This weekend, September 25-26, leading amateur and elite off-road triathletes, duathletes and trail runners from around the US and Europe will spring into action. The athletes are participating in the XTERRA USA Championships in Ogden, Utah, and the inaugural XTERRA Trentino Dolomiti Paganella in Molveno, Italy.
The event in Italy will double as XTERRA’s Europe Cross Duathlon and Triathlon Championships.
The XTERRA USA Championship off-road triathlon in Utah has been switched to a run-bike-run format after the swim was cancelled due to harmful algal blooms.
The new course features a 2.5-mile trail run to start the race instead of the swim, transitions to a 19-mile mountain bike, and finishes up with a 5.5-mile trail run.
XTERRA notes that… ‘While athletes and organizers are sad about having to cancel the swim, the bright side is really bright. The first days of fall have unleashed a kaleidoscope of colours across the Wasatch front and the new course vibes are off the chart.’
The mountain bike route in Ogden, Utah, which used to be a big, long climb up the mountain coupled with a very short downhill, now features an equal amount of climbing and descending and… ‘all-new adrenaline-filled switchbacks that connect sections of singletrack trails weaving through tunnels of orange-yellow-and-pink leaves, go alongside a creek, across wooden bridges, and down rock gardens.’
