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Will Xterra Events Survive?
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Just wonder how popular events are by some of you. In Michigan, the two Xterra events are gone. We have a newer one called Xterra Ionia in July but only 12 people are registered. The previous Xterra's we had in MI appeared to have around 200 people per race. They were a tone of fun and I really looked forward too them. It's sad that Michigan only has one such event.

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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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It's sad that Michigan only has one such event.

Xterra was born back in a time in this sport where, the pioneering and adventurous spirit of triathlon was still alive. Let's do ANYTHING swim/bike/run ANYWHERE, and ANY HOW.

Note that is NOT the spirit today. The modern triathlon beyond a certain point has a very tight definition of what triathlon is, and they don't stray from that AT ALL!

I've always thought that Xterra would be much bigger than it is for many reasons. It actually represents, some positive check-points, in areas with the biggest complaints that I hear from many modern triathletes!

But it's biggest challenge now is as I've stated above, it's not part of what the modern triathlete defines as, "triathlon". I disagree with this completely, but that's the case.






Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
Last edited by: Fleck: May 4, 15 17:17
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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I think it will not just survive, but thrive. I'm not sure Michigan will survive though, who would actually want to live there?!!?

just kidding on the second part.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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I think it is starting to grow in Ontario. We now have 3 tris and 1 du that have popped up in the last couple of years, and the "main" race in Milton has grown each year. You should come on up north and do some of the events up here.

However, I was watching the Xterra West Champs a couple of weeks ago, and the transition area looked rather tiny. I hope they survive because I wish there were more of them. If I could race as much off road everyone weekend within a couple of hours of driving I don't think I would do much road stuff anymore.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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The Trail Run series seems to be doing well, Triathlon hit and miss. Depends on locale etc. Tri 2 Unify in Yuma yesterday only had 13 finishers in the "Oly" distance event. Not a recipe for success, but it was somewhat of an obscure event.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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i did my first last Sunday. So fun. So dumb. Great stuff.

It was in NJ. It was close to Philly. It has awesome terrain. It was ~$60. And it only got 120 sign-ups. shoot, 10 of them were from my club in DE.

No clue why nobody does them. Sadly
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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Done 3 but none since 2011. The date of Xterra Canmore has flipped so many times and keeps conflicting with other events I usually do. Hands down fun course.

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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [realAlbertan] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, it's thriving in New Zealand. The NZ champs had run only, mountain bike only, plus run/walks for those who wanted it. Full on off road festival. Maybe they have less of the modern triafleets as described earlier, what with the history of, and currently healthy state of, multi sport events.

Swim. Overbike. Walk.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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They miss out on the transient triathletes cos there's no recognition of the event or branding in the larger world, therefore no perceived prestige or boasting rights....
The glam athletes (you know the ones.. ) that wanna boast their latest times (as opposed quietly achieve with class) won't touch em cos no one knows if its a good or bad result....

They are also bloody hard, more so than IM or halves of equivalent distance, which eliminates all but the nutters...

Sadly they are the most fun...and heaps of people are missing out in a real challenge, ie will i be able to finish it?

Ironically trail running / racing is massive here currently with a surprisingly broad spectrum of entrants.. (huge female proportion)... which is awesome to see...
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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They seem to be thriving in Texas with many triathlons and trail runs throughout the spring and summer. I haven't done one in a few years but mainly because they haven't synced with my life and work schedule. Not doing one this year due to an injury from a MTB race early this year that I'm tryin to get over.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [logella] [ In reply to ]
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Just came back from a double at Xterra West and saw the strength and vitality of a family-oriented event with a lot to offer. I'm a middle of the pack older age grouper but had an unusual opportunity to perform a chain repair on an elite's bike out on the course. The dynamics and economics of Xterra is much different in that not only the organizers but some athletes actually have property near the permanent world championship venues. The pros (like road triathlon) cross over from other sports and find a home with some level of sponsorship that they supplement with coaching. The age groupers are a somewhat predictable bunch and there is a shorter sport races for those of use who don't always go long. One particular feature that road triathlon promoters could apply is the excellent atmosphere beyond the transition area that tends to be park-like and very family friendly.

I don't know what is going to happen in any aspect of this sport but I tend to believe that you are going to see more and more individuals who cross over road and off-road events. We've seen it in bicycle racing and I think we are going to see more in tri -- Just one man's opinion. Aloha!
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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As an Xterra specialist, I think about this a lot. Anyone who has done an Xterra knows that the race is as much about soaking up the natural setting and testing yourself against the course as it is testing yourself against other competitors, which is reflected in the more laid-back atmosphere of the events. I think Fleck has this on the nose: this spirit of off-road triathlon is just not consistent with the current spirit of mainstream triathlon in the US.

With that said, I think Xterra is definitely surviving in the US as a whole, even though some (many?) individual races struggle with participation.

I think one reason that offroad triathlon is not seeing big participation numbers in general is that there are a lot of other options with substantially lower barriers to entry. For folks who want competition in epic natural settings, there's straight trail running. For folks who are into "extreme" challenges, new obstacle races are popping up every day. And obviously for folks who want to do triathlons, road triathlon offers what on paper appears to be a similar experience but without needing mtb skills. Mountain biking is decently popular in the US, but nowhere near as popular as road biking, and I think that is something that will be tough to overcome for Xterra.

There are other issues that Xterra faces that may be more straightforward to overcome though, primarily exposure. Longtime pro and triathlon industry media man Jimmy Archer has recently started an offroad triathlon or "dirt tri" magazine in an effort to create more coverage of the sport, and he may chime in on this thread as well with more insight than I have. Xterra recently partnered with a new global marketing firm as well. There is a lot more that could be done in terms of cross-promoting with other races beyond trail runs too, such as partnering with mountain bike races or road triathlons to create "multisport festival" weekends to draw more people and increase exposure for the brand.


Xterra is blowing up in Europe, with Xterra France selling out recently with 1000 entries. Xterra France is an epic course too, with over 1500 *meters* of climbing on the bike and run combined, on an olympic distance course. I think that's just a matter of different culture though, with outdoor sports like mountain biking and cross-country skiing being so much more popular there than here. Xterra is big in South Africa, Australia and other parts of the Asia/Pacific region as well, and again it seems that it's more a matter of Xterra being a better fit with those places' culture of sport than anything else.


I grew up swimming, mountain biking, and running, so Xterra has always been perfect fit for me. I've met a lot of people through the sport who started out as road triathletes, tried one Xterra and got hooked. I'm sure there are some people out there who tried one and never came back, but I haven't met any of those.

Alex Modestou | Elite Off-Road Triathlete
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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It's growing very rapidly in Europe.

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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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Fleck wrote:
It's sad that Michigan only has one such event.

Xterra was born back in a time in this sport where, the pioneering and adventurous spirit of triathlon was still alive. Let's do ANYTHING swim/bike/run ANYWHERE, and ANY HOW.

Note that is NOT the spirit today. The modern triathlon beyond a certain point has a very tight definition of what triathlon is, and they don't stray from that AT ALL!

I've always thought that Xterra would be much bigger than it is for many reasons. It actually represents, some positive check-points, in areas with the biggest complaints that I hear from many modern triathletes!

But it's biggest challenge now is as I've stated above, it's not part of what the modern triathlete defines as, "triathlon". I disagree with this completely, but that's the case.





I was at Xterra West Champs in Vegas last weekend with a friend of mine who is a bit older than I am, so remembers the biggest growth period of triathlon in the early to mid 2000s, whereas I was just a kid then. It seems back in those days, even Xterra races were pretty solid, with there being more money for pros than there is now, much larger registration numbers at the big events, better numbers for the local sprint events, and just more local sprint events as well. I've seen a couple of races really floundering here on the east coast, though Xterra Jersey Devil seems to have become wildly successful because it's such an easy course and timed well in the season when there are no other road triathlons yet.
Talking to this friend of mine, he seems to have a similar perspective to Fleck, that there was a time when Xterra was just another thing, whereas now it's not as cool to talk about around the water cooler. The fast guys are still there, but it's that middle to back of the pack that's thinned the Las Vegas race from 500+ to only about 200 this year. It's that loss of spirit of adventure, as well as I think a bit of the economy. In times of a great economy, what's another $2k on a mountain bike when you've already got $15k sunk into top-end road and TT bikes?

IG: idking90
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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I think it is a combination of mountain bikes being very expensive, people being intimidated from mountain biking (me included), and what Fleck says about a very narrow definition of triathlon. I mean, if in a road triathlon, the road has a one mile section that is not perfect pavement and the course is a half-mile too long everyone will moan. I think triathlon in general is also really declining, except for M-dots. Local races used to be a big deal, and now it seems like they disappear or have decreasing entries. I also think the image of triathlon itself has gotten a lot less cool. Meanwhile, trail running seems to be getting huge. A good 4 or 5 hour trail run race takes real 1/2 IM kind of fitness, but you don't have to load your car with a ton of gear, and for those who do not already have the gear, it is a heck of a lot cheaper. I did Xterra Jersey Devil its first year and thought it was great. Best part was non-technical course. Trail running portion of the race was especially fun.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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Mud Runs killed off Adventure Races (Adventure Racing is on life support) and is drawing off the "fun hog" participants from Triathlons (that were all about the sprint tri in 2008)...this includes the off road tri scene (which was always a niche sub set).

You can seem extreme and get great photos of facebook at the Mud Run...and you don't have to train, or buy a bike, or be in shape for them.

Just walk, take pictures and jump over the fire.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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Hey all,

This is Jimmy, as mentioned by Alex above. And yes I have started an off road dedicated publication called dirtTRI.com. Please check it out and let me know what you'd like to see. I only soft launched 5 weeks ago and am just now getting caught up with all the behind the scenes stuff and now looking to create more editorial.

That said, I'm gonna steal this thread for a story ;)

Anyway...I started my pro tri career in XTERRA back in '99. Since then I've raced all formats of triathlon and also adventure racing. This is a complex topic that will take longer than I have time to write at the moment (gotta get out and ride before we get the afternoon rains here in Denver).

But, to give you my opinions in short:
  • Yes XTERRA will survive. However, Team Unlimited who currently owns the XTERRA brand will almost certainly sell in the next few years. Don't get me wrong, they do a great job, but as they will tell you themselves the founders are nearing their 70's and don't want to be organizing XTERRA for (literally) ever. Who will buy it is the big question. Now, this is my opinion, but I believe Team Unlimited has been trying to build the global XTERRA brand in preparation for sale. And, they have succeeded. The events in Europe, South Africa, Asia Pacific are all growing in number of events and number of participants. Meanwhile, in the US we have seen stagnation in the championship events, and growth in the number of smaller licensed events as well as the loss of some events due to various reasons (loss of race organizers, lack of participation, change in venue access, etc etc). Thus, it appears XTERRA is shrinking in the US while it is actually growing in some ways.
  • As Fleck said, Triathlon has changed as a sport recently, thanks mostly to Ironman/WTC standardizing everything. And XTERRA or off road will need to either adapt or possibly capitalize on this change. Road triathlon has become rigid and kinda dorky. Thus people find other events like trail runs and spartan races. XTERRA and off-road need to remind people they are the fun, inclusive, adventure triathlon. AND off-road triathletes are also trail runners, mountain bikers, and adventure runners. You CAN do both/all of them. Its not like IM where you can only afford and physically handle 1-2 races a year.
  • Also, we need a voice and a major proponent. And that is what I'm trying to do with dirtTRI. I'm gonna through Herbert under the bus here and relate the story of meeting him at Sea Otter a few weeks ago and being hammered with how futile and dumb it was to start an off road dedicated publication. "XTERRA is dying" "its too small" "the same guys always win" "there's no money in it" etc. AND he was right in a lot of ways, but that doesn't mean those things can't be changed. But, his attitude is the same as most of the editors and media within triathlon. They just either don't care or don't get it. Off-road needs a voice and a hub where people can learn about the sport and how to get in. Its not THAT scary. We don't hand out bike crashes with your race packet. Yes, its a bit tougher than road, yes, its muddy, and sandy, and and adventure, but that is all GOOD. This is what we need to communicate.
  • Finally, I think the tide is turning. If you look at cycling, and running what are people saying? They are screaming, "we don't want to ride road we don't want to run another damn 10k. We want to run up a freakin mountain or through a mud puddle, and we want to ride down that dirt road we always though might break our Zipps". The trend is toward the idea of "something new". If I were to market XTERRA I would be telling people XTERRA is that something new. XTERRA is where to go when you've got your M-dot tatoo and are sick of paying $1000's of dollars for a massive draft fest.
  • Lastly, there is a good chance cross-triathlon (what ITU calls XTERRA) will be the next event ITU pushes to get into the Olympics, once they are done with that process for team triathlon. So, probably 2020-2024 (more likely). This could me huge obviously.

Anyway, I'll give it some thought and write a more formal piece and post back here when its done.


In the meantime check out dirtTRI.com and let me know what you'd like to see.


C'mon guys, lets make this happen!

Jimmy Archer
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [Jon] [ In reply to ]
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Jon wrote:
I think it is a combination of mountain bikes being very expensive, people being intimidated from mountain biking (me included), and what Fleck says about a very narrow definition of triathlon. I mean, if in a road triathlon, the road has a one mile section that is not perfect pavement and the course is a half-mile too long everyone will moan. I think triathlon in general is also really declining, except for M-dots. Local races used to be a big deal, and now it seems like they disappear or have decreasing entries. I also think the image of triathlon itself has gotten a lot less cool. Meanwhile, trail running seems to be getting huge. A good 4 or 5 hour trail run race takes real 1/2 IM kind of fitness, but you don't have to load your car with a ton of gear, and for those who do not already have the gear, it is a heck of a lot cheaper. I did Xterra Jersey Devil its first year and thought it was great. Best part was non-technical course. Trail running portion of the race was especially fun.

Mountain bikes don't HAVE to be expensive. I agree with the intimidation factor, sure. But you don't NEED a $5000 full suspension carbon 1x11 cross country rig to enjoy what XTERRA is all about. Same as you don't need a P5 to enjoy road triathlon-ing.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [dirtTRI.com] [ In reply to ]
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I could easily see myself getting sucked into XTerra but there's not enough critical mass to make it worthwhile in Florida. I'm unaware of a single off-road triathlon in this state so why buy a mountain bike to have to drive to Alabama for one race opportunity? Likewise, there's a lot more administrative cost (time) in getting to places to ride trails where I live compared to a road bike. By contrast, there are just countless regular triathlons to choose from. If you already own a mountain bike, then this isn't even an issue, but if you are thinking of doing XTerra in addition to triathlon, then there really aren't many opportunities to amortize the cost of another bike.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [James Haycraft] [ In reply to ]
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James Haycraft wrote:

Mountain bikes don't HAVE to be expensive. I agree with the intimidation factor, sure. But you don't NEED a $5000 full suspension carbon 1x11 cross country rig to enjoy what XTERRA is all about. Same as you don't need a P5 to enjoy road triathlon-ing.

I agree. A couple years ago I qualified for and raced in xterra worlds in maui on my average (below average?), ~$1800 aluminum mtb. And, (gasp!) it's even only a 26er)!

I did have some serious bike envy in the transition area though. But really, who amongst us doesn't have that regardless of our steed?

But I do think that, regardless of bike cost, the *discipline* of mountain biking is much more intimidating to the average beginner than road biking, and I think that's a significant obstacle for off-road tri growth.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [HuffNPuff] [ In reply to ]
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Technically in FL, first time event, and put on by an experienced xterra racer. Check out Xterra Blackwater on Aug. 2nd.

No question the intimidation that mountain biking brings is a barrier for entry into the sport. I haven't run the numbers, but it "seems" like it is growing in the SE. It's sad when the SE championship in Pelham was on life support a few years ago and Mr. Xterra himself, Conrad stoltz, has said it his favorite course. Some participants, like myself, unfortunately have a hard time keeping the rubber side down and spend more time recuperating than racing.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [TimeIsUp] [ In reply to ]
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I stand corrected...but that's still a full day's drive from South/Central Florida, but it's a good sign that maybe it will continue to spread.
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [HuffNPuff] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, FL is a tough state to be a mountain biker. Not many mountains, and lots of swamps right? ;)

But, if you want to do XTERRA you don't need the worlds best mtb. You can do very well with a "price point" bike. Thankfully in off-road the concept of "buying speed" isn't as prevalent as on the road. You can train effectively on your road bike or by putting slicks on your mtb and try to get on the trails whenever you have the chance. Actually with the sandy nature of much of the terrain I've been on in FL I would be curious how fat-bikes might do or the new mid-fat stuff. But then you're back in the how many bikes do you need question.

Either way the issue is in trail access. Do they exist and if so can you ride them? This is a challenge with mtb over all. We need more trails and more access to trails.

However, I'd like to seen the idea of "urban-terra" be explored. Mountain bikes are made to handle all terrain. Why not stairs, ramps, beaches, parks, etc. I could envision a swim in the ocean, then an mtb down the beach through the parking garage, and into the park for a few laps of a cyclo-cross type course, then run over a similar course. You could do this anywhere, you don't have to close many roads, and its accessible.

Anyway, obviously I'm a fan, and full of ideas. Hopefully we'll get you to an XTERRA soon

Jimmy Archer
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [dirtTRI.com] [ In reply to ]
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I mention cyclocross in a lot of my posts, but I think that XTERRA Tri's are somewhat similar to that of 'cross in the cycling industry.

The great thing about XTERRA that I've noticed is that you get your very competitive, OCD-like athletes who realize that racing is fun and more than just watts, drag and having the most expensive gear to shave 10 seconds off your time. You can be competitive in the sport but still have a good time doing it.

I had a good solid year of off road triathlons, won 1, 2nd place in the other and DNF'd at XTERRA west champs in 2014. The race director felt bad that I dnf'd due to a snapped cleat that he said I could go on the run course and just enjoy the scenery if I wanted. There's not a lot of places that would allow you to do that. I decided not to just because I didn't want to get in the way of the M/F pro's.

I know that local tri's are still abundant across the U.S, and with the significant decrease in olympic distance tri's and a big move to IM/70.3, I would assume there may be a population that wants to get into something different.

That being said *and opening up a whole new can of worms* The U.S is going a weird route within triathlons.... Huge pushes towards long distance, lack of regular length tri's, only what...3-5 draft legal races within the U.S and only 3 or so being U25 EDR's... Pro's getting the shaft at a lot of races, it seems like the sport is going towards just finishing that IM for the average joe, which I think will help XTERRA but may not proliferate the sport. I would say having Cross-Tri enter the olympics might help the sport out, but again, a handful of draft legal tri's isn't something that I'd expect from this country to push an olympic sport.
Last edited by: PatrickOfSteele: May 5, 15 16:05
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Re: Will Xterra Events Survive? [iank] [ In reply to ]
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Actually, the Xterra race in Vegas never had more that 250 people overall (nor when it was in Temecula, Big Bear or Half Moon Bay). I've done it every year - and you can find most of the results on Athlinks. It never came close to 500+. Nationals has usuall been at the same numbers as well. On the other hand Maui has grown significantly to the point that I worry about way too many people on the coures (over 700 last year).

That said, the smaller races do struggle. We just lost Snow Valley down here in SoCal, and others have come and gone in Castaic Lake, Donner, Lake DeValle, etc. It's just hard to put on these small races and make a buck I guess.

It's such an awesome format, but I see so many people jump into one race and never do another. They think it's just too hard apparently - you actually have to work the whole time on the bike.

I do hope it takes off in the future. Frankly, I started doing road tris again as the competition in Xterras was too shallow, and I end up racing the exact same three or four guys every year at the same races.
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