In only my second start as a PRO, I ran my way into 13th place at last weekends Xterra European championships in Austria
Xterra has been my new focus over the past couple of months, as it's been something I've always wanted to have a go at, and have long thought it would be the standout event for me, however I've found the last two something of a baptism of fire!
Fooled by the distances sounding a little short, and the times looking somewhat slow compared to the triathlons and quadrathlons I'd been used to, I was overlooking the one big factor that sets Xterra events apart from the rest....The course!
The 1500 metre swim is always split in two at the half way point by a short dash on dry land before diving back into the water for the second 750 metre lap. For the mountain bike section, race organisers do their best to make as much use of the nearby mountains as possible, and include 1000's of feet of climbing and some extreme descents, but in Xterra the race really hasn't shown its true colors until the final run. The 9-12km run courses are designed to take every last bit of strength, determination and spirit from you, and they do the very best to break you right before the finish line!
After a strong swim I exited T1 in some very good company (current World No.2 Michael Wiss, UK No.1 Sam Gardner and Olympic XC star Nico Pfitzenmaier) though once off of the fast roads and into the bike course proper, they soon gave me a crash course in how to descend and ride technical roots at speed, and were out of sight in no time! I rode strongly throughout though and left T2 to start the run in 16th spot (bizarrely I was wearing race number 16 too, strange??) A good first 5km lap saw me pick off a few guys and was up to 15th by the time I got to the top of the 180stairs that marked the finish of each loop. On the second lap though I ran out of gas, a combination of the heat (34') and brutal course had me down to a crawl, but somehow I managed to out crawl a couple of other guys who were clearly having a harder time than me, and crossed the line a very tired but happy 13th position. . . . Click here to see the highlights from the race.
