Oct. 17, 2011 – The 16th annual XTERRA, after 15 years onMaui’s south shore, is headed north to Kapalua for this year’s world championship on Oct. 23. The triathlon combines a 1-mile rough water swim, a 20-mile mountain bike and a 7.5-mile trail run that traverses lava rock, forest trails and beach sand. Top pros finish the demanding event in roughly two and a half hours. The new location will create a dramatically different challenge for competitors.
In stark contrast to the dry and dusty lava-strewn path up Haleakala, the northwest coast is wet and wild with lush rainforests and former pineapple fields that undulate in and out of gulches coming down from the West Maui Mountains. Kapalua is roughly an hour from Maui’s major airport in Kahului and only five minutes from the
Kapalua-WestMauiRegionalAirport. Ten minutes north of the popular tourist destinations of Kaanapali and Lahaina is race headquarters, the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, which will serve as base camp for the event. A sold-out field of 550 competitors, including professionals and amateurs, will be vying for a $100,000 winner-take-all prize, one of the richest pro purses in multisport competition.
For more information please visit www.xterraplanet.com.