i would never go to xterra wc again without probably 3 tire choices. anything else would be a huge mistake if you want to be competitive and/or enjoy your time on the bike (i did it in 2016, it was awful).

i'd bring one set of very narrow mud tires for F/R. i'd bring one for dry conditions (probably just a F and could run that with either the narrow "mud" tire, which, if it was dry i'd know i wouldn't be too worried about traction just being fast), and maybe my everyday tire set as a 3rd alternative.

that way you could mix and match from a few different F/R combos to be able to tackle a wide variety of conditions.

Last year I brought three tire sets, thanks to a post from james. I used the storm control 1.8, and I was much better off than most on that course. haha! i actually loved the muddy ride. the waves almost killed me on my swim exit. That was a fun day

I'll check out the storm control.

I felt like I was crushing people last year until we got to the last few miles and all the jungle debris kept clogging my bike. I'd stop, clear my drive train, fork, etc, and then ride 10 feet and have to do it again.

I'm shooting to narrow it down to a mud tire and one other tire choice for non-apocalyptic-mud conditions.(I'll drive myself nuts overthinking things if i have too many options).

I started in the later wave, and swam mid pack so by the time i got to the trails they were obliterated. I passed soooo many people in the beginning that were slipping or had stuff stuck in there tires. I felt like I was winning the whole race. For perspective My bike was 30 minutes slower than you but I think I was 2nd american 40-44. I was hoping for top ten american 40-44. but the guys I beat I beat with equipment for sure I am not generally faster than them. don't get me wrong I still had stuff get stuck but I know i was better off than most. The worst part was only one aid station on a course that took 40 minutes longer than I planned. haha.

I'm trying to qualify for worlds this year and your comment about aid stations has me thinking, what do you need them for? Doesn't the bike only take ~2 hours to complete? I'm asking an honest question here since I've never done the race

I raced last year and I made a big mistake by not taking a mud tire. On my Specialized Epic there is very little tire clearance at the frame and I spent much of the ride trying to clear out the packed mud. This year I will travel with a pair 1.8 Storm Controls with the hope we do not need them. : )

Hoping the two loop course drains a little better.

When I went in 2017 I brought Racing Ralphs and Conti Mud Kings

Fortunately the Racing Ralphs stayed on the bike that year.

And...The bike was about 2.5 hours for me. I took about 2 liters of Gatorade in my Camelbak for that ride and didn't use the aid station.

in 2016, which was similar or worse compared to last year, the bike took me 2:20. i expected/hoped for 1:45-1:50 (i bike a flat/rolling 70.3 in anywhere from 2:11 - 2:16 for perspective); that is a HUGE difference in nutritional time. further, my bottles were COVERED in gross, smelly mud. i did not want to drink out of them. i would 100% run a camelbak were i to try and go to that horrible place ever again.

Its a pretty intense effort them entire time too, in the heat. You end up burning through a lot more fluids than you'd expect.

My experience from 2018:
The Swim was the most dangerous. People were being taken out on stretchers. Broken necks and femurs I heard.
The Bike was frustrating for those of us who were not smart enough to bring mud tires. Pedal 10 ft, dismount, clean and re-mount. Repeat for 2.5 hours.
Don't forget the run. I slid down the muddy slopes and when I tried to run it slip and slide to from one tree to another. And forget about running up hill. Scrambled on all fours searching for traction.
I can't see myself going back until they do something about the venue or change the date. 2 out of the last 3 years were horrible conditions. Spent way too much money, time and energy for that experience.

Pretty well sums up my experience from last year. I may be dumb enough to go back next year as i absolutely love xterra in general. Hopefully much improved trails or new worlds venue in 2020

I used Michelin Wild Mud front and rear. I was able to ride more than most people but still had to push the bike up many a hill

I finished my swim in one of the huge sets, no joke i nearly died, 3 times i got tumbled and each time i thought i may drown.. lost my super tight silicone wedding ring, cap and googles. I had thoughts i may never escape. huge waves. now that it is over i love it,kinda a badge of honor that i was there in one of the worst years. haha.
I remember later in the course doing a lot of hike a bike, because once on persons crappy tires slipped it messes up about twenty of us. i really wish i had the spikes on my cleats.
running like mavic said was a joke. but I had a good attitude wasn't expecting to do anything special so i would say it was one of the funnest races i've ever done. I think on the bike i crashed at least 4 times and one time i slid at least 50 feet down hill it was pretty awesome, I am from dry utah so some slippery mud was pretty fun. after they had a bike wash area but it was a two or three hour wait. so do not wait just take your bike to your hotel or some how to the ocean and clean it enough till you get to to a car wash. I never finished and then i paid the bike shop to do it, it was so bad. I actualluy couldn't pedal the last few miles in luckily it wasdown hill and i only had to run a few times

I've raced kapalua about 5 times maybe, but only once in the mud (i did 2016, how did that compare to 2018?) i had a great race in the mud , it felt like an extended cyclocross race. i leave the FS at home and take the hardtail cannondale flash (26" but can fit 27.5" as well) first off, FS is overkill in kapalua, the dirt is for the most part pretty smooth and there are no technical sections at all. this is a course where lighter weight makes a huge difference in all the climbing. even caked in mud, this bike probably weighed less than 25lbs. much easier to shoulder and run with. i had thunderbert tires, they sucked but i think any tire would suck in kapalua mud, it is slick red clay mud, not the mud most of us are used to. also it mixes with the grass which gets tangled in your brakes and derailleurs etc. people with FS bikes were getting even more clogged up. definitely wear a camelbak to drink, and use your water bottle to spray off your cranks occasional. if i go again i'd be tempted to run 26" wheels just to increase clearance. Also, toe spikes are crucial in the mud. for the run, XC spikes may be the way to go if you have them (if it's dry any trail shoe is fine)

Well right now I don’t care at all about fast, just fun, and I run 2.3” maxxis minions, and I’d run them anywhere any time.

When I was racing though, I had some 2.2” ish Spesh Ground Controls, and I loved them to death. Grippy as heck, and I never felt as though they slowed me down excessively.

I've raced that course every year its been in Kapalua and the mud is horrible. I carry a 1/2" thick piece of plastic about 6" long to clear the mud off my tires and out of fork/chainrings and stick it in my jersey pocket during the ride. I run specialized captain in drier years or a smaller maxxis mud tire. Technical skill is key in the mud as you slide around a lot. Also, I increase nutrition as I'm out there longer if course conditions are bad - bonking on the single track coming back to T2 is not cool. I heard rumor they may change the bike course for 2019, but am not certain if that's true or not.

Yes, they did change the bike this year. Two loops, looks like it stays lower down and off the private property. I think the lower course was the muddiest part last year so not sure this will make a huge difference but it's at least a try.