTERRA elites will bring to the chase.
Brain Smith (pictured) is a perennial threat in the mountains, and finished fourth at this race and the USA Championships last year. Colin Szuch, Sullivan Middaugh, and Branden Rakita (pictured at top) placed fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, within 10-seconds of each other on this course last year. Szuch is another rising star who is just 20-years-old.
The other man you can’t count out is Kieran McPherson (NZL), the 2018 XTERRA Pan Am Tour Champ, who is hard to beat when he’s on his game.
Men’s Elite Start List
Bib# – Name, NAT
1 – Josiah Middaugh, USA
2 – Brian Smith, USA
3 – Kieran McPherson, NZL
4 – Colin Szuch, USA
5 – Sullivan Middaugh, USA
6 – Branden Rakita, USA
7 – Nelson Hegg, USA
8 – Samuel Jud, SUI
9 – Benny Smith, USA
10 – Brian Summers, USA
11 – Sam Teller, USA
12 – Timothy Winslow, USA
14 – John Wiygul, USA
In the women’s race, XTERRA legends Suzie Snyder and Lesley Paterson will be at it again.
With this being the first major of the year it’s hard to say who will come out on top, but we know they will both give it everything.
“Game plan on Saturday is to survive the swim, fly up those climbs, then hit it on the run and pass everyone,” laughed Paterson, a five-time World Champ (3 XTERRA Titles, 2 World Triathlon Cross Titles).
Australian Maeve Kennedy, the 2021 XTERRA Wellington Champ, is hoping to play the role of spoiler in her first-ever trip to the United States.
Women’s Elite Start List
Bib# – Name, NAT
31 – Lesley Paterson, GBR
32 – Suzie Snyder, USA
33 – Irena Ossola, USA
34 – Jennifer Johnson, USA
35 – Maeve Kennedy, AUS
36 – Nickie Luse, USA
37 – Amanda Presgraves, USA
38 – Chelsea Raymond, CAN
39 – Nicole Valentine, USA
The race starts with a one-mile swim in the cold waters of Nottingham Lake situated at 7,400-feet elevation. The next step involves roughly 16 miles of mountain biking that climbs 3,000-feet into the thin air of the Rockies, topping out at 9,400 feet, then twists through well-maintained single track to Beaver Creek Village. The final piece of resistance is a calf-burning, lung-busting, six-mile trail run.
Race starts at 9am MDT on Saturday, July 16. Follow the updates on Instagram/xterraplanetand results at https://www.trioyl.com/2022-results.
All-time XTERRA Beaver Creek Elite Champions
Year – Man/Woman
2021 – Sam Osborne/Samantha Kingsford
2019 – Josiah Middaugh/Suzie Snyder
2018 – Mauricio Mendez/Lesley Paterson
2017 – Josiah Middaugh/Lesley Paterson
2016 – Josiah Middaugh/Julie Baker
2015 – Josiah Middaugh/Flora Duffy
2014 – Josiah Middaugh/Chantell Widney
2013 – Josiah Middaugh/Shonny Vanlandingham
2012 – Conrad Stoltz/Shonny Vanlandingham
2011 – Josiah Middaugh/Danelle Kabush
2010 – Nico Lebrun/Shonny Vanlandingham
2009 – Nico Lebrun/Shonny Vanlandingham
XTERRA Italy – Lake Scanno this Sunday
On Sunday, July 17, the ninth-edition of XTERRA Italy Lake Scanno takes place in the Abruzzo National Forest.
In the women’s elite race Marta Menditto (pictured below) is looking to pick up her third win of the season and full of confidence after her big win at XTERRA France two weeks ago.
She’ll be up against Alizee Paties (FRA), winner of XTERRA Greece earlier this year, and Charlotte Deldaele (BEL), who placed fifth in her home country XTERRA.
Women’s Elite Start List
XWR – Name, NAT
3 – Marta Menditto, ITA
6 – Alizee Paties, FRA
35 – Charlotte Deldaele, BEL
On the men’s side, Maxim Chane (FRA) is back to defend his Scanno crown. He’ll face stiff competition from Italians Riccardo Ridolfi and Andrea Zanenga.
Men’s Elite Start List
XWR – Name, NAT
9 – Maxim Chane, FRA
27 – Riccardo Ridolfi, ITA
36 – Andrea Zanenga, ITA
41 – Francois Carloni, FRA
49 – Tom Fisher, AUS
264 – Taylor Charlton, AUS
Find live updates from XTERRA Italy – Lake Scanno on XTERRA Europe Instagram, and results at https://www.endu.net/en/events/xterra-italy-lake-scanno/results
All-time XTERRA Italy Lake Scanno Elite Champions
Year – Man/Woman
2013 – Conrad Stoltz/Helena Karaskova-Erbenova
2014 – Ruben Ruzafa/Helena Karaskova-Erbenova
2015 – Ruben Ruzafa/Helena Karaskova-Erbenova
2016 – Mauricio Mendez/Lesley Paterson
2017 – Xavier Dafflon/Helena Karaskova-Erbenova
2018 – Roger Serrano/Eva Garcia Gonzalez
2019 – Ruben Ruzafa/Helena Karaskova-Erbenova
2021 – Maxim Chane/Sandra Mairhofer
Other useful links:
XTERRA Beauty & The Beast
XTERRA July Events Preview
XTERRA Homepage
XTERRA World Rankings
2022 XTERRA ELITE SERIES SCHEDULE
| Date | Race | Location / Race Winners |
| 16-Apr | XTERRA Greece | Panagiotis Bitados/Alizee Paties |
| 21-May | XTERRA Portugal | Arthur Serrieres/Solenne Billouin |
| 4-Jun | XTERRA Italy – Lake Garda | Arthur Serrieres/Jindriska Zemanova |
| 11-Jun | XTERRA Belgium | Arthur Serrieres/Marta Menditto |
| 12-Jun | XTERRA Whistler | Edmond Roy/Katie Button |
| 2-Jul | XTERRA Short Track France | Panagiotis Bitados/Loanne Duvoisin |
| 3-Jul | XTERRA France | Felix Forissier/Marta Menditto |
| 10-Jul | XTERRA Victoria | Brent McMahon/Katie Button |
| 16-Jul | XTERRA USA Championship | Beaver Creek, CO, USA |
| 17-Jul | XTERRA Italy – Lake Scanno | Abruzzo |
| 6-Aug | XTERRA Nouvelle-Aquitaine | Moliets-et-Villemartin, FRA |
| 13-Aug | XTERRA European Champs | Prachatice, CZE |
| 14-Aug | XTERRA Short Track Czech | Prachatice, CZE |
| 19-Aug | XTERRA Short Track Germany | Zittau |
| 20-Aug | XTERRA Germany | Zittau |
| 4-Sep | XTERRA Dominican Republic | Samana |
| 1-Oct | XTERRA World Championship | Trentino, ITA |
| 2-Oct | XTERRA Short Track Trentino | Trentino, ITA |
| 15-Oct | XTERRA Sardegna | Castidias, ITA |
| 22-Oct | XTERRA Tahiti | Moorea |