The organising team behind the new XTERRA England Championship has released a video showing XTERRA England Ambassador Sam Gardner take a storming ride around the course.
Working with the organisers of the Vachery Triathlon Festival, the XTERRA England event on 8 September 2013 combines a 1.5K swim, 30K mountain bike and 10K trail run. The swim will be held in Vachery Pond, one of Surrey’s best kept secrets and the jewel in the crown for the Vachery Triathlon Festival, which takes place earlier in the year on 21 July 2013.
Event organiser Mark Davis explained that improvements to the XTERRA England course have been made following close consultation with Gardner.
“Although we had lots of good comments about the course we wanted to improve its rideability in the wet,” Davis said. “Last year’s wet summer made one stretch quite muddy and that’s not fun, so we are replacing it with a faster, drier section on higher ground. In addition we had to increase the bike lap distance to 15K to conform with XTERRA Championship guidelines.”
The XTERRA England Championship is the climax of a weekend’s XTERRA festival activities. The new race is pivotal as it is the final round of the XTERRA European Tour, and the last stop of the XTERRA World Tour outside the US, for age-group qualification for the XTERRA World Championships in Maui, Hawaii, on 27 October 2013.
Davis added, “We are also wanted to make the run more fun. In September, runners will follow a new run route on woodland paths and trails featuring natural obstacles. We’re introducing a small amount of clambering, leaping and wading to make the run more challenging and fun.”
The weekend’s main XTERRA event features a 1.5K swim, 30K mountain bike and 10K trail run. The event is open to all. As the organisers point out, it doesn’t matter whether athletes are entering their first cross-triathlon or they are an age group athlete chasing one of the 40 qualifying spots for the XTERRA Maui World Championships, European Tour Series ranking points or if they are a pro racing for a share of the US$15,000 prize purse.
Across the weekend of 7-8 September, there are sprint, distance and team relay races too; plus a 6 hour MTB endurance race, 1.5K and 3K swim races, free kids races, camping (kids camp for free) and an all-round festival atmosphere!
Taking place at the Vachery Estate in the Surrey Hills, XTERRA England and the accompanying races over the weekend will be in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty yet only minutes from London, and Gatwick and Heathrow airports. The area is alsowell served by motorways M25, M23, M3 and the A3.
