A new course, new event format, and free community concert have been confirmed for the XTERRA USA Championship at Beaver Creek Resort and its accompanying outdoor festival at Harry A Nottingham Park in Avon, Colorado, on July 15-16, 2022.
XTERRA notes that… ‘Thousands of participants are expected for the weekend of events that kicks off with SunsetSUP! races, free yoga, and Moana on the big screen at the Lakeside Cinema on Friday night.’
The event continues on Saturday with XTERRA triathlons in the morning that finish at Beaver Creek Resort, then the post-race festival at Harry A Nottingham Park opens at 16:00 MT. This features the XTERRA awards ceremony, free kids run and bike races, yard games, food trucks, beer and wine gardens, a mechanical bull, chair massages, and live music featuring local artists The Proper Way and Trout Steak Revival.
“We have athletes and their families coming in from more than 30 states and a dozen countries for the weekend, and we can’t wait to show them all that Beaver Creek Resort and the Town of Avon has to offer,” said XTERRA US Tour Manager, Steve Andrus.
To ensure that as much waste as possible is diverted and compost and recycling streams are free of contamination, XTERRA has joined forces with the Walking Mountains Science Center in Eagle Valley to have a dedicated zero-waste coordinator on-site both days.
The main event has attracted some of the world’s best amateur and professional off-road triathletes led by local legend Josiah Middaugh, the 2015 XTERRA World Champion who lives and trains just down the street from the course he helped design.
“I have approached training with more of a laid-back attitude compared to previous years, but I have a pretty good idea of what I am capable of on this course so we will just have to wait and see if it is enough for me to be the first Middaugh in the race,” said Middaugh, who has won six of the last eight races on his home course.
One of his toughest challengers is likely to be his 18-year-old son, Sullivan, who finished sixth overall at the race last year and went on to win the 15-19 division XTERRA World Championship in Maui last December.
Josiah Middaugh was instrumental in making improvements to the course, nicknamed ‘The Beast’, which boasts the highest elevation of any major on the XTERRA World Tour.
The route starts with a one-mile swim in the cool waters of Nottingham Lake situated at 7,400-feet elevation, followed by a 16-mile mountain bike boasting 3,000-feet of elevation gain (topping out at 9,400-feet above sea level), and finishing with a six-mile trail run through the aspens then down to the bricks at Beaver Creek Resort.
“I am excited about the new course,” said Middaugh, who helped the XTERRA crew link the area’s best trails to give the race a fresh new look for the USA Championship race.
“This route utilizes some new single track that was added a few years ago in the Arrowhead area and flows a little better. The goal was to increase the ‘fun’ factor by linking several of my favourite local trails. There is a similar amount of climbing as years past, but it is not all at once like before.”
There will be US$25,000 in prize money awarded equally to the top 10 elite men and women, plus XTERRA USA Championship crowns to age group division winners along with 51 qualifying spots into the 2022 XTERRA World Championship to be held in Trentino, Italy, on October 1st.
