Ogden, Utah Looks Forward To XTERRA USA Championship
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The great people of Ogden, world-class facilities at Snowbasin Resort and majestic Wasatch Range have done what no other venue in the history of XTERRA has done before.
First, they rallied the community into hosting an off-road triathlon. Then, they turned that race from a local grassroots affair into a major regional event on the XTERRA Tour. And now, they’re hosting the XTERRA USA Championship, the biggest race on the XTERRA America Tour. Indeed, the culminating event in the 60-race U.S. series and the race every serious XTERRA athlete strives for.
Come September 26, some 50 pros – Olympians, Adventure Racing World Champs, Mountain Biking Legends alike – will be in town to race for $80,000 in prize money, dozens of cameraman will position themselves around Wheeler Canyon to capture all the action for a nationally syndicated one-hour sports special, and amateur athletes from nearly every state in the union will travel to the mountains to chase their dreams and race for an XTERRA National Championship crown.
“Plus, did you know that you can qualify for the World Championship on Maui at the USA National Championship race in Utah,” explained Dave Nicholas, the managing director of the XTERRA World Tour. “That’s right, while the winners in our Cup series have already qualified, for those of you who missed a Cup race but qualify with points for USA Champs, you can get your Maui slot in Utah. So even though the Cup series is done, make sure you get to your XPS events, get points and get qualified for Snowbasin in September and make that your ticket to Maui.”
For those that do not qualify for the USA Championship race, the XTERRA Utah off-road triathlon, featuring a 750m swim, 19km mountain bike, and 5km trail run, will take place on the same day, at the same time, and on the same course.
In addition to the off-road tris there is one seriously challenging trail run – the XTERRA Wheeler Canyon 21k – that runs from Pineview Reservoir up 2,300-feet to Snowbasin Resort.
Dog owners can join in the fun of the XTERRA K9 Challenge owner-and-dog races, anyone can get a great haircut in exchange for a $15 donation to the Challenged Athletes Foundation at the Paul Mitchell Cut-a-thon, there is a Kids Zone, Pro Clinics, Expo, and a party under the stars in downtown Ogden with highlight videos, great food, and live music. All-in-all Sept. 26 is going to be one rockin’ outdoor sports festival and it’s part of the annual Mountain 2 Metro games which are running simultaneously with a host of activities and events for the whole family.
Press release courtesy of XTERRA.