Sounds brutal, nice job!

Way to go, man. Sounds like it was a truly tough race. Nice job out there, especially on the swim!

Good report. Sounds like traction was a HUGE part of the difficulty on the bike...so It would seem to me that your tires would be the most important piece of equipment in such conditions. What change out did you make and would you make the tire decision differently if you had a do over? Does it makes sense to travel to races like this with several tire options?

And yeah, power is next to useless on a mountain bike for quantifying physiological stress (on all but the least technical terrain) for many of the reasons you mention. I find heart rate to be a much better metric in conditions like this, but doesn't look like you used a HR monitor at all?

Yes, traction was huge. I had brought (DUMB) no other tires than what was on my bike: Specialized Fast Trak (control) on front, and Specialized Renegade (control) on rear. The Renegade would have been dumb regardless of conditions unless it was SUPER dry. I bought a Specialized Slaughter (2.3, would have preferred 2.1 but not available in Maui) control and put that on front tire (pumped up to maybe 27-28psi) and put the Fast Trak on the back (pumped up to 26-27psi ish). I'd rather have had maybe the Specialized Storm Control both front and rear. The problem with bringing lots of tires is the weight. Mountain bike 29er tires are relatively hefty, but I guess if you're doing this race what's the point of skimping on selection? Oh well, hindsight.

Another thing I would have done would be to screw screws into the soles of my shoes (especially on toe). I don't think spikes are available for the shoes I have, but they would have been AMAZING to have while walking some of those climbs. I had to use my bike as a hiking stick, so to speak, at points.


I actually ALWAYS ride with a HR monitor when mountain biking, but the battery ran out the day before the race and I honestly just didn't feel like going to Walgreens and buying another one. In hindsight, dumb. Would have liked to see TSShr on training peaks... My guess: high.

I'm not sure how I feel about a "world championship" level course being so "determined" by the weather //

Nice job toughing it out. But have to say you are dead wrong that the weather determined the outcomes. All the weather did was weed out the weak and let the truly strong rise to the top. This is the exact thing a world champs should be, no chance of someone sliding into home not having given 100% out there.


I did the very first one of these races back in the early 90's, tougher bike course than now, and with some mud as you experienced. It was like you say the most brutal race I have ever done in the 3 hour range. MTB riding is already hard, throw in the extra shit that Maui delivers, and it is just brutal. But the best athletes won back then, they won this time around too. It is how it should be, no coasting anywhere!!!


And how about that young kid from Mexico, I had not heard of him till now. Have to confess if I had followed Xterra I would have known him, but watching the race live this year I got a real education on who to look out for in the future. Man that kid is strong, the commentators were giving the win to the guy who was off the bike over 3 minutes up as a mail in win, and then all of a sudden they get a split and the kid is just 26 seconds back with miles to go in the run!!


And Flora was incredible too, she really is likely the most well rounded athlete in the world right now. She just needs to do a couple long races and crush it, and that title would be hers no question. Has she done any non draft longish races yet??

I think whether I am wrong or not about the weather's statement is an opinion, not a fact. I don't personally like that the weather plays such a role. That's my opinion. This course definitely brought out the STRONGEST, there's no question about that. The technical demand was relatively low, which is the issue that I don't like as much. A mountain bike race should have some technical components to it. But hey, again, that's just my opinion.

If you knew and followed road triathlon as closely as you say you do you would know who Mauricio is. Most recent example: http://www.ironman.com/...s.aspx#axzz4O7Qvdl4R

Flora and Gomez are definitely the most well rounded triathletes in the world right now, no question.

I hadn't seen that race he just did, but it answers my next question, could be be good at ITU? Looks like he would miss the lead group in the swim, so I guess answer is no, at least till he closes that minute gap. But he swims good enough that it looks like he could close that gap, unlike Lionel who is never going to make even the 2nd pack.

And I would think a MTB course gets more technical with mud. I mean I hate it, guess you hate it too, but going downhill in slippery mud seems to me that it is more technical? Back when I did it they had sections of loose lava rock up to the size of bowling balls. Virtually everyone crashed on them, or had to walk them, downhill!! It also weeded out the weak(ME!), but let the true champions like Ned Overand and a couple tri guys like Pigg float to the top. Running the bike just became part of the race, guessing like a lot of MTB races.

I guess it all goes back to what I had always believed in racing. You could change distances, order of events, or course conditions, but in the end the best always win. What it changes is the 5th through 100th places, they get jumbled around a bit. You know, the places you and I get!!! (-;

I'm just impressed that baby Jesus went straight from tiny gymnast to Salesman. Usually you have to pay your dues at an entry-level customer service job first.

great report. Sounds like a crazy day

The website indicates that course record times are "worthless" because the course changes too often. Did the course change over previous years?

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

Dude...Nice race and report! I saw a lot of coverage and comments after and that course in those conditions looked brutal! Xterras are so much fun and I think in a lot of ways are much harder than road triathlons. Every time I've done an Xterra I'm always shocked at how many times throughout the race you are redlining for some short period of time as you climb or navigate a hard section. Do that a bunch of times over the MTB course and it really whips you and leads to a very challenging run. Throw in some serious mud and it is a very hard day!
One thing that I think is cool about this race is they never seem to shorten or cancel the swim even with breakers coming in etc. It seems like WTC would cancel or change swim if the conditions were the same.
Congrats.

The course changed locations/venues a few years ago, between 2010 and 2011. I didn't realize the course itself had changed much within those venue changes, however.

I also need to correct myself, winning times were maybe 10-15mins slower than previous years (how?!). Seems like the bike course alone was worth more time than that? Oh well.

I think there are gradual tweaks back and forth with no major substance year over year, not enough to call it a different course, but enough that records don't mean much.
I think it was definitely a scaled time difference, like Mauricio was only 15 min off of Josiah last year, but Flora was 20, and then farther back where we were the gaps got larger. I knew plenty of people who went as much as an hour slower than normal a bit farther back.
But oh my god that was so hard. I don't know how they got 2 minutes on my swim group, it looked like they were right there the whole time!

---

IG: idking90

Great report and well done getting to this race. I'm going to take a shot at XTERRA in 2017 and am at the bottom of the learning curve but hoping it will be fun trying to get to Maui whether I do or not. Some questions regarding your experience:

1. What was your qualifying experience? It seems there are some various ways to do so and I'm curious which way you think works best (i.e., place high at a regional, go for points within your region).
2. It looks like you hydrated with bottles rather than hydro pack. Thoughts?
3. Curious about the silicone spray idea. Is that for the frame or moving parts or drivetrain?
4. Do you wanna do Maui again or are you thinking one and done?

Guess that's all I can think of now. Thanks for sharing!

Cheers,

---

thechromedome
http://www.favoritefinishlines.blogspot.com
http://www.cupcakecartel.org
My 20% off code for 2018 FS Series races: tricred18
"there are no drafters in heaven" - C Bonner

A tip given to me for muddy cyclocross racing was Pam or Pledge on the frame to keep it from sticking.
I like the Pledge lemony smell better.

Who won ?

The great thing about XTERRA (or off road in general) is that practice makes perfect when it comes to technical development. So, being at the bottom of the learning curve means that there is only room for improvement!

1. I have luckily qualified for Maui at each "big" XTERRA I have done (Oak Mountain 2015, Utah 2015 - roll down I think, Oak Mountain 2016, Utah 2016). But that is coming off a very strong road triathlon base of experience with some pretty solid fitness levels from 1-5 hours of racing. So, saying it was "easy" would not be fair, but in some ways - for me anyway - it was. It really just depends on your age, skill level, and race choice. In some ways I think qualifying for Maui is more difficult than Kona. Someone could argue the reverse and I wouldn't jump to disagree, as I've qualified for Maui in 4/4 XTERRA championship level races and have never qualified for Kona. Being in NC (aren't you in Greenville?), I would say your first big XTERRA should be Oak Mountain and you will be well prepared for that bike course if you ride a lot of NC trails.

2. Using bottles vs. camelbak really depends on two things: your preferences and the course itself. I knew there would be a lot of opportunity to drink from bottles easily (and I can do this easily on a mountain bike in general while riding trails which is built into my preferences, if that makes sense) as there would be a lot of non technical climbing and very few technical sections at all. So I knew I'd have opportunities to only have 1 hand on the bar for 10-20 seconds at a time. Conversely, Oak Mountain has very few sections like that, so in hindsight I'd probably go hydro pack for that course.

3. I really just sprayed it everywhere (but DO NOT get it on your brake rotors or pads!!!) and paid special attention to areas where gunk would wreak havoc on me being able to move forward (rear derailleur pulley wheels, rear chainstay/seat tube, fork stanchions/crown, etc).

4. Right now I do not want to do Maui again. But that is because I have a level of whole body fatigue that I cannot begin to describe and it's difficult to empathize with unless someone has done long distance mountain bike racing/cyclocross, or XTERRA. Plus, we packed up the condo and left the afternoon/evening of the race and flew (overnight) back to AZ...so I'm also in general very tired.

I can say with no doubt, however, that I NEVER want to do Maui LIKE THAT again. If it was dry, the course was somewhat fun and interesting. I love the swim, and the run is difficult but not ridiculous. But that muddy bike was horrific. My bike will never be the same again (seriously, unless I take it completely apart and clean everything).

That's why I really dislike super muddy races. Some other posters can talk all they want about "challenge", but a good MTB can cost nearly as much as a top end tri bike. All that ground in dirt & grit really can ruin a lot of parts. I would actually prefer to ride an old beater bike for a race like that, after your bike is covered in muck a 10k mtb won't perform any better than a 1k one (and will weigh about the same anyway)

So, basically you're now ready for Cyclo Cross season!

But seriously, great RR, and solid outing. My guess is, you'll do it again.

I did Xterra Worlds 5 times ('07-'11), the first 4 were on the old course at Makena Beach, and the last at Kapalua. Until this year, I believe the old course was tougher. This year finally brought it up on par with the brutality of the South Maui "old course". That bad boy just ate bikes, and the run had double the soft sand distance on two separate beaches. Throw in the lava and coral garden at the end, "The Plunge" on the bike, genuinely hotter conditions of South Maui and you had a genuine suffer fest. What you got in unrideable mud, we had in unrideable loose ball bearing rock climbs that invariably log jammed the AG field. Having said that, the mud this year was probably more annoying than the relentless choking dust and loose ball bearing lava. I applaud your toughness for hanging in there and fighting it out to the end.

We are back to a true MTB Worlds, a serious off road test with a rough water swim thrown in for good measure. No one said this was going to be easy.

BTW, Ben Hoffman's double was incredible.

I've done a little CX and I personally do not enjoy it nearly as much as mountain bike racing. I reallyyyyyy enjoy the technical element that XC racing has (and am tempted to try a little enduro for fun as well) and CX just doesn't have those same elements. But yea, the course on Sunday was - in my mind anyway - more like a CX course. Just a slog and an absolute beatdown!



I would have liked to try the old course as it sounds like it was more difficult in the way I enjoy mountain bike racing, although I know it would also be very, very hard.

Ben even broke his bike (not really sure when he snapped his chain, but in the last 3-5 minutes of biking there aren't too many big shifting sections that I remember?) and had to run it in the last bit, which is ridiculous considering he still rode very fast. Guy's an animal!

Great report!

---

"if you chose it, it's not really pain"

More evidence. Obviously wasn't too tired from Maui to crush another 70.3 I suppose...

1 3:52:17 0:00 Mauricio Mendez Cruz
2 3:57:03 4:47 Matt Chrabot
3 4:00:04 7:47 Cody Beals
4 4:02:04 9:48 Andy Potts
5 4:02:45 10:28 Richie Cunningham
6 4:02:51 10:35 Drew Scott
7 4:04:19 12:03 Alan Carrillo
8 4:05:04 12:48 Martin Jensen
9 4:06:10 13:54 Justin Metzler
10 4:06:28 14:12 James Hadley


http://www.ironman.com/...y=2016#axzz4Oa0g2IS4

And I see he hung with the lead swim group this time too, kid has quite a future in front of him. Only question in what arena of triathlon will it be centered!!

Looks to me that he should start a focus on long distance non draft, and do Xterra on the side. There really cannot be much money off road, and ITU is a real ball buster that might take years to break into, if ever. He can already win good money in 1/2's, guessing he probably could step up to ultra's and do well also. Could be Mexico gets their first ever Kona champion!!

"I hadn't seen that race he just did, but it answers my next question, could be be good at ITU?"

I don't recall the exact time line but he burst into the Xterra scene roughly 3-4 years ago and his results stood out right away. People were trying to steer him towards the Olympics in road triathlon then but he stated his heart was simply not into it.


Edit: I went back to look for the quote I was talking about above and found this instead "I don't like to put a limit on anything, but I want to be a world champion and an Olympic medallist at some point in the future." (here) He has already reached one of those goals now!