Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Prev Next
Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ?
Quote | Reply
I've been doing tri for ~10 years, and recently purchased a MTB (Specialized Epic WC) and would love to hop into an Xterra. But even though I am in an active state like California, they are hard to find!!

So, why aren't there many Xterra races?? I plan on doing one in So Cal, and Tahoe, but I simply don't have many more to choose from unless I travel pretty far.

Are Xterra's dying out? Why so few race options?

Thank you
Last edited by: p3: Mar 29, 18 15:46
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
The intimidation factor for XTERRA racing is relatively high I suppose. The number of races has probably dropped a bit. One of the reasons why I stopped trying to do XTERRAs was because there were very few in my area (southern AZ) whereas back in the Southeast, where I lived prior to summer 2016, there were plenty.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
My sense is that they dropped the numbers of races 3 or so years ago but they seem stable now. I live in NH and there are really only 3 within a 5 hour drive of where I live.

I still plan to do two if possible this summer. I am also going to do some mtb races, they are more plentiful.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
There is a huge gap in riding skills needed between a paved road during a tri and anything above a simple off-road ride. I road mountain bikes casually but when I did an Xterra, which was labeled as 'easy trail', I was surprised how difficult and dangerous it was under racing conditions. I loved it, but knew I wouldn't be competitive on the bike, and crashed a few times and was worried about the rest of my season. To keep the events going probably relies on a core group of participants, and these are experienced mtb'ers who want more challenging races, this puts the race quickly out of the off-road capability range of most triathletes. There use to be four races in my area, and I think it's down to just one now.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [vonschnapps and jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I think you guys are right on with those assessments.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I live in the southeast, and we have several XTERRA races within driving distance. My first one was Richmond a couple years ago, which was a regional championship before it went belly up. I expected Ironman like attendance but showed up and thought “where is everybody?!”

Oak Mt in Alabama is a little better in attendance but I questioned the stability of this series myself. I’m told it’s really big in Europe. I hope XTERRA can find some ways to grow this sport cuz the races are really fun no matter how bad I am on a mountain bike.

3 weeks to XTERRA Myrtle Beach! That course will make anyone feel like a pro mountain biker!

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
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [thechromedome] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
thechromedome wrote:
3 weeks to XTERRA Myrtle Beach! That course will make anyone feel like a pro mountain biker!

Are they using the Hulk? My brother-in-law lives down there and has mentioned that place a few times.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I think Spartan Races, Tough Mudders and Warrior Dashes [which I group together as RunnerCross(TM)] have taken the "getting dirty outdoor adventure" spot once held by XTERRA

Could be that the CrossFitters who populate these races want to be self-sufficient during the event and not rely on something other than their own strength and determination to finish [= the bike]

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [WelshinPhilly] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yeah, that’s it. Really flowy course, fast and not technical at all.

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
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Its estimated that only 10% of triathletes compete in Xterra races.here i am not sure if this is growing or declining
The athletes that make up this percentage tend to be loyal to the races and come back year after year
Gravel triathlons are coming up and filling the road bike gap left by Xterra, never really understood why cross bikes are not allowed - not all courses are that hilly with jumps and all
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I have done two IMs and several 70.3s, but I am mainly an XTERRA/MTB type. My two "local" XTERRAs no longer exist: XTERRA Scales Lake in southern IN and XTERRA Lock 4 Blast in TN. I will race several this year, but will have to drive quite a bit to make it happen.

VDOT O2 Run Coaching
Team INFINIT Discount Code: RowanJones
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
We've got 6 races this year here in central Texas. This will be my 5th year racing XTERRAs and last year was probably the biggest turnouts for the Texas races. We'll see if the trend continues this year. Last week's XTERRA Bluebonnet only had 81 participants which is on the low side, but it was at a new venue this year and didn't appear on the schedule until a little later.

I personally think there is a bit of a chicken and egg problem with XTERRA. If you only have one or two races in your area it is hard to draw people in. I can do nothing but XTERRA races all season because I have 6 local races. If there were only one or two maybe I'd start racing road triathlons and XTERRA would become an afterthought. Or maybe I'd do more mountain bike racing, and trail runs. At the Texas races we have a dedicated group of people that show up to many of the races, and the rest are newcomers. Even for the folks who only do one race, having more races gives them more options.

I think the other problem is simply finding a venue for a XTERRA race. There aren't a whole lot of places where you can swim right next to mountain bike trails.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
In the Phoenix area we have lakes and good trails (technical and non-technical) but acess to the lakes is a problem. We used to have a very nice spring Xterra just outside Phoenix. It became too difficult to get access to the lake - the race used the boat ramp area, which meant closing the ramp to boaters for half a day on the weekend. That ended up killing the race. Still have one Xterra in Northern AZ in June and one in Phoenix in October.

Andrew Inkpen
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Are you just talking about the brand Xterra, or the actual sport of off road triathlon? Wildflower has an off road race coming up, Dan and I are both doing that one. There are some other independent ones too around, at leas there were about 5 years ago when I was doing a bunch.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [monty] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yes, I am talking about in general, so any off-road. You're right about Wildflower. But again, it seems that, even in a active area like Cali, they are hard to find. But as the other posters have noted, it is hard to find mountain trails adjacent to a body of water.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I believe there are two separate Xterra races in the Lake Tahoe area.
Currently, in Socal it's just Bonelli Park and Laguna Beach. We used to have another at Snow Valley, but it ended a few years ago.

There's another off-road triathlon at Lake Perris, but it usually has less than 50 competitors total. I think it only survives because there's an Olympic and sprint held at the same place and time.

--------------------------------------------
TEAM F3 Undurance
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [Multisportsdad] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Multisportsdad wrote:
I believe there are two separate Xterra races in the Lake Tahoe area.
Currently, in Socal it's just Bonelli Park and Laguna Beach. We used to have another at Snow Valley, but it ended a few years ago.

There's another off-road triathlon at Lake Perris, but it usually has less than 50 competitors total. I think it only survives because there's an Olympic and sprint held at the same place and time.

I don't see Laguna on the schedule and the race website is still 2017. Not sure it's gonna happen. It might be 3 and done.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [p3] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I would say internationally it seems that Xterra is thriving. The race in South Africa, I heard is the biggest Xterra race of the year (bigger than worlds in Maui). All the highlight videos xterra posts from any of the international races look like some really big turn outs (not IM levels but pretty solid). Australia has a few other race companies putting on off road tris as well.

Domestically (US and Canada), I wouldn't say hurting as there is a solid base of people who show up but it's not growing beyond that it seems. I'd say most triathletes are intimidated of mtb handling and most mounties hate swimming and running so you really never see a lot of new people getting into it. I've raced in the Northeast the past few years and it's pretty much all of the same faces at the regional races, which is cool for making friends but can't be good for RDs. Races around here usually top out at about 75 racers. The RDs that I've spoken with all acknowledge they put on Xterra races because they love the crew that shows up to them and not to make money. And logistically, it's hard to find good trails by a body of water for swimming so there's a lot more additional challenges to putting on an off-road tris

Xterra stopped putting on the races at RVA and Vegas too, which were "championship" races and drew more people and were always great. Without these, the Xterra exposure/brand definitely took a hit too. So between a general lack of interest and lack of exposure, races here have leveled off.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [Kevinschus] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I agree with your thoughts on the North American scene.

I think the off-road duathlon has potential and there's not many of them around. Taking the swim out of the equation really opens up the calendar and locations while greatly simplifying logistics.

I'm on the Illinois/Wisconsin border and mid September is basically the end of any reasonable triathlon season. It's starting to be the best part of the year for mt biking and trail running though. Our club hosted an October off-road duathlon in 2016 and held a mt bike race two hours after in conjunction with the local mt bike club. It worked out pretty well and we were able to share a lot of the costs.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [Kevinschus] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Most triathletes are intimidated by road bike handling so that part isn’t surprising.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [Grant.Reuter] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Grant.Reuter wrote:
Most triathletes are intimidated by road bike handling so that part isn’t surprising.

I'm sure that's true, especially since there are not any indoor trainers that can simulate a rock garden! :)

Seriously though, I'm in the DC area and there used to be 3 Xterra's within what I consider easy driving distance. Richmond and Charlottesville are gone, leaving only Rocky Gap. I still do that one every year.

Besides the lack of races I always found the course design difficult for both racers and race directors. If you make it too easy, there is not much value places on MTB skills and the MTB crowd is disappointed. Too hard and you scare away a lot of people. Although I would normally lean towards more difficult, after doing Richmond a couple times I had another issue - I found it a big advantage to know the course and every line well, but did not have time to learn the course besides maybe a quick lap the day before the race, not enough time to really learn it. Fewer races nearby makes this problem harder.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [Last-offtheBike] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Last-offtheBike wrote:
Its estimated that only 10% of triathletes compete in Xterra races.here i am not sure if this is growing or declining
The athletes that make up this percentage tend to be loyal to the races and come back year after year
Gravel triathlons are coming up and filling the road bike gap left by Xterra, never really understood why cross bikes are not allowed - not all courses are that hilly with jumps and all
I've only ever done the Grafton Lakes XTerra and would love to do it again this year if I can get fit enough. I would not have wanted to bet my cross bike on the RPI trail the two times I raced it. Cross bike was 853 mtb tubing but lack of suspension and a 700x40 tire just wouldn't have handled it and I like riding that bike on a lot of the trails surrounding Rochester. Probably it comes down to being easier to make blanket rules for insurance reasons that creating provisions for individual races.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [helo guy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
helo guy wrote:
Grant.Reuter wrote:
Most triathletes are intimidated by road bike handling so that part isn’t surprising.


I'm sure that's true, especially since there are not any indoor trainers that can simulate a rock garden! :)

Seriously though, I'm in the DC area and there used to be 3 Xterra's within what I consider easy driving distance. Richmond and Charlottesville are gone, leaving only Rocky Gap. I still do that one every year.

Besides the lack of races I always found the course design difficult for both racers and race directors. If you make it too easy, there is not much value places on MTB skills and the MTB crowd is disappointed. Too hard and you scare away a lot of people. Although I would normally lean towards more difficult, after doing Richmond a couple times I had another issue - I found it a big advantage to know the course and every line well, but did not have time to learn the course besides maybe a quick lap the day before the race, not enough time to really learn it. Fewer races nearby makes this problem harder.

You may already know this, but the Xterra at Yellow Creek in PA is back this year. That's probably about 4 hours from DC, don't know if that classifies as easy driving distance for you. They're also having a swim/run race there too.
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [offpiste.reese] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
offpiste.reese wrote:
helo guy wrote:
Grant.Reuter wrote:
Most triathletes are intimidated by road bike handling so that part isn’t surprising.


I'm sure that's true, especially since there are not any indoor trainers that can simulate a rock garden! :)

Seriously though, I'm in the DC area and there used to be 3 Xterra's within what I consider easy driving distance. Richmond and Charlottesville are gone, leaving only Rocky Gap. I still do that one every year.

Besides the lack of races I always found the course design difficult for both racers and race directors. If you make it too easy, there is not much value places on MTB skills and the MTB crowd is disappointed. Too hard and you scare away a lot of people. Although I would normally lean towards more difficult, after doing Richmond a couple times I had another issue - I found it a big advantage to know the course and every line well, but did not have time to learn the course besides maybe a quick lap the day before the race, not enough time to really learn it. Fewer races nearby makes this problem harder.


You may already know this, but the Xterra at Yellow Creek in PA is back this year. That's probably about 4 hours from DC, don't know if that classifies as easy driving distance for you. They're also having a swim/run race there too.


I did not know about that one! I would not quite classify that as "easy" but I will look into it! Looks like Charlottesville is on this year as well!
Last edited by: helo guy: Mar 30, 18 20:09
Quote Reply
Re: Are XTERRA Tri's dying out, or thriving ? [helo guy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I've never done it, but I've ridden the bike course. Not technical/rocky, but it has some good ups and downs and some twisty stuff. Run has some good vert too. They have 3 MTB races in April/May/June that use a similar but not the same course. https://www.facebook.com/lionheartadventures/
Quote Reply

Prev Next