Richmond Xterra Race Report

Richmond Xterra Sport Course:
Race Report:

Wow! What a fun race! This was my first off-road tri and I must admit it was a total blast. Rather than bore you with the mundane details, I’ve compiled a list of my experiences from a rookie perspective. Some items are just things I learned from the experience of the day while other items are just pitfalls to avoid the next time and/or general observations.

1. I’m not sure if this is true across the board, but Xterra competitors are generally very friendly people. Lots of hello’s and smiles abound before the race and during. It’s a very cordial lot. I don’t regard myself as a super swimmer, but I actually think swimmer’s got out of the way if they saw me behind them. I think I bumped into 1 person the entire swim and that’s after catching up to the 1st wave. I also think mountain biking causes others to communicate to each other in a much more civilized manner. You see, in order to pass someone on a single-track path, you have to holler out that you’re there (or be hollered out to) and want to pass. So, you do your best to help out because you never know if you’re going to need to pass that same person at a later time. About every time, you get or give a “Thanks, Man!” during this process. How cool is that!

2. Don’t wear dark-tinted sunglasses when the bike course is through the woods where there is NO sunshine. It makes visibility a huge struggle.

3. Xterra racers are TOUGH! I thought I had a few bad spills and even considered bagging the run because my knee took a nice shot on a rock, but one look at the finishers in the med tent made me feel like a total wuss. These people have unrivaled perseverance and nothing is going to stop them from finishing. Not even broken bones or post-race stitches!

4. Do pre-ride the course beforehand. Gaining a grasp of the terrain first hand is a far cry from hopping in the car to drive the course in preparation for the race. I went for a 30 minute ride the day before and told myself, “This isn’t too bad”. Come race day, I was kicking myself because I missed most of the hard stuff and I was astonishingly surprised at how difficult other parts of the course were.

5. Don’t think for a minute that the shorter bike leg makes it a cake walk. 9 miles on a technical mountain bike course felt like 25 miles on the road. You really use your upper body and core muscles to a far greater degree.

6. If you want to feel like a kid again on the bike, race an Xterra. The adrenaline really gets pumping when you look down a steep, twisting descent and let it all hang out. Sure, I had moments of “I think I may die!” But once you’ve done it, you’re like “that was so crazy! I can’t believe I just did that”. Let’s do it again.

7. Ties into # 6: If you want to feel like a kid again running, race an Xterra. Although some of run is on pavement and across bridges, the exhilaration of running where cars can’t go was pretty sweet. I actually looked forward to the run.

8. Don’t get discouraged if you take a spill. I think its part of the initiation into Xterra, but if you happen to fall, pick yourself up, wipe off the dirt and debris and get back into the saddle. You’ll regret it if you don’t. I saw Pro’s that were pretty dirtied up where they clearly had taken a spill along the way.

9. Don’t forget the Advil.

10. The volunteers and medical staff are incredible!

11. You don’t have to wake up at 4 a.m. to get ready for the race. The Sport race started at 8 a.m. and the Full Distance race started at 10:30 a.m. A few extra hours of zzz’s made it feel like a vacation.

Well, that’s about all I can think of off the top of my head. I’m sure there are things I’m forgetting, but I highly recommend this race if you are looking for a fun, challenging event.