maui 2009 press guide - Xterra

QUICK FACTS ON THE XTERRA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
WHAT IS XTERRA: The world’s premier off-road triathlon, combining a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) swim that starts in front of
the Makena Beach & Golf Resort (formerly the Maui Prince)a 32-kilometer (20-miles) mountain bike that climbs 3,000
feet up and down the lower slopes of Haleakala, and a 12-kilometer (7.5-miles) trail run that traverses lava rock, forest
trails, and beach sand. Top pros finish in roughly two-and-a-half hours.
WHO RACES IN MAUI: A sold-out field of 550 racers including 75 professionals and 450 amateurs representing 23
countries & 36 U.S. states, ages 15 (Lucas Garzon from Piedade, Brazil) to 72 (Ron Hill from Hayden, Idaho).
WHEN: The XTERRA World Championship starts at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 25. The XTERRA Makena Beach
5km and 10km trail runs are on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 8:00 a.m.
WHERE: At the Makena Beach & Golf Resort (formerly the Maui Prince) on Maui’s South Shore.
WHY: The XTERRA World Championship race is the last in a series of nearly 100 off-road triathlon races held in 12
countries and 32 U.S. States. The concept is to provide a bona-fide off-road world championship for amateur and pro
athletes. For pros there is $105,000 in prize money at stake.
THE COURSE: Arguably the toughest and most scenic on the entire circuit, the Maui XTERRA course is a classic.
From the crystal clear waters of the Pacific, to the sharp lava rocks and kiawe thorns of the bike and run - Hawaii’s natural
obstacles are unlike anywhere else on earth.
HOW THEY QUALIFIED: Amateurs enter the World Championship through one of two means:
1. Earn a slot by qualifying as one of the top finishers in their age group at an XTERRA Championship race in Austria,
Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Saipan, South Africa, and
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia in the United States. There is
also a special Hawaii resident qualifier, the MountainMan, held on Oahu each year, or... 2. Enter through the at large
drawing - a limited number of slots are offered on a first-come first-serve basis.
XTERRA BACKGROUND: This is year 14 for the XTERRA World Championship on Maui – the birthplace of off-road
triathlon. The first XTERRA race was held here on November 3, 1996 with just 123 participants and was televised on
Fox Sports Net. The demand for the sport of XTERRA exploded thereafter and there are now more than 30,000 competitors
from all 50 states and more than 40 countries worldwide and each year a new one-hour TV show is produced
and broadcast across the U.S. showcasing the scenic beauty of Hawaii.
1996: Jimmy Riccitello and Michellie Jones win inaugural event in Wailea, Maui.
1999: 11 races spanning from California to New Jersey. First year of Pro Points Series.
2000: XTERRA goes global with its first international races in England, Japan, and Canada.
2003: The seventh consecutive year of expansion provides more than 50 events to compete in.
2009: Now 60 events in the U.S., plus more than 30 international races including a European Tour
TELEVISION: This will be the 14th straight year a nationally broadcast one-hour show will be produced on the event,
which showcases Maui’s scenic south shore. The 2008 XTERRA World Championship one-hour TV show has been
seen by 4.4 million viewers via national syndication (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX), Fox Sports Network, and Comcast
Sportsnet cable airings. There have been 190 airings of the show since January 2008 and it is still being broadcast on
Fox stations nationwide. This year’s show will start its run in national syndication in mid-January 2009.
Online Resources: Images: www.xterraphotos.com /// Videos: www.xterra.tv /// Event: www.xterramaui.com
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