XTR Nationals PG 2010:XTERRA USA PRESS GUIDE.qxd.qxd

XTERRA TRAIL RUNNING SERIES OVERVIEWAt the heart of XTERRA is the fundamental idea of puttingon great races in epic places with friendly faces. Prettysimple, really, and it’s a formula that has proven successfulover the years with off-road triathlons. That samephilosophy is being used to grow the XTERRA Trail RunSeries.Now in its sixth year as a stand-alone set of races outsideof the off-road triathlon circuit, the XTERRA Trail Run Seriesboasts more than 60 races in 15 states and severalcountries, giving runners the opportunity to chase trailsaround the world literally.In 2010, 10 regions across the United States hosted anXTERRA Trail Run Series: Alabama, Northern California,Southern California, Georgia, Long Island, North Carolina,Ohio, Philadelphia, South Carolina and Texas. There werealso races (but not series) in New Hampshire, Virginia,Nevada, and Utah.Several other regions, including Arizona, Colorado andFlorida, are expected to join in 2011. What’s more,international XTERRA trail runs were staged in South Africa,Saipan, Portugal, New Zealand, Brazil and Japan in 2010.XTERRA’s main focus is on the off-road half-marathondistance trail run, or what XTERRA calls an “Xduro.” Whenasked about the paradigm shift(XTERRA Trail Runs used tobe mostly 5km and 10km runs), Tom Kiely, CEO ofXTERRA, explained that “after a decade of producing trailruns alongside our XTERRA off-road triathlons we learnedthat our audience wanted a bigger challenge than a 10k.What the market told us was to create a series of halfmarathonsthat have a physical challenge parallel to that ofa road marathon, but with Mother Nature along for the ride.”Two significant races, both staged in truly stunningadventure destinations, were added to the lineup in 2008,and remain the crown jewels of the XTERRA Trail RunSeries: the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship atBend, Oregon, and the XTERRA Trail Run WorldChampionship at Kualoa Ranch, Oahu, Hawaii. Thenational championship race is traditionally held inSeptember, with the world championship race in December.“The U.S. Trail Run Series is the fastest-growing segment ofXTERRA and the National Championship race is turninginto a really big deal,” said Kiely. “We think Bend is an24XTERRA Trail RunningWorld Championship atKualoa Ranchamazing place to visit and explore, and an ideal venue forthe last race in the U.S. series.”The age-group winners from each respective region aroundthe country receive free entry to the National Championship,setting up a showdown of champions in Bend.Following Nationals, runners can say aloha! The XTERRATrail Running World Championship at Kualoa Ranch kicksoff the “greatest week of running on Earth,” as it is held theweekend prior to the Honolulu Marathon. The XTERRAWorlds offers $10,000 in prize money, and the top trailrunners from America, South Africa, New Zealand, theCzech Republic, Germany, Italy, and Japan are expected tocome join in the adventure.The site at Kualoa Ranch on the northeastern side of Oahuis nothing short of magical. Arguably the most stunninglandscape in Hawaii, the 4,000 acre working cattle ranchhas been the setting for major motion productions such asJurassic Park, Godzilla and LOST. From the steep mountaincliffs to the sparkling sea, the terrain varies from denserainforest to broad open valleys and from beautiful whitesand beaches to awesome verdant cliff faces.“XTERRA is thrilled with the growth of its Trail RunningSeries” said Janet Clark, President of TEAMUnlimited/XTERRA. “XTERRA Trail Runs give runners anopportunity to explore some wildly natural environmentsand challenge Mother Nature’s diverse and unique offeringsfrom roots to rocks, to stream crossings and unexpectedscenic vistas.” For the latest news visit xterratrailrun.com.