Xterra course are no more technical than a standard MTB XC course, ie not very....
On a CX bike sure its more challenging.. i think you'd durprise yourself on how easily you can get around a XC course..

I think this is great concept and potentially more promising than a straight up gravel course (I would do either though - as someone else mentioned, I'm not skilled enough to do X-Terra or MTB well but would get on a CX bike in a second). The multi-loop, family friendly format could be a game changer. Maybe not for the triathlon status quo, as others have mentioned, but it could perhaps attract a new demographic?

I say that because in my experience the biggest barrier to entry for triathlon, particularly among the young crowd, is not so much the swim, but rather the distances and the bike - or rather the perception that you need to have a fancy/expensive bike and do something that's extremely long. A multi-loop, cross-style course could mitigate that - shorter and also you can show up with an mtb or commuter kind of bike, it's also safer.

There's a popular CX race very close to my house- I go there every year just to watch it-- and it really is sort of a community event with a festive atmosphere. There's something for everyone - elite races all the way down to kids races. The race keeps looking bigger every year (I don't know the actual numbers, but it's grown quite a bit). That park has a swimming pool and plenty of open space for a cross-country run type of course. I keep thinking - if you put together a race with multiple heats of, say, a 300 meter swim, 2-4 loop cross race, and a 1.5 mile cross run, would that sell? I don't know for sure but, in my mind at least, it's a great concept.

I like this idea and I think in New England this would probably be a hit. Less cars one of the biggest advantages and with 3 cyclists killed in the past 9 weeks (hit by cars) in Vermont alone more and more cyclists are riding dirt roads on road bikes/cross bikes.

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