XTERRA is returning to England for the first time since 2015 when the fifth stop on the XTERRA EMEA Tour descends upon the centuries-old Weston Park House in Staffordshire on Saturday, May 13, 2023.
The returning XTERRA branded event in England has attracted more than 500 competitors to the West Midlands region including Alistair Brownlee, the only two-time Olympic gold medallist in triathlon history.
“XTERRA has always been on my radar and with this one opening up in the UK, and only a few hours drive away, it made it hard to say no,” said Brownlee. He is taking on this weekend’s race following a sixth-place showing at the PTO European Open in Ibiza, Spain.
“Recovery from Ibiza has been good so far, but I still have a way to go to feel fresh for Saturday,” he said, noting that the off-road training to prepare for XTERRA has been a pleasure. “I’ve always run on the trails and ridden my mountain bike, but I’ve really enjoyed having the excuse to do more of it in the last few weeks.
“I’m going to say my strategy is a steady, controlled and well paced effort, but I’ll probably just go for it.”
Doug Hall, XTERRA EMEA General Manager and long-time XTERRA elite from the UK, is confident Brownlee will be able to hang with the off-road specialists on Saturday.
“While his extensive list of credentials are mainly on-road, Alistair is no stranger to off-road having grown up competing in fell races and mixing up gravel racing alongside his long-distance racing,” said Hall.
“I think we’ll have a very entertaining battle on our hands on a brand new course which could favour outright power over technical ability.”
XTERRA Weston Park Elite Men
XTERRA World Ranking (XWR) – Name, nationality
7 – Maxim Chane, FRA
24- Scott Anderson, GER
81 – Quirijn Waaijenberg, NED
87- Morgan Rhodes, GBR
93 – Thomas Sauser, SUI
104 – Lewis Williams, GBR
NR – Alistair Brownlee, GBR
NR – Jonathan Benjamin, RSA
NR – Richard Stannard, GBR
NR – Kit Walker, GBR
NR – Thomas Bonnor, GBR
NR – Will Draper, GBR
NR – Benjamin Goodfellow, GBR
Elite Women
XWR – Name, nationality
22 – Elizabeth Orchard, NZL
44 – Bonnie Van Wilgenburg, GBR
45 – Kerri-Ann Upham, GBR
64 – Louise Fox, GBR
NR – Lydia Dant, GBR
XTERRA Weston Park will award €7,500 equally to the top five men and women elite competitors and valuable points for amateurs chasing XTERRA EMEA Tour titles, along with 28 qualifying spots into the XTERRA World Championship to the winners of each age group.
The event combines a 1.5K lake swim with a 27K custom-designed bike course, and an 11K run that winds through the historic grounds of Weston Park.
